Temp. taken out of storage, problems start

[tconroy]

I'll have to try to start it again tomorrow when I have time. I bought the bike in July from a private party, and he gave me the old spark plugs for some reason, but I have no idea when he changed them. I also cleaned the air filter last month but haven't ridden too much since then.

I have a 1/2" drive ratchet, but what kind of socket would I use for the spark plugs? I have a 21mm socket that I use for the oil pan and several smaller ones, would any of those work?

It takes an 18mm I think.Get one of the old plugs and match it up with one of your sockets before you try it on the bike.

[plucky]

You can do it!!!!

Assuming nothing bad mechanically has happened to the bike while in storage,(Knocked ove by car) you only need spark and gas to run. You added water to the battery which weakens it slighlty. But you got it running, which means you have good spark. You added stabilizer to the gas. This could be bad. Since it's the only other thing you did prior to storage it must be the culprit. Drain it out and add fresh gas. Once the carbs are filled with fresh gas it should run like old times!

ps. Probably should change out the old plugs too. Sounds like you never done this before, so maybe you should have someone help you.

[plucky]

Need tools

Go to the auto parts store and buy a spark plug socket. It has the rubber washer in it to help hold the plug in when you try to pull it out. Otherwise you will have to fish it out with your hands when it comes out. It's tough to get it in there with your fingers too. Better to use the socket. A couple of bucks will save you alot of frustration! And burns if you do it when the engine is hot.:shock:

[ShirleySerious]

I wish I could measure the old plugs, but I threw all them away except for one and that's under my seat, which is jammed closed. I have a 550cc, but I'm not sure if all GS's take the same plugs. I think I'll check it out tomorrow if I can, but it seems like the problem could be a combination spark plug and/or Sta-bil.

[skreemer]

worst case scenario put a call out to the chicagoland and greater area crew... one of us would be willing to help. (send a pm of when/where and someone will show with a bag full of tools)...

[ShirleySerious]

Well this morning I started the bike up and left it running for about 5 minutes with the choke on and got it to run with it off. However, probably because of either the charging system or the cold, it would not stay on unless I held the revs up. My guess is in 37 degree weather, it takes longer than 5 minutes to warm up a bike that hasn't been ridden in a week. I'll try it again, but now at least I know it's not the spark plugs or the fuel.

[tconroy]

Well this morning I started the bike up and left it running for about 5 minutes with the choke on and got it to run with it off. However, probably because of either the charging system or the cold, it would not stay on unless I held the revs up. My guess is in 37 degree weather, it takes longer than 5 minutes to warm up a bike that hasn't been ridden in a week. I'll try it again, but now at least I know it's not the spark plugs or the fuel.

Will it idle with just a little choke on after warming up? Have you tried turning your idle adjustment up.It will take a while to warm up.Might have to ride a couple of miles before making any adjustments.Is it cold where you store it?I have the original (23 year old book) for my bike and it says to start the engine and run at 2000rpm's for 10 minutes in the summer and 20 minutes in the winter with temperatures in the 23 to 35 degrees range to warm it up.I think that is a little extreme but thats right out of the book!I could scan it and show it to anybody who doesnt believe that.

[t3rmin]

I also suggest bumping that idle adjust screw up a bit. You may have it set so it idles OK when really freakin' warm, but not at all when slightly cold.

My bike just needs a little choke for about 10 sec to coax it started, then a few blips on the throttle and it'll idle without choke, even in 30-40 degree weather.

[bradleymaynar]

I just skimmed your thread Shirl, so I apologize if this has alrerady been mentioned. First, if you added water to the battery, I hope it was distilled. Tap water will not help a dry battery. Second, if you could get it to fire over by "kicking", and all the lights were working, that's usaually a tell-tale sign that the battery is shot. Just to give a very recent example: I stopped at McD's this morning on my way to work. This was an out of the ordinary stop. When I got back to the bike (less than 10 minutes), it refused to start and acted like the battery was going dead. Cranking slower and slower as I pushed the starter button. Fortunately I was able to get it to fire over by bumping it at a push start in 2nd gear. I put it on the trickle charger after I got home.

If this is the original battery from the PO, I'd suggest you replace it. Start simple, ie cheap, and go from there.

Brad bt

[ShirleySerious]

OK, where to begin? It will only idle in the first five minutes with the choke all the way up. Any less and it will die. Once it's somewhat warmed up, it will idle on low RPM's with the choke off, which means I might have to warm it up longer.

The storage place's temperature is the same as the outside, which will most likely be well below 40 degrees for the next few months here in Chicago. If I can get my seat open, I'll have to take the battery out.

I'd adjust the screw, except I don't know which screw is which. I'm sure the battery is fine, albeit a little old, but I think it can last until spring.

[silverhorse47]

There may be nothing wrong with your bike at all. You might have fouled the plugs a bit running your bike without warming it up. Your temp guage should read over 200 if your bike is warm. It takes about fifteen minutes of spirited (for me) riding to get it up that high...so you really aren't close at five minutes, IMO. Your battery might be a bit weak, but likely if it will make the headlight bright is is ok. If the bike turns over with alacrity don't worry about it. If not...charge it or replace it in the spring.

You should buy a ratchet and a spark plug socket and remove all your plugs. Clean them with a wire brush and ether starter fluid out of a spray can. Napa can sell you all this.

Make sure you can see daylight when you hold your air cleaner up to the light of day. Make sure you have gas flowing from the petcock when you suck on the gas line, and make sure the gas coming out of it is clear. Tighten any clamps around the air filter box and the air boots front and back of the carbs.

Sometimes when it is cold I reach down behind the bank of carburetors under my seat and turn the knob that is between the two middle carbs clockwise (if looking at them from the rear) until my bike will idle without the choke. Then I ride it until the idle is too fast. Then I reach down and turn the idle down (counterclockwise if looking at it from the rear) again to where I want it. Its easy to do this on my bike with my right hand at a stop light. I would try this before anything else if you can. I don't know your bike so you may not be able to do it.

I would not worry at all that the water in your battery or the fuel stabilizer is an issue. It's far more probable that the battery is going kaputty in the cold than that it has decayed virtually overnight from a little plain water in it.

Over the winter or in the spring you might like to remove your carbs and clean them. Or not....

(This is the common sense approach...purists may object)

Good luck with your bike!

S.

[Nerobro]

This sounds EXACTLY like a dead battery. This is exactly how my 550 will behave when the battery is drained.

You will not flood the engine by keeping the choke on. So don't feel guilty.

[wharrah]

the view of cold-bloodedness from Kornfield Kounty

FWIW only (in your view):

My 82 GS650L runs pretty good with only a relatively short warmup period in the summer... a couple of minutes... But, it takes WAAAAAY longer to warm up (by quite a bit) when temps are below 60F... Get towards 40F or below and it never really does warm up. I don't have ANY BLUE pipes, so I know it isn't running lean.

At this is the temp, if I consider driving 60-70mph at 40F, there are times when the bike gets cooled off enough I have to re-apply the choke to keep it running smooth. I sort of figured it is the nature of the beast considering how world-renowned they are for being cold-blooded.

I think the mechanical advice you have been given here is all good about things to check if it wont run at all, but I also think you may find (like any new thing) you have to learn its 'personality'... some bikes (and people) don't perform so well in the cold, early morning, for instance. :shock:

Stories abound about how some of the old Harley's were horribly hard to start. The riders had to 'know' their bikes so they could reliably start them every time with minimal kickage and broken ankles.

I know that being raised on the farm where we had 1920s and 1930s model Case and Farmall tractors (before electric starters) that hand-cranking (what's that???) farm tractors to start them meant you had to know 'the ritual' that worked...

i.e.,

Walk up to tractor
talk nice to tractor.
Open up to Full throttle
choke on Full too
two half-turns of the flywheel, one pop
then engine dies.
move Choke to half-on
throttle half way open, too.
one more pull - BINGO! \\/
..slowly close choke as tractor warms up.
(etc).

Every tractor had a different ritual, learned from much experience. But once you knew it, they were as reliable as a swiss-watch.

I think you will find that even your machine is like that. Good luck. Hopefully you'll get to know it well enough to know it is sick BEFORE it breaks. [-o<

Just my view of the GS world from Kornfield Kounty. 8-[

[Nerobro]

WEll, it's the world of air cooled motorcycles. Do a high speed run on the highway when it's cold, the motor is so cool by the time you pull off the highway that it wants to stall out. Adjust the idle... 5 minutes later when the motor warms up you're idling at 2500 ;-)

[bradleymaynar]

I'm not sure how much the ambient temperature effects the bike. I'm still pulling out every morning and having to choke the bike to get it started (temps have been in the low 30's high 20's this week). During the warm months where the low is in the 50's or higher, the bike usually starts fine without the choke. Tomorrow it may be in the upper teens and I know I'll have to leave the choke on for a couple minutes. Usually by the time I leave the drive I push the choke in and ride away. This morning, being the coldest so far, the bike died as I was stopping a few blocks from home. I bumped it in second before coming to a compete stop, and continued on with no problems. (BTW my garage is unheated and separate from the house.)

As for cooler temps making my bike run worse, I find that the opposite is true. It seems to be run a lot better when the temps are cold. One thing you may want to check is the oil. If you haven't changed it yet, it may be time. Dirty oil can do some funky things in the cold at start up.

Also, if you don't start your bike at least every few days, it's gonna be a lot harder to get it going. This has been true for me in the past, temperatures being irrelevant. If I know it's going to be parked for more than a few days without being started, I put it on the battery tender.

In your case, I'd definitely suggest rebuilding the carbs. While that may seem an intimidating job, it really isn't. Get some carb dip and rebuild kits and do it this winter. You'll be glad you did when the bike roars to life after you put the carbs back in. I know I did!:-D

And don't bother trusting that battery. Replace it and don't worry for a couple years.

Brad bt

BTW I'll let you know the routine for tomorrow morning's start-up. While it may be in the teens or 20's, things are always interesting.