I am new! Questions about petcock...

[Doomed]

Hi everyone, just got my 77 GS750 "running". Has about 19k on it. I removed the stock airbox put on some cheap pods. It appears the petcock is stock. It also has a 4 into 1 exhaust, have no idea what it is? Don't know if its been rejeted. From what I read here it has a fuel line and a vacuum line. Mine will only run on "PRI" When I put it to "ON" it runs for a short time than dies(no gas).

I looked at the petcock for what lines where there and just the fuel line was coming out of the petcock. And the other hole was snubbed off with a rubber cap. I found what I think is the vacuum line and coming out of the second carb and attached it to the snubb off hole on the petcock. Now it runs even worse.??? I am willing to put the stock air box on and I would love to get a full stock exhaust back on it if anyone has one!

Thank you for any help or advice I can glean from this great Resource!

Right after I got it, replaced taillight, signal lens and changed the oil...

[Dave8338]

Great looking bike there. It sounds like someone has modded the petcock to "make it work" instead of replacing it. You are correct in that the vacuum line for the petcock comes off of the #2 carb. If when you hooked things up and the bike died after it was placed on RUN...it would suggest that the petcock is junk or that the vacuum nipple onthe #2 carb is plugged. Start the bike on prime and remove the plug cap the vacuum port on the carb and see if there is suction there. If so...stop the testing, and go order a new petcock. About $50.00 and the best $50.00 you'll spend on getting your bike back it's glory condition.

Welcome to the GSR...Basscliff will get you the formal welcome and enough info on the GS bikes that you can open your own shop.

[Doomed]

Hey thanks for the speedy reply and the info! I will try that as soon as I get off work today sometime after 5. I have seen "rebuild kits" for the petcock but I have not seen the the whole petcock. Hummm. I will do some more looking around...

Thanks,
-Dana

[Dave8338]

Hey thanks for the speedy reply and the info! I will try that as soon as I get off work today sometime after 5. I have seen "rebuild kits" for the petcock but I have not seen the the whole petcock. Hummm. I will do some more looking around...

Thanks,
-Dana

Bikebandit.com will have them I got mine from Gerogefix.com and am completely satisified! I also have one that I put a rebuild kit in...and it makes a GREAT paper weight, for the shop! Personally, I wouldn't waste my time on the rebuild kit. Put a new one in and forget it for another 20+ years.

[Doomed]

Just went to Bikebandit.com, holy monkeys! $76.86! As you say its worth it, I need reliability. They say its for the GS750B, I believe mine is just a GS750, no letters? Or maybe its one in the same? Just want to be sure before I place an order.

[Dave8338]

Take a good look at the fiche. You should be able to tell if it is the same or not. It should be, but double check for sure.

[Doomed]

Will do, thanks man.

[80GS750]

when mine went out, i didnt want to put another OEM one on it.. so i just went to Z1 and got an aftermarket petcock and adapter plate...

works great and looks better IMO.

oh and if you want to get rid of that old exhaust let me know.....

[80GS750]

hey doomed!!!!!

your in OMAHA.. me too!!!

thats great now i will have someone locally to meet up with and bs about GS's with...

plus if you sell me that pipe you wont have to ship it!!! LOL

anyway since your new to GS's and all, just let me know any time and I can come by and show you anything you need to know about it... even petcock issues.

-Nate

[Dogma]

when mine went out, i didnt want to put another OEM one on it.. so i just went to Z1 and got an aftermarket petcock and adapter plate...

works great and looks better IMO.

oh and if you want to get rid of that old exhaust let me know.....

Factory equivalent for the 850 is about $47 at Z1. It might be worth a look or a call. Definitely shop around. Bike Bandit has good prices on some things, not so good on others.

[Doomed]

hey doomed!!!!!

your in OMAHA.. me too!!!

thats great now i will have someone locally to meet up with and bs about GS's with...

plus if you sell me that pipe you wont have to ship it!!! LOL

anyway since your new to GS's and all, just let me know any time and I can come by and show you anything you need to know about it... even petcock issues.

-Nate

Yup here in Omaha, we can def meet up. Well I looked at the aftermarket petcock for my bike at Z1 and with the adapter plate it would be over $90 so I still think the stock one from BikeBandit is still the way to go...

[Texatl]

Z1 has stock ones as well- prolly around the $40 mark. Plus service at Z1 is most excellente and quick shipping! I prefer them over BikeBandit (IMHO, takes forever to ship anything).

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. Doomed,

Sorry I'm late to the party. Check my website for "Where Do These Hoses Go?" 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 (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)

[Doomed]

^ seeing 2 of them one seems to be out of stock and seems to leave more fuel for res. Humm. I have ordered a new o-ring chain and sprokets from Z1 maybe I will give them a call on monday and add to my order.

[Doomed]

Thanks BassCliff, this place rocks. And thanks everyone for being so helpful to a newb.