Finally got my GS home

[Gixxer Dan]

hey Everyone,:-D

I posted the other day about buying a 1980 GS550L with 9K on the clock, but couldn't ride it home because of a bad petcock valve. So instead i decided to truck her in with the help of a friend.

Here's a picture of my GS "as is" with out my cleaning it up yet:



Well, since I've replaced the petcock but couldn't figure out how to hook up the petcock lines to the carbs to get fuel flow into the carb. I see 3 lines distinctively coming from the carbs (the rest I assume are vac lines) and 1 gas line coming from the petcock. Now, what line do I run from the carb to the petcock for fuel? Fuel isn't T'd off into separate fuel lines from the petcock is it? Here's a picture of what I'm looking at and labled lines.

lines 1, 2, & 3 coming from the carb are the ones in question. I assume 4 and 5 are vacuums.
and here are the lines coming from the tank/petcock:


So now what goes where? She started up and idled fine when the previous owner started her for me. But then again the guy was a lil shady and rigged up the fuel lines funny because the petcock was crap before I replaced it.

As you guys can tell I need the airbox. Is it recommended I stick to the stock airbox or go with individual air filter pods on the carb? The Battery is roasted as well, so need a new one? Can a pick a new one of at wal-mart or because the bike is 28 years old am I gonna need some kind of crazy special battery for it?

Thanks for any help you guys. I'm excited into getting her tuned up and running again with the help of GSR.

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. Gixxer Dan,

It's good to hear you've got your bike home now. \\/

You'll have two lines coming from your petcock. The larger one will be the fuel line. That will connect to the port between the #2 and #3 carbs towards the back of the rack. The smaller line from the petcock will connect to the vacuum port on the #2 carb. In the picture below the pencil point to the vacuum port on the #2 carb. You can see the fuel port to the left of the #2 carb. This view is from the engine side. (Note that the #1 cylinder is on your left as you sit on the bike.)



In the above picture you can also see a black port between the #1 and #2 carb. There is a twin port between the #3 and #4 carb. These are for the vent hoses.

Now as for your first picture; Hoses #1 and #3 are the carb vent hoses. These get routed over the back of the airbox out of turbulent air. Hose #2 is the fuel input hose to the port between carbs #2 and #3. It gets connected to the petcock fuel output. Hose #4 is the vacuum line. It gets connected to the petcock vacuum input. Hose #5 is the crankcase breather hose. It gets connected to the top of the airbox.

Here's a picture that might help.



I would recommend sticking with the stock airbox for now. You will probably have to install some sticky-backed weatherstripping to seal it up good (end caps and on top of the filter cage). You don't want any air leaks in the intake system. This makes tuning your carbs way difficult. Once you get your bike back to stock and running good, then you can think about modifying it. Pod filters will require jetting changes in the carbs and sometimes a LOT of trial and error. Personally, I'd rather ride a stock bike than have to fiddle with a modified one all the time. But that's just me.

Batteries for these bikes are not hard to find. I recently got an AGM (maintenance-free) battery by Yuasa. I got it from Cycle Rider there at the corner of Central and Holt for not a bad price. But you can probably find a cheaper compatible battery at Wal-Mart or similar retailer.

EDIT: In your second picture, #1 looks like the vacuum line and #2 should be the fuel line. There is another hose coming from the fuel gauge send unit (that round thing on the underside of the tank). It's a vent hose that gets routed behind the airbox and pointed at the ground.

Good luck and happy wrenching! :-D

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Gixxer Dan]

Thanks for the insight BassCliff,

I'll get to connecting everything and trying to start her up once I get another battery.

Quick question though, the hose from the fuel gauge sending unit, that connects to where again?

[tkent02]

Thanks for the insight BassCliff,

I'll get to connecting everything and trying to start her up once I get another battery.

Quick question though, the hose from the fuel gauge sending unit, that connects to where again?

It's just a drain, in case fuel leaks out of the sending unit(it shouldn't)
That hose just goes somewhere safe down under the bike, open to the airflow underneath.

[Gixxer Dan]

sweet \\/

Thanks for the heads up! Ok, I think i'm set now with those hoses and lines now to get her started up and diagnosed. I'll start with my rebuild and tune-up shortly there after. Once I start that then I will keep everybody updated on progress and no doubt I'll have have more questions later. So in the words of Arnold, "I'll be back"

[BassCliff]

The hose to nowhere

Thanks for the insight BassCliff,

I'll get to connecting everything and trying to start her up once I get another battery.

Quick question though, the hose from the fuel gauge sending unit, that connects to where again?

Yep, like Mr. tkent02 said, it's a vent hose that gets routed behind the airbox and pointed at the ground. There is no "connection".

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[melton1313]

Wow

I just bought a '81 GS1000 and have been looking at these forums for about 2 weeks now. I would just like to say that this is a very helpful site and thanks to all of you who contribute.