RasGS425

[RasGS425]

Hey guys, I'm a new user, old rider, & not so knowledgeable machanic but I do own a 79 gs425/E. Bike is stock, 16500 miles. Rode daily up until the corporate world tore me away 2 years ago. Bike sat out in weather for 1 year ( bad juju snow ruined my seat, snowplow knocked my bike over at least 4 times that I know of because I had to pick it up, neighborhood kids apparently put something in gas tank since I found copious quantities of a white granular substance in my tank when I finally purged it, and they busted my tach & speedo cluster glass), I moved it indoors for a year and now that corporate america has had it fill of me it and relinquished me once again to the dark pleasures of a winding road on a windy day...I WANNA RIDE! but I'm having a few...issues...with my machine. And I hope you can help.
Here's what I've done to it in the last 2 weeks.
1. Removed gas tank and cleaned out white stuff that looked like sugar or severely crystallized gasoline product. Blew out with air repeatedly until I thought it was clean.
2. Blew out petcock valve assy ( not so sure that was too smart now that I hear it has a diaphragm ) and fuel seemed to flow normally thru the tank and thru the petcock assy but it was off the bike and not attached to the carbs.
3. Attempted to blow out carbs ( again like not such a good idea in retrospect ) but have not disassembled as of this writing. Probably have to do that.
4. Found bad headlight but all wiring seems intact from a cursury inspection. R/R was replaced in '99 ( along with starter switch ) and not sure if either is working.
5. charged battery & tried to start...nothing. Tried to kick start...got really tired, but no start.
6. applied voltage directly to starter. Starter turns motor, but motor no start. Didn't even begin to WANT to start. Just turns, at speed mind you.
7. replaced plugs with Nippo's. pulled right plug to check for spark. Apllied voltage to starter ( starter switch "feels" good but doesn't start bike)...no spark from plugs.
8. bought tune up kit from West River Moto in Ohio and installed new points and condensors ( not sure if there's a trick to this since the condensor coil combo connection is covered/sealed - so I clipped wires and made it approx the same length for resistance purposes and made a "good electrical connection" to the existing condensor wire & hopefully the coils)...jumped starter again...not even a hint of a spark at my points.

OK, so now I get kinda frustrated and find a manual on line and buy it( it's enroute as we speak ). But, that's as far as my limited mechanical knowledge got me. I got tools and time, someone please direct me...I NEED to feel the wind thru my hair before summer's over and corporate comes calling again......Help ( I hope this isn't too long, I tried to be specific,AND post in the right area Sparky)

[blo]

Get out yr. multimeter / voltmeter and scotch-brite and start looking for corroded contacts. Probably in the steering switch assemblys and ignition switch. Beeing left to the elements for a whole year must have corroded the contact surfaces on several of the vital switches and buttons.
Just my .02

[RasGS425]

Off I go but need some more hints

Got scotchbrite in hand and as soon as sun comes up, I'm on it but ...I need more....suggestions. Manual wont get here till friday and I'm the go getter type.

[nabrams]

You've got a whole litany of stuff to verify after the abuse that bike has suffered and the fact that it's been sitting for that long.

Here's the advice that's been given a thousand times (use the search feature for more of the the same and some additional info):

I've restored four non-running bikes over the years. Searching this forum has been my primary source of information - most times I didn't have to ask questions - they've been asked a million times before. Learn how to use the search feature.
Bike problems (especially electrical) require a careful "process-of-elimination", methodical approach. You DO have a Clymer or shop manual, right? This is an absolute must.

Regarding your cylinders not firing:
You should visually verify spark on all plugs - if you don't know what I mean by "visual verification of spark" then find out by searching this forum or reading your manual.
Something I've learned after restoring four non-running bikes: I originally thought that electrical components (igniter, coils, R/R, etc.) either work 100% or don't work at all. Now I know that is not true. All of the electrics can fail gradually and show up as intermittent problems until they finally fail totally.
I've had R/R (on two Suzukis), coil and electrical rotor (on a 1980 Honda CB750) that failed gradually. I spent tons of time messing with carbs when the problem was electrics all along (which I found out when the component finally died totally).

Invest the time to learn your bike and you'll save a TON of money.

Here's some advice I gave someone:

Unless you KNOW that the shop is good don't even think about bringing it to them.
You're going to have to meticulously clean the carbs and verify that everything is working properly (no torn diaphragms, leaking floats, plugged jets, etc.). You'll need to invest between 30 to 60 hours of time (if you've never worked on bikes) to go through your bike and verify all the typical problem areas (air/exhaust leaks, carb issues, charging issues, valve clearance, and so on...) - see my other posts about restoring bikes that have been sitting for a while. You'll need to buy some tools. You'll need a good manual (Clymer is decent, shop manual better).
After all that you'll know your bike's condition fairly well. You'll most likely have issues pop up every season, so it pays to know your bike. You'll also save a ton of money and do a better job than the shop does.
For me, the whole point of these 80s era bikes is to be able to work on them and not have to pay exorbitant fees to shops. I started with very little knowledge and with the help of this great forum I've restored four non-running bikes over the past 5 years (Two GS450s, a Honda XL350 and a Honda CB750).
If you've got lots of cash, just buy a new bike and be done with it.

Good Luck, and keep us posted on your progress.

[RasGS425]

OK, and now..

Where do I start given my present set of circumstances? Do I tackle the no-spark issue first, and what does that entail? That kinda insunuates taking all the bolt ons off ( or as much as needed to trace every wire and contact (scoth brite them all?) Do I pull the carbs first and disassemble, clean, retrofit & reassemble, given that I can't get a spark at the points or at the plug currently? If there's a way to access all this info ( sounds like there's a collection of info somewhere that can guide me. I expect the Clymers manual in a few days. So things that require diagrams & pictures not to screw up ( carb rebuild, head teardown and possible rebuild etc) have to wait a few more days at least. But till then, do I check my stator, if I can find it, and investigate the other side of the no spark mystery at the points/plugs? So many mysteries, so little sunshine left

[Nessism]

I'd work on the spark first. Chances are very high that your carbs need cleaning but with out spark, it will never light.

[Jon78gs1000]

I left my bike out in the Canadian weather for 3 years without covering or touching it. When I tried to start it there was no spark.I cleaned all the electric connections,Took the spark plugs out and set them on motor,with plug wires attached and tried to start(the starter dosen't have to work as hard and you can smell gas if there's any from the carbs.) Looked at the points to see if I had any spark across the gaps.Make sure to have proper gap at the points.Then went to the coils.I found the connections at the coils were the prob.I soldered every connection from steering stem back.Factory just crimps the wires so you can get alot of corrosion right at the connectors.Once I had spark at the plugs,I went to the carbs.#1 and #4 carbs were only getting about 1/4" of gas so I set the float heights.now she runs.Very rich but she runs.

I love it when a plan comes togeather.\\/

[nabrams]

Your very first step is to purchase a multimeter (no more than $30), learn how to use it, and test/verify voltage at every point in the ignition system. Of course this assumes you have a wiring diagram for your bike and that you know how to read it (you'll figure it out after staring at it for a while).