gs1100glz wont start from cold,,only 7000 miles???

[z1b900]

hi, i have a gl1100glz,, real nice,, new battery, low miles, 7000, why the heck wont it start from cold without a boost from my truck battery,, air filter may need replacing, so assumed choke was flooding,, air filter removed with choke,, still wont start, gives a tease of starting every now and again,,starts fine when warm, liable to burn out the starter motor from trying,,anybody got any ideas????

[uudfourty]

Charge ye ole battery really well.
While your battery is charging, check the stator papers, my man.
And welcome to the forum.

[doctorgonzo]

Not to sound like "nyah.... nyah..." but I am SO pumped up this morning because it was 35 F here this morning, pulled full choke, hit the button and fired right up.

[Nessism]

Mr. Z1b900,

Apparently, your Suzuki is acting spiteful since your screen name indicates where your true loyalty lies.8-[ If I was your bike I wouldn’t start either. Too bad really since a GS1100 will outrun a KZ900 with one plug lead disconnected.

So your bike has 7000 miles on it…and 25 YEARS of stagnation, as referenced by the low miles. I’m well versed on motorcycle neglect having owned several low mileage bikes myself.

Storage rot affects many different systems on motorcycles including the basic fuel and electrical system. I suggest a proper carburetor updating by ordering an o-ring kit from cycleorings.com. Your bike will love you for it and reward you accordingly. While the gas tank is off, go through the various electrical connectors (clean out any dirt and corrosion) and squirt a little dielectric grease inside the clamshell before making the connection back.

There are lots of other general maintenance items that should be attended to such as carb sync, valve adjust, brake system clean out, etc., but please start with the carbs. With a little attention your Suzuki will run like the great bike it is and maybe even save your sole from damnation brought on by that evil Kawasaki Empire.:-D8-)

Take care.

[Junkie]

Add relays for your coils, it's likely they aren't getting enough power.

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Hi Mr. z1b900,

We even kid around with the Harley owners here. We are one, big two-wheeled happy family. Here is some info to get you started. As Mr. Nessism says, you'll need to put a little effort into your "diamond in the rough" to bring her back to her former glory. Then you will have a reliable, classic motorcycle. Get ready to copy and paste. Here is your 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)!

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 In The Garage section via the GSR Homepage 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 if your bike uses shims for valve adjustments, send an email to Mr. Steve requesting a copy of his Excel spreadsheet that helps you keep track of clearances, shim sizes and other service work.

These are some edited quotes from one of our dear beloved gurus, Mr. bwringer, with ideas on basic 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

***********************************
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:

1. Intake O-rings (install NEW OEM or Viton only - common nitrile O-rings will quickly deteriorate from heat)
2. Intake Boots (install NEW -- these cannot be repaired)
3. Valve clearances (more important than most people think)
4. Carb/airbox boots
5. Airbox sealing
6. Air filter sealing
7. Petcock (install a NEW one)
8. On '79 models, install new points or Dyna electronic ignition (or at least verify that the old points are working correctly)
9. 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.
10. Stock exhaust with NO leaks or holes -- good seals at the head and at the junctions underneath.
***************************************
OEM Parts/Online Fiches:

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://denniskirk.com - Put in your bike model and see what they have.
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.
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**********************
Additional parts/info links:

GSR Forum member Mr. duaneage has great used upgraded Honda regulator/rectifiers for our bikes. Send him a PM.
New electrical parts:
http://stores.ebay.com/RMSTATOR or http://www.rmstator.com/

http://www.ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/index.php

http://www.electrosport.com/

For valve cover and breather cover gaskets, I recommend Real Gaskets (reusable silicon):
http://www.realgaskets.com
The Rice Paddy (salvage/used)
http://www.ricepaddymotorcycles.com
Ron Ayers Motorsports
http://www.ronayers.com
MR Cycles
http://www.mrcycles.com
Moto Grid
http://www.motogrid.com
If all else fails, try this:
http://www.used-motorcycle-parts.org/
Used bike buying checklists:

http://www.amadirectlink.com/roadride/Riderresc/checklist.asp

http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html
Lots of good info/pictures here:
http://www.suzukicycles.org

http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Motorcycle_Wiki

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)

[z1b900]

gee ess 11 gee el zee

hi, and many thanks for the info, i restore classic motorcycles, i have at the moment 3 cb750, 1 cb350f, 2 cb550, 1 kz650,,i wish i had a z1b900!!, this is my first suzuki,,it seems to me to be a lack of guts in the spark department, i am really looking for a quick fix,, the prospects of spending untold bucks on dyna stuff, igniters, carb rebuilds, is too daunting, especially when the bike should be still warranted!!, cos of the mileage,,it even has original tyres,,this is the newest bike i have owned [1982], i think i need a boost to the spark plugs,,worst scenario is to be told i need new igniter, there is evidence that the box has seen water, ,,i will post a photo to show the bike has been well looked after, and did not suffer from neglect,, thanks again guys

[Junkie]

If you think it's a spark strength issue, the first thing you should do is the coil relay mod. It's cheap and fairly easy, and may well fix the whole thing.

[doctorgonzo]

Almost no doubt those carbs are gunked up unless the PO literally pulled them apart to get all the fuel out before he stored it for years.

[Junkie]

Almost no doubt those carbs are gunked up unless the PO literally pulled them apart to get all the fuel out before he stored it for years.

Really? My thought is that if he drained the float bowls it should be in decent shape.

[bwringer]

You're also right at the mileage where neglected valve clearances can start to cause problems, and cold starting is the first sign. Worth checking, if you haven't already.

Also, quite a few people have recently discovered the joy of full voltage at the coils, and it's solved quite a few problems. The coil relay mod is easy, cheap, and effective. The original GS coils actually work surprisingly well -- the problem is the old wiring, switches, and connectors tend to have a fairly large voltage drop.

[uudfourty]

Testify!
Sing the coil relay mod praises.

[Steve]

All good advice. :shock:

For resurrecting an old bike that has not been running for a while, first order of business is always a carb refresh. Consult the links that BassCliff gave you for the tutorial and the o-ring set. Also get the intake tube o-rings for a complete job.

To address the issue of not starting when cold, the primary suspect is valve adjustment. You will likely find them a bit tight, especially the intakes. They don't have a whole lot of clearance to start with (especially compared to the KZs), so when they lose any clearance, they already have none. Send me an e-mail with valve adjust spreadsheet" in the subject line, I will send you a copy of my spreadsheet that helps you keep track of clearances and shims.

The coil relay mod that others have mentioned does help, but I save that more for resolving a problem. All three of my GSs start easily without it, so none of them are in line for the mod (yet).

Welcome to the group, there's lots of good help here, so don't be afraid to ask.

.

[z1b900]

thanks for that,,what exactly is a coil relay mod,, where do i buy one, dont want to end up with turn signal relay,,searching on yahoo or google just gives info on coils or relays,,i would be grateful for any help with this,,i got an english magazine specialising in 70's and 80's jap classics to give away for solution,,regards

[Junkie]

The coil relay mod is to add relays that power the ignition coils with larger wires than the stock, it helps provide them with more power which gives you a better spark.