1983 gs850 petcock

[vicloia]

i have a 1983 gs850 i was given for free(with no owners manual or service manual)and i have a stupid question.

can anyone tell me what position is on,off,and reserve.when i got the bike the petcock was pointing down(towards the floor)

also,the bike starts right up with the choke on but if i try to shut the choke off(even after it is fully warmed up)the bike will stall,it will only stay running with the choke off if i keep the throttle open a little,any help in either area is appreciated8-[

[catbed]

down is normal, front of the bike is reserve and back of the bike is prime.

sounds like you need to clean your carbs. make sure those pilot circuits are really clean.

[psyguy]

try adjusting the idle screw first (a knob behind and under the carbs)
(if your engine works with only a slight twist of the throtle, maybe the idle is too low)

[BassCliff]

Did you get my welcome message?

i have a 1983 gs850 i was given for free(with no owners manual or service manual)and i have a stupid question.

can anyone tell me what position is on,off,and reserve.when i got the bike the petcock was pointing down(towards the floor)

also,the bike starts right up with the choke on but if i try to shut the choke off(even after it is fully warmed up)the bike will stall,it will only stay running with the choke off if i keep the throttle open a little,any help in either area is appreciated8-[

Mr. vicloia,

If you read the "official" unofficial welcome post that you received from me you will find links to download a manual and lots of other helpful documentation for your bike.

If you are on dial up, send me a PM.

Normally, I have to leave my choke on for a couple of minutes until the bike warms up enough to idle properly. I gradually push in the choke as the bike warms up because it starts to idle faster. I don't like idling any faster than 2500 rpm while warming up.

There is no "Off" position on the petcock. It is a vacuum operated valve. If the engine is not running, there is no vacuum being supplied to the petcock and the gas stops flowing. Setting the petcock to prime bypasses the vacuum valve and lets the gas flow via gravity. I would suggest leaving the petcock in the Prime position for only a minute or two if you need it while warming up the motor or troubleshooting faulty gas delivery.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[vicloia]

thats how it should work,but it wont run at all without the choke on so i think from reading all your links(thank you)i probably have a vaccum leak(boots or intake seals,or both)