Starting Problems on GS550T 1981

[EricWoods]

Hi everyone. New to this forum and wondering is there anyone out there that can help with a strange problem with GS550T. Bought the bike from a nice gentleman who told me the only problem with the bike was that the fuel tap was not great and sometimes the bike would come to a stop. So I ordered a new fuel tap along with new battery and clutch cable.
The problem im having is with starting the bike. It will not start on the button!! But if pushed it will start with a jump in second gear. Dosent run that well and after 4 or 5 mins it feels like the bike is fuel starved and it starts hitting and missing. When i switch the engine off when she is warm it will not restart on the button but will on a push? Strange! When it wont start on button I remove all plugs and check for spark which I do have. The bike has a new fuel tap and battery along with new spark plugs fitted. Only one thing I should mention is that the KIll Switch has been shorted and wires tied together as switch is broken. Any help out there for this one?
Eric in Dublin

[Nessism]

The petcock has a "prime" position which allows fuel to flow all the time. The "run" and "reserve" positions only allow fuel to flow if engine vacuum is sucking the valve open.

You want to set the petcock to prime for a minute or so to make sure the float bowls are filling with gas - open a couple of drain plugs to make sure there is gas in the carbs.

The clutch has to be pulled in before the engine will turn over with the starter. Not sure what the previous owner did to your kill switch but make sure you are getting spark when turning over the engine with the starter button.

Only other thing I can think of is to pull down the carbs and go through them to clean out the gunk. 25 year old carbs are sure to have dried out O-rings so it's one of those pay me now or pay me later things - the bike may run okay but it's just a matter of time before you will need to freshen up the sealing. I don't even bother trying to ride an old GS without going through the carbs first to establish a baseline for moving forward.

Good luck.

[Matchless]

Don't do what I did, drained the tank and cleaned the petcock, then put some fuel from my container into the tank, set to run and started bike. Switched off and when trying to start again, the bike started once and would not again. I only discovered a few days later that I had not put in enough fuel to be above reserve. When switching to reserve and/or filling up and back on run all was well!

[Steve]

One of the classic symptoms of not starting when the bike is cold is lack of valve adjustment. There are many posts in the forum on how to do this properly, and, if you are interested, I have available an Excel spreadsheet that will help you keep track of your clearances and suggest new shim sizes. Click on my name, send me an e-mail with your request.

Another classic symptom on a 'new' bike is dirty carbs. You would do well to take them apart, change all the o-rings and gaskets, then re-assemble and sync them. It will feel like a different bike when you get done. There is a good article on how to clean the carbs, and you can get a complete set of o-rings from Cycle o-rings whose owner is a member of this forum. While ordering new o-rings, you will also do well to get the intake boot o-rings, as well. All the o-rings come from the same place, and at a very reasonable price.

Now, about this:

Eric in Dublin

Give us a clue.
Ireland?
Alabama?
Arizona?
California?
Florida?
Georgia?
Indiana?
Kentucky?
Maryland?
Michigan?
Mississippi?
New Hampshire?
New York?
North Carolina?
oHIo?
Pennsylvania?
Texas?
Virginia?

Yep, there's a Dublin in each one of them, so which one are you claiming? :shock:


.

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. EricWoods,

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

Once such valve adjustment thread of which Mr. Steve mentioned is here, complete with pictures. You'll also want to familiarize your self with the electrical charging system on your bike. You can accomplish that via The Stator Papers.

Those are the three biggies on these classic bikes, #1 - valve adjustments, #2 - carb clean/rebuild, #3 - electrical system. Let us know how we can help. Thanks for joining us!

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[EricWoods]

Thanks for all the help

Hi to everyone again. Well to answer where im from, im from Dublin in Ireland. Came across this gs550 recently and decided to buy it. First day out i travelled 31 miles to my workshop and went off without the gloves! hands were freezing! after welding at the workshop for the day i decided to wear a pair of welding gloves home to keep me warm\\/. About 3 miles from home I hear this wallow sound coming from the bike as if ive ran out of petrol although i had just put my first fill into her! Happened to break down right on a bend of a pub!:-D So after some refreshments and letting the bike cool i threw my leg over her again. No joy. So i ordered parts from the uk to include new battery, battery acid, fuel tap, front brake switch, and 4 carb repair kits which have the fuel bowl gasket and fuel inlet valave and seat. Just chanced fitting the tap and battery and new plugs. She started but no idle. Noticed she will start on a push but no joy pressing the go button! Got the haynes manual out and kinda browsing through that b4 the rugby world cup starts. My background is steel work and electronics so kinda new to alot of the meachanical stuff. This bike is in really smart condition and will get loads of pics and stick em up 2morrow. My plan is firstly to check air side and engine side carb boots for any leaks and also to check fuel bowl drains to make sure each pot is getting juice. After that im kinda lost and thinking of main jet, pilot jet, air screw clean?

Thanks to everyone who has replied and already feel very welcome here.
Thanks
Eric In Dublin ( Ireland )