Hey- '79 GS 550L just bought- need some help... carbs, brakes

[thaduke2003]

Alright- I just bought a '79 GS 550L- it's my 2nd bike (1st was a '73 GT 550 that ran for an hour then caught fire), and my first bike that's survived 24 hours. However, it has some problems.

First off, after I dropped in a new battery, the bike caught and ran, but not well. After an embarassingly long warm-up, it still ran badly, and would die when I let the choke out. The plugs are new, wires decent, and points (supposedly) adjusted. I gently tapped the headers, and #1 was cold, #2 cool, so I've now pulled the carbs. I'm wondering how in the world to clean them now, as I'm an auto tech, and only know 1X4 barrel, not the other way around! Assume I know nothing, and lead me by the hand please

Next up, the rear brake pedal sticks- what do I do to un-stick it? Thanks in advance y'all! Mark W.

[Nessism]

Welcome to the GSR...greatest motorcycle forum on the web!

Sorry in advance to sound bossy but you need to rebuild your carbs and change the intake runner "carb boot" O-rings. You can order a carb o-ring kit (for VM carbs) from cycleorings.com. The carb boot O-rings are available from the dealer, or I have some extras you could have for $1 shipping.

Know before hand that most newbies do not properly clean the carbs the first time and have to do the job again...and again...until they finally do a complete job. You will be way ahead of the curve if you just bite the bullet and un-gang the carbs and fully strip them down and soak the bodies and parts in carb dip.

Carb clean up article here... http://www.thegsresources.com/files/vm_carb_rebuild.pdf

For the brakes, the rear brake master cylinder piston is stuck. You need to pull off the master and strip it down to get the piston loose. Replacing the seals is a good idea after going to all this trouble.

Good luck.

[Dave8338]

Welcome to the GSR...greatest motorcycle forum on the web!

Sorry in advance to sound bossy but you need to rebuild your carbs and change the intake runner "carb boot" O-rings. You can order a carb o-ring kit (for VM carbs) from cycleorings.com. The carb boot O-rings are available from the dealer, or I have some extras you could have for $1 shipping.

Know before hand that most newbies do not properly clean the carbs the first time and have to do the job again...and again...until they finally do a complete job. You will be way ahead of the curve if you just bite the bullet and un-gang the carbs and fully strip them down and soak the bodies and parts in carb dip.

Carb clean up article here... http://www.thegsresources.com/files/vm_carb_rebuild.pdf

For the brakes, the rear brake master cylinder piston is stuck. You need to pull off the master and strip it down to get the piston loose. Replacing the seals is a good idea after going to all this trouble.

Good luck.

Save your breath, Nessism...by the time Basscliff gets done with his welcome, thaduke will be ready for the road! \\/ :-D JK

Welcome to the fourm and let it be known, that you have ARRIVED, as it pertains to your bike~!

[tkent02]

Check your valve clearances are not too tight, they get tighter as they wear and too tight causes hard starting, especially when cold. A LOT of GSes have never had the first valve adjustment, and running with them too tight will cause valve damage.
Besides, it's easier than cleaning the carburetors.

[thaduke2003]

Dang- I'm into a bit more of a project than I'd imagined with these carbs. I'm wondering- is there anyone who could do it for me? I'm currently doing 90-110 hours a week, and this looks like something time consuming, and not to be done by an amateur who's sleep deprived! Thanks for the quick responses, by the way!
Next question is, is there an electric choke conversion? Or an electronic (non-points) ignition setup available for this engine? Thanks in advance again- Mark W.

[Nessism]

If you posted where you live there may be someone in your area that can help you with the carbs. I'd be glad to help but you are going to have to send the carbs to me and pay for my beer consumption while I sit around watching your carbs soak in the dip.

For electronic ignition, go to Z1enterprises.com and search for a Dyna ignition. About $125 w/o coils.

Good luck.

[thaduke2003]

Nice- that sounds like a decent investment on the ignition- anything on the e-choke? Also, I'm in the Charlotte/Mooresville NC area.
I pulled the drain plugs off the carbs- holy dirty fuel, Batman! Dirt and yellowy fuel spilled out, so I'm going to guess that's a big part of the problem. I'm going to try cleaning the carbs first (sans rebuild) to see where that puts me, then update.
Am I crazy, or is there no fuel filter on the bike (or did the lazy prior owner just ditch it)? If not, what can I put in (model # from Autozone or somesuch), as that's just wrong!
Cheers- Mark W.

[tkent02]

Nice- that sounds like a decent investment on the ignition- anything on the e-choke? Also, I'm in the Charlotte/Mooresville NC area.
I pulled the drain plugs off the carbs- holy dirty fuel, Batman! Dirt and yellowy fuel spilled out, so I'm going to guess that's a big part of the problem. I'm going to try cleaning the carbs first (sans rebuild) to see where that puts me, then update.


Am I crazy, or is there no fuel filter on the bike (or did the lazy prior owner just ditch it)?

It came without a filter, if you need one go with a motorcycle type, the auto type won't flow enough fuel without the fuel pump.

If not, what can I put in (model # from Autozone or somesuch), as that's just wrong!
Cheers- Mark W.

Good luck, and check your valves!

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. thaduke2003,

I believe the majority consensus here is to clean and/or coat your gas tank if necessary, install a new petcock, and do without an inline fuel filter. But there are some who do have success using an inline fuel filter. I've never heard of an electronic choke for these old, uh...I mean classic bikes. You can try to do the "quick" clean up of your carbs and then run a bunch of Sea Foam in your gas, but chances are it won't run right until you do the proper clean and rebuild.

I see you've already met a few of our helpful, friendly members. I just wanted to give you my full-bore, all-out, super fantabulous, extremely verbose, mega-welcome!

Let it be known that on this day you are cordially and formally welcomed to the GSR Forum as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Further let it be known that your good standing can be improved with pictures (not you, your bike)! :grin:

Perhaps you've already seen these, but I like to remind all the new members. In addition to the carb rebuild series, I recommend visiting the garage section via the GSR Hompage and check out the Stator Papers. There's also a lot of great information in the Old Q&A section. I have some documentation on my little BikeCliff website to help get you familiar with doing routine maintenance tasks (note that it is 850G-specific but many tasks are common to all GS bikes). Other "user contributed" informational sites include those of Mr. bwringer, Mr. tfb and Mr. robertbarr.

And here are some quotes from one of our dear beloved gurus, Mr. bwringer, with ideas on basic maintenance needs (depending on initial condition), parts, and accessories.

***********Quoted from Mr. bwringer************
Carburetor maintenance:

Replace the intake boot o-rings, and possibly the intake boots. Here's the procedure:
http://bwringer.com/gs/intakeorings.html

Here's an overview of what happens with this particular problem:
http://cycleorings.com/intake.html

You'll also want to examine the boots between the carbs and the airbox. There's a good chance these are OK, but check them over.

And finally, if things still aren't exactly right, you'll want to order a set of o-rings for BS carbs from the GS owner's best friend, Robert Barr:
http://cycleorings.com

Once you receive these rare rings of delight, then you'll want to thoroughly clean and rebuild your carburetors. Here are step-by-step instructions that make this simple:
http://thegsresources.com/gs_carbrebuild.htm
*************End Quote*************
**********Quoted from Mr. bwringer**********
Every GS850 has (or had) a set of well-known issues that MUST be addressed before you have a solid baseline for further troubleshooting.

It's a vintage bike, and it's quite common (as in, every single GS850 I have had contact with) that there are multiple problems that have crept up and slowly gotten worse over the years.

It's not like a newer vehicle, where there's generally one problem at a time.

These common issues are:

Intake O-rings (install NEW OEM or Viton only - common nitrile o-rings will quickly deteriorate from heat)

Intake Boots (install NEW -- these cannot be repaired)

Valve clearances (more important than most people think)

Carb/airbox boots

Airbox sealing

Air filter sealing

Petcock (install a NEW one)

On '79 models, install new points or Dyna electronic ignition (or at least verify that the old points are working correctly)

On all models, it's fairly common to have problems with the spark plug caps. These are $3 or $4 each, and often worth replacing if you're keeping the stock coils/wires.

Stock exhaust with NO leaks or holes -- good seals at the head and at the junctions underneath.
**********End Quote**********
***********Quoted from Mr. bwringer***************
http://denniskirk.com
Put in your bike model and see what they have.

I would definitely double and triple the recommendations to use Cycle Recycle II and Z1 Enterprises as much as possible. These guys are priceless resources. Z1 tends to have slightly better prices, CRC2 has a wider range of goodies available. If you're near Indy and can bring in an old part to match, CRC2 has a vast inventory of used parts.

http://oldbikebarn.com seems to be slowly regaining a decent reputation, but it's still caveat emptor. They don't have anything you can't get elsewhere at a better price anyway.

OEM Parts/Online Fiches:

http://www.babbittsonline.com/
Decent parts prices. Spendy shipping. Don't give you part numbers at all. Useful cross-reference if you obtain a part number elsewhere. Efficient service.

http://bikebandit.com
Fastest. Middlin' prices. Uses their own parts numbering system to obfuscate price comparisons -- can be very confusing for large orders. Cheapest shipping, so total cost usually isn't too bad.

http://flatoutmotorcycles.com
Slow. Cheapest parts prices, crazy shipping costs. Don't expect progress updates or much communication. Real Suzuki part numbers.

http://alpha-sports.com
Exorbitant parts prices. Different type of fiche interface that's quite useful at times, especially with superceded part numbers. Real parts numbers. Shipping cost and speed unknown due to insane, unholy pricing.

Stainless Bolts, Viton o-rings, metric taps, dies, assorted hard-to-find supplies and materials, etc.:
http://mcmaster.com
Fast, cheap shipping, good prices. No order minimum, but many items like bolts come in packs of 25 or 50. Excellent resource.

http://motorcycleseatcovers.com
Great quality, perfect fit (on original seat foam), and available for pretty much every bike ever made. Avoid the textured vinyl -- it's perforated.

http://newenough.com
You DO have riding gear, don't you? Great clearances, always outstanding prices and impeccable service.
***************End Quote**********************

Here are a few extra links:

Cycle-Re-Cycle Part 2
http://crc2onlinecatalog.com/

The ever popular Z1 Enterprises
http://www.z1enterprises.com

The Rice Paddy (salvage/used)
http://www.ricepaddymotorcycles.com

Ron Ayers Motorsports
http://www.ronayers.com


Lots of info/pictures here:
http://www.suzukicycles.org

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed of your progress. There's lots of good folk with good experience here.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The unofficial GSR greeter)

[thaduke2003]

Thanks for the welcome I checked with the previous owner- he said he's had problems with crap in the gas here in NC and rebuilt the carbs according to the specs listed on this site (he actually mentioned it without my prompting) last year.
What do I do for the inline filter?
Also, there are two vacuum lines coming off of the carbs that have screws stuck in them to plug them- where would these go? Any vac diagrams available? Mark W.

[BassCliff]

Bad gas?

Hello again Mr. thaduke2003,

Well, if you've got bad, dirty gas then it's better to try an inline filter rather than gum up your carbs. The mesh screen on a new petcock is pretty good at keeping all but the smallest particles out of the carbs.

What do I do for the inline filter?

I don't know exactly. I don't use one. But make sure it is a small high-flow gravity feed filter.

Also, there are two vacuum lines coming off of the carbs that have screws stuck in them to plug them- where would these go? Any vac diagrams available?

If it's the two hoses I'm thinking of, they are vents. Normally they would drape over the top of the airbox and hang down the back, out of the way of turbulent air.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[thaduke2003]

Alright. In terms of the air filter, where can I get a replacement? Also, for my GT550 ('73), I had individual, smaller filters- any kits for less $ ($175!!! for K&N) bank than K&N? Also, plug wires? Thanks- Mark W.

[Dave8338]

With a new petcock, you should not need an inline filter and if Cliff is right on the vent lines being the ones that are plugged...that may be a big portion of your problems, right there. Where are the two lines located?

Here are my two favorite go-to sites for parts:

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/common/Frontpage.jsp?ysmchn=GGL&ysmtac=PPC&ysmcpn=DK&ysmgrp=denniskirk&gclid=CP-i1ZuIkY8CFR9aQAodeAc0JA

http://www.bikebandit.com/suzuki-motorcycle-parts/oem-parts

No electric choke system to my knowledge...If the carbs are cleaned and in proper working order, the stock set-up works GREAT! Also...the stock filter or it's replacement, is the best way to go for an air filter. If you're running short on time now, just put pods and a 4-1 pipe along with a stage 2 jet kit in...and you'll know the meaning of "frusterated to the point of selling"! Set it up stock and you'll really enjoy that bike!!! 8-[ IMHO

[thaduke2003]

Alright- thanks for the advice on tinkering (modifying)- I'm a hot rod/race engine builder by profession (stripper just wasn't working out...), so I'm used to going for MORE POWA! all the time The two lines are coming off of the carb bodies- I'll unplug them and see what happens with that and a thorough cleaning.
What's the best way to fully clean the tank- there was a bit o'dirt and milky, yellowish fluid (what used to be fuel, I assume) coming out of the carbs. Thanks again- this site is great! Mark W.

[BassCliff]

A clean tank is a happy tank

What's the best way to fully clean the tank- there was a bit o'dirt and milky, yellowish fluid (what used to be fuel, I assume) coming out of the carbs.

Mr. thaduke2003,

The Search Feature is your friend: :-D

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=106029&highlight=clean+tank

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=80929&highlight=clean+tank

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=69710&highlight=clean+tank

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=113948&highlight=tank+rust

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=106016&highlight=tank+rust

I'll be happy to find more for you if you like. Best of luck.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff