81 gs450l runs poorly on one cylinder

[Billy Ricks]

i think so, not totally sure though. i've never really had the finesse it takes for valves.
starting to agree with the top end suggestion, unfotunately.

There is a certain procedure for how the cams should be positioned. It would be hard to explain here. The easiest thing to do is just make sure that each valve you check is completely of its cam lobe. Fortunately you only have 4 valves so it isn't a big deal. Just rotate the crank until the lobe is facing away from the bucket on each valve.

[w/e_wrencher]

alright, scored a clymers' manual this w/e at the shop i work for. got to nosing around, and there it was, tucked away in the back. anyway, it turned out to be the valve shims. remeasured tolerances, did some adjusting, runs alot better. now the next fix is 55 mph top speed. a little more tweaking on the carbs, and i should have it.
thanks Billy, for not letting me give up on the valves. i still hate dealing with them, though!

[semerm]

I know you have tried to get the carbs right. If it was me I would get a used stock air box and get rid of those pods. I have personally had alot of trouble with those things and when I re-installed the stock air box the bike ran like a different bike. Some people on the forum like the pods, I do not. With PODS on my 81 gs 850g, 55MPH was my high with 5000rpm's max. With the stock air box, red line and tons more power, no backfiring, and it will do 70 before you blink an eye. If you research this on the forum, many other people have also experienceed this. I would not have believed the difference until I saw it with my own eyes and felt it pulling on my arms!
I know you restricted the pods. Do you know (for sure) if you gave it too much air or not enough air (sounds like too much to me).

I am not trying to make more work for you but Suzuki spent alot of time engineering the air box and mixtures. It sounds like if I were you I would wonder if I am shooting in the dark with the mixture. You may get it with the trial and error method, I do not have the patience for this, some people say they spend years trying to get it right. Please do not take offence to this as I am not trying to be critical but trying to help you.

I'd watch ebay for one.

Good luck and have a great night.