starter locking up

[BRIANC]

on my 82 1100 e i just put in a new charged battery - but when i go to start it spins briefly then a loud clunk then locks up the motor - is it a bad ground connection at battery ?
have never had this problem before and have had the bike since new
and changed batteries several times
it has just under 30,000 miles now
i did notice the new battery bolts had some washers that were not completely flat that i put on battery bolts - could this be my problem as the ground is not complete because of the stupid washers ?

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. BRIANC,

If the problem just started after installing the new battery, then start by rechecking/cleaning all of your connections and grounds. Here is your 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 (and most other models) 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
http://www.bikepics.com
Basic motorcycle maintenance/repair:

http://www.dansmc.com/mc_repaircourse.htm

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)

[Zook]

Pull the spark plugs then hit the starter. If it spins your problem was a hydrolocked cylinder, aka full of gas.
That means time for a petcock and needles and seats.

BTW-dodn't put the plugs back in the wires when cranking!

[BRIANC]

starter locking up

dude - you nailed it
i pulled the plugs and pushed bike in gear and got a geyser out of #2
put back together and she fired right up
thanks for the help

[Zook]

Now fix what caused the problem or it will happen again and could cause terminal damage to the engine, like a bent connecting rod.

Glad you found it!

[earlfor]

Now fix what caused the problem or it will happen again and could cause terminal damage to the engine, like a bent connecting rod.

Glad you found it!

The only way there can be gas in the cylinder causing hydrolock is if the fuel petcock is faulty. It is supposed to shut off fuel flow when the engine is not running (no vacuum present) Even if the fuel inlet needles in the carb bowls are leaking (which they should not be)
the cylinders will not fill with gas because the petcock is supposed to shut off fuel flow before it reaches the float bowls.

Replace the petcock.

Earl

[BRIANC]

i'm embarrassed to say that i crossed the fuel lines on the petcock so when i put it on prime to start - it flooded the cylinder
so all is well
thanks again to all

[lecroy]

May have been on prime.

Even on prime, the float valves should prevent this. May have more than one problem.

[Zook]

I repeat-the petcock is bad-it flows when in the OFF position, and one or more carb needles/seats are bad allowing the fuel to flood the cylinders.

You must fix both conditions to truly fix the problem

I had a 97 Concours with this problem. I couldn't get the petcock to stop flowing and those crappy Kehins don't have replaceable seats.
So, I used an inline fuel valve to shut off the flow.
Sold the bike, the next owner replaced the carb rack and the petcock, removing my shutoff valve and still had the same problem.

Point being you must stop the fuel coming from the tank...when I repair my new to me GS1000G I will install a true shutoff valve.
I already know the needles and seats are bad, they'll be fixed, and since I use a manual valve on my present bike, I'm used to shutting it off.

Hey, didn't we have to do that back in the day?

we issa gitin layzee.

[Dave_A]

You guys are missing what he did...

He put the VAC hose from the carbs to the tank...

And the FUEL hose from the tank to the vacuum nipple...

Or so he says (seems a bit hard to do, but anything's possible with the right amount of effort),,,,

That WOULD flood the cyl very fast if put on prime...