GS850 no torque

[floydthedog]

I have had a gs of one form or another in my garage for 20 years ( a gs750 ) I now am putting a GS850G together.I elected to swap the cv carbs for mechanical slide carbs and air pods, do to the bad seals in my intakes and airbox ,and the two quarts of gasoline in the crankcase and the overall latency of vacuum carbs.My problem is the engine starts and revs strong , idles great , when i put it in gear and let the clutch out it acts as if it is way lean and will bog down and die until i pull the clutch in. it doesn't slip or feel as if is bound up . what kind of damage to the clutch can happen with fuel in the crankcase. Any help is appreciated, Thanks

[chef1366]

Change your oil before you wash out your crank bearings. Get the carbs jetted right. We need more info on the carbs you installed.

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. floydthedog,

Let it be known that on this day you are hereby cordially and formally welcomed to the GS Forum as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Please note that "good standing" implies pictures! :-D

So you're using carburetors from the '79 model year?

Mr. chef1366 speaks wisely. Once you've installed pods you must jet the carbs almost by trial and error, trying different sizes, testing with plug chops, etc. Pods make it run way lean until you re-jet. Are your carb boots soft and pliable and making good seals? How about the intake O-rings? These 850s are very unforgiving when it comes to air leaks in the intake system. (Please forgive me if I state the obvious.)

Do you have a Suzuki shop manual for your bike? If not, PM me. I might have an extra copy around here somewhere.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The unofficial GSR greeter)

[floydthedog]

The carbs are vm22ss with stock #50 main jets , they are from a 79 gs850g and have been inspected and are clean

[chef1366]

How did you get them to fit? Different heads from the pre80 bikes. If they are 22mm you're starving the bike. Stock on the CV carbs are 32mm.

[floydthedog]

I put sleaves on the smaller ports to fit the larger rubber intake ports , I sprayed around the seals and didn't notice any change in engine speed.I guess i should try playing with the jet size < I didn't think it would be that critical for a benchmark to start from but live and learn.Yes I do have a manual thanks for asking

[Steve]

I elected to swap the cv carbs for mechanical slide carbs and air pods, do to the bad seals in my intakes and airbox ,and the two quarts of gasoline in the crankcase and the overall latency of vacuum carbs.

The gas in the oil is due to a bad petcock, as well as as bad float valves in the carbs. Rather than change out the carbs and introduce a whole lot of guessing on jetting and compatibility, why not just change the float valve seals?

You mention "the overall latency of vacuum carbs." Please explain.
The only thing I can read into that phrase is the amount of time it takes the vacuum slide to react to very quick throttle changes that might occur when shifting. One of the reasons the vacuum slide carbs exist is to minimize, if not eliminate, the lack of throttle response due to sudden opening of the throttle. I can not imagine where this would affect overall performance unless you are on a race track. Since most of us spend a very small percentage of our riding time on a track, it seems a reasonable compromise.


.

[49er]

The carbs are vm22ss with stock #50 main jets , they are from a 79 gs850g and have been inspected and are clean

If you've got VM22SS carbs on the bike they are not off a '79 850. You should be fitting VM26SS or you will be way lean and lacking in top end performance.
Do as Steve suggests and you will have a very good performer for years to come. Also, check that your valves are correctly adjusted.

[floydthedog]

you are right 49er they are vm26ss( I was looking at my 550 manual ) I had to sleeve them from 32mm to 26mm with radiator hose to fit and sill the intake rubbers.I owned a 78 gs750 and found the response to be way faster when ringing it out at low rpms than with the 850 and with the seals on the airbox and intakes being 25 years old I feel jeting would be funner and more of a learning exp. than with trying to keep up with the leaks. This bike is a hobby for me my everyday driver is an 05 vtx1300c.
I like the torque of the twin but miss the thrill of the 4 cyl. high end power.

[49er]

you are right 49er they are vm26ss( I was looking at my 550 manual ) I had to sleeve them from 32mm to 26mm with radiator hose to fit and sill the intake rubbers.I owned a 78 gs750 and found the response to be way faster when ringing it out at low rpms than with the 850 and with the seals on the airbox and intakes being 25 years old I feel jeting would be funner and more of a learning exp. than with trying to keep up with the leaks. This bike is a hobby for me my everyday driver is an 05 vtx1300c.
I like the torque of the twin but miss the thrill of the 4 cyl. high end power.

Well, if you must have some fun persevre with the VM's. In my experience, you're right about the bottom end response too.
However, be prepared to spend untold hours trial jetting until you get it right. That's the joy of running pods!
Keith might be able to give you a good starting point, but that would spoil the challenge, wouldn't it!

[Suzuki_Don]

The VM22s are off a GS550, I have them on my '77 GS550B.

Yes as Chef says you are starving the motor. Carbs are too small,

Cheers

Don