I turn the handlebars and idle goes up

[Balesce9932]

This is getting frustrating now, every time I Turn the handlebars to the right and the idle rockets up, turn it left and it stalls out. I'v re-routed the throttle cable, lubed it, taken twist throttle apart numerous times and cleaned it. I cant figure it out. Anyone have any advice?

[chef1366]

Sounds like the wrong cable. Does it have an adjustment on the cable when it comes out of the throttle? Sounds like your idle is set with the cable and not the idle knob.

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hello Mr. Balesce9932,

How are you? It's so nice to meet you. What kind of motorcycle do you have? You can see mine in my sig file. And now, here is a little something for you that I like to call my mega-welcome! \\/

Dear fellow GS rider,

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
Carolina Cycle
http://www.carolinacycle.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)

[chef1366]

I thought you put the mega welcome on your website. What happened?
Not that I mind. It saves us from alot of redundant questions.

[Balesce9932]

Yeah it has an adjustment out of the throttle I have it screwed in the whole way now, because as I Scew it out the idle rises even higher. I even ran the cable on the outside of the frame so there was nothing that it could binde on and it still revs up or down depending on which way I turn the handlebars.

[chef1366]

Are they stock handlebars? Sounds like you need a longer cable.

[BassCliff]

I thought you put the mega welcome on your website. What happened?
Not that I mind. It saves us from alot of redundant questions.

It's on my website too. I guess it depends on how much I fell like copying and pasting. :-D

Sometimes I think it doesn't get read either way.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[BassCliff]

Yeah it has an adjustment out of the throttle I have it screwed in the whole way now, because as I Scew it out the idle rises even higher. I even ran the cable on the outside of the frame so there was nothing that it could binde on and it still revs up or down depending on which way I turn the handlebars.

Hi Mr. Balesce9932,

What kind of bike do you have? Do you have stock handlebars? If so, do you have the stock cable routed correctly? Do you have a manual? Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[WesV]

Depending on what model the bike is, good chance it is the choke cable PLUS improperly adjusted carbs. When I got my 850 it did the exact same thing if I turned it right, but from center to left it would run fine because my carbs were in tune. Someone had rerouted the choke cable and when you turned right it stretched it just enough to bring the engine RPMs up.

If your bike doesn't have a choke cable coming to the triple tree (where mine is) or the handle bars I guess you have to look elsewhere.

[Balesce9932]

My bike is an '82 650GL. They are the stock handlebars and the throttle and choke cable were on them when I bought the bike so I'm assuming they are the factory ones. How do I find out the proper routing for the cables.

[Balesce9932]

Another thing, I'm not so sure that its the choke cable because when I wiggle the throttle cable the idle goes up depending on which way i wiggle it. When i turn to the right and it gives the cable lots of slack is when the rpm's rise. So i dont know if i should start with a new throttle cable because it may not be the correct one. Do the clymer manuals tell you how to route the cables?

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. Balesce9932,

Have you had a chance to visit my website? I'll bet you'll find a manual for your bike there, and it will have part numbers and cable routing diagrams. :-D


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[doctorgonzo]

As BC says, the shop manual (the real one, not Clymers or Haynes) has all the cable routings, as well as all the wiring routings.

[Balesce9932]

Thanks alot everybody for all of your help, smooth idle now all the time no matter which way I turn the handlebars. The cable was just routed wrong. I can now enjoy my GS once again.
Thanks Again

[Skateguy50]

My bike is an 83 650GL and has the same issues but to a lesser extent, it really doesnt get in the way of riding but can be annoying backing in while parking in neutral to have the idle rev up on me.

Guess I will check the cable routing as well and see what the issue is.