1982 GS 1100 G Carb Adjustment - Newbie!

[b1ackd3ath]

Hello All,

Great posts here on your site. I have been reading them for months now
and they convinced me to recently buy a 1982 1100 G. The bike is great
and I really like it. The only thing is that it backfires on engine braking.

After searching the archives it seems to me to likely be an air/gas mixture
issue. I have extremely limited mechanical experience but would like to
make the adjustment if it is reasonable for a newbie to do so. Can anyone
give me their opinion on the likely solution and a newbies probability of
doing it?

Thanks a million

Tony

[b1ackd3ath]

Just a few more details on the problem. There is a popping crackling,
not an extreme backfire but sometimes it is louder than others. It only
happens when I let off the gas and the engine brakes. If I gun it and
then hit the clutch, the backfiring stops...

[bwringer]

Sounds like a textbook lean condition most likely caused by bad intake o-rings:

The problem:

http://cycleorings.com/intake.html

The solution:

http://www.bwringer.com/gs/intakeorings.html

(Please note that the procedure shown is correct, but your part numbers will be different.)

Also, make sure the airbox is properly sealed. There are foam seals under the airbox side covers that every GS owner has needed to replace with weatherstripping.

[chef1366]

Do you have an aftermarket exhaust?

[b1ackd3ath]

The bike is basically stock with the original exhaust. Changing the O-Rings sounds pretty involved. Could it be something easier like adjusments to
the air pilot screws?

[dtkid]

I would say that while it could possibly be intake o-rings the most likely culprit are your exhaust gaskets.

Decceleration "pops" generally can be remedied by replacing the exhaust gaskets. More than likely you have stock gaskets under your stock pipes. It is a simple fix and it won't take much $ for new ones. In addition, it is an easier fix than the intake o-rings [taking off the pipes is easier than taking off the carbs if the machine has the original air-box]. Also, if the new exhaust gaskets fix the problem you won't have to worry about the re-sync of the carbs.

Of course, if the new exhaust gaskets don't do the trick it will be time to attack the other (intake) side.

[b1ackd3ath]

It could honestly be anything that creates those symptoms. I guess
I should take a look at the plugs to see what color they are?