20-30 minutes of cranking and it finally starts

[Woob]

Well, the first one was easy. Now lets move on to one that may be a bit more invloved.

1983 GS650L. I have owned it since 1994. I got it after my father died. I put $400 into it back then and was riding it quite a bit. Then for whatever reason it sat for a couple years in the garage.

I dusted it off and with very little work ( I think all I did was put in some new plugs) was riding it again. This was probably around 1999-2000. If I remember correctly, this was when I first had the problem of needing to crank the engine for 20-30 minutes before it would finally turn over. As long as it was warm, or I started it everyday, it seemed to fire OK. But if it sat for 2 days or more I had to do the crank thing to get it started. I was afraid I was going to screw up the starter or some thing.

I quite riding again and bought a house. The bike sat for quite some time (probably about two years or more). About a year to a year-and-a-half ago I said to myself that I need to get this thing running and keep it up as a tribute to my dad. I bought a new battery and put in some new plugs. Changed the oil and gassed it up. It took a lot of cranking but it finally turned over. I was surprised and pleased.

But now my problem persists. Whenever I go to start it, it takes the 20-30 minutes of cranking and it will finally go. I try to start it everyday. Sometimes it will go right away and other times I have to crank. But it will finally start.

Just after it starts, if I give it gas it will die. I have to get it going and let it idle for about 10 minutes before I can twist the throttle without killing it. When I ride, I get hesitation and loss of power after shifting and trying to accelerate.

Someone has suggested cleaning the carbs out but I don't know if that is in my realm of knowledge. Perhaps I underestimate myself. (I probably could do it but I have this habit of being a little shy about new ventures and it seems I remember more than once having a DIY project blow up in my face) Also, right now I'm so broke that if it cost a nickel to get out of jail, I'd be doing life.

Looking forward to hearing opinions and suggestions from any and everyone.

Hopefully... I'LL GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY "NEW" FRIENDS. I'M GONNA TRY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY "NEW" FRIENDS.

Thanks![-o<

[chef1366]

Your carbs are probably gummed up from sitting. Also check that the petcock is free flowing with vacuum applied. The choke circuit is connected to the pilot circuit which has very small passages. Read the carb cleaning pages on this site and blow out all the passages with carb cleaner. Also make sure your air cleaner is good and your airbox is sealed.

[renobruce]

Sounds like your carbs might be dirty. But try putting the petcock on prime. Wait a few minutes and try and start it. Report back and let us know if that helps.

[arveejay]

Do you pull the choke knob all the way out? Do not touch the throttle with the choke on. If you already do this your choke circuit is probably plugged.

[UncleMike]

Would I be a jerk to ask if you're priming your bowls after the bike has sat?

[Jethro]

The good news is you have a very strong battery!:shock:

In theroy, troubleshooting is easy. Start at the gas station and work your way to the fire. Begin with the fuel tank vent, make sure it's free. Check to see if you have gas (don't laugh, I'm serious), check your petcock and make sure gas can leave the tank with a good flow. Work your way to the fuel line- is it the correct size? Now go into the float bowls, check the needle valves, float heights, jets are clean and free. Make sure the throttle and choke are working properly with the correct freeplay. And on and on it goes....

[nabrams]

Woob,

The fact is that you're going to need to invest a significant amount of time (between 30 and 60 hours) to get your bike back into decent working order. You will most likely need to spend very little money (just some basic tools, carb cleaner, etc.).
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.

Here's some advice I gave to somemone:
I've "restored" two GS450 bikes that had been sitting for long periods (mine and a friend's) so I've encountered almost all the typical issues.
You will almost certainly need to do a thorough carb cleaning. The fact that it started up is deceptive. It will not produce smooth, full power till you get those carbs spotless. Your air filter element, air box and all boots that connect to the carbs will have to be checked (any air leaks and all bets are off - see my other posts about this). Your regulator/rectifier and stator should be checked (as described in the garage section of this site). It is also likely that you'll have some loose and/or dirty electrical connections.
Some of the cables may need lubrication and adjustment. Of course, you will need a new battery.
If you've never done any of the above stuff then it will take you a while to learn it all and to acquire the right tools - anywhere between 25 and 60 hours of work - I'm trying to be realistic here based on my own experience. The second time I did a "restore" (on my friend's GS450) it went much, much faster. A Clymer's manual is a must.
If you're in no rush and you enjoy wrenching an hour or two a night then I'd say go for it. If not, you could take it to shop and pay an arm-and-a-leg for them to do half-baked job that you'll have to "finish up" - once again, I'm speaking from personal experience I had with a Honda many years ago.

Here's some more:
You had a running bike before the carb rebuild, so I'd guess your main problem is with the carbs. However, it is possible that other factors are just borderline enough that a slightly worse carb situation would expose those issues as well.
Before tearing the carbs down again, verify all the easy stuff first:
1. Put in brand new plugs - I can't tell you how much time I've wasted just to finally realize that my plugs were so wet and fouled that the bike had no chance of starting. This is especially common after doing carb related stuff.
2. Verify your air filter element and box and boots are all set up properly and that there are NO air leaks.
3. Using those new plugs, check that each one is sparking. If the bike is properly carbureted, even a faily weak spark should ignite the fuel/air mixture.
4. Verify that your petcock is letting fuel through to all carbs.
If all of the above checks out OK and you still can't get her started, then it's time to tear into those carbs again. Make sure your floats aren't leaking (there should be no liquid sloshing around inside of them) - I once overlooked that very important test and spent many hours fiddling with other things till I remebered to check if my floats were leaking. Sure enough, one of them was leaking like a sieve.

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.).

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).

Also:
Your starter motor may be really dirty inside, preventing full electrical contact: been-there, done-that.

I would NOT replace any gaskets if the leaks are relatively minor. If they are minor just seal them up with high-temp silicone - worked like a charm on my friend's GS450.

The 1980 GS450 is CDI ignition so there's no timing adjustment necessary.

Of course the gas tank must be drained.
Soaking the carbs in gas is useless, you must disassemble the carbs and clean them meticulously (especially if they've been sitting for two years).

[Woob]

Big Thanks

Thanks for all the info! Once I get things sorted out and get a starting point, I'll let you all know how it's coming along. I could have swore I had a Clymer book around here but now it seems to be missing.

Keep the great advice coming! I think maybe "we" can get some things figured out. I'll definately be searching the site for answers to questions that pop up along the way.

-Back at you soon.