gs550 won't start... I am very sad... and need help!

[supergrafx]

These old GS's are cold-blooded, which means they need usually full choke to start, which will cause the engine to race to about 4,000 rpm or higher as soon as it starts.

So, quickly back down the choke to about half way, more or less, whatever it takes, to keep the engine running at 2,000 - 2,500 rpms. Lower is better, but it might stall and you don't want to go back there again...

Then, it needs to stay on that choke setting until as the engine warms up some, you back down the choke little by little, again trying to keep the rpms around 2,000. 550's are a little colder than their larger brothers and will need a good minute or two before you can even THINK of driving off (with the choke still on).

If you can get this far, engine running for 2 minutes straight with choke, and start to drive successfully, you can usually completely shut off the choke after a mile or two.

You're getting a lot of good advice from the other folks with more experience than me, so I'll stop here and let the experts take over.

Congrats on the bike!

That's very good knowledge to know indeed about the gs550 being COLD AS ICE. Reminds me of the mother of my children. Funny that you have to choke her every time you see her and want to go for a ride. Wish that worked with my babies mama....sigh... Anyways, kickstarting won't work anymore even with the the choke all the way up. When doing the reading on the battery (while engine was shut off), I pulled out the existing battery just to do so and was able to see the fluid in the battery due to the battery's transparent white plastic casing. I noticed that some of the chambers were much lower than the others. In this case if the fluids have dried up in specific chambers, will recharging the battery even be a good thing to do or should i just get a new battery. My friend told me to check the horn and indeed, the horn sounded like it wasn't getting much power since it just squeaked. Since the previous owner supposedly replaced the battery in the short time he had the bike, it just seems to me that something must be draining it bad, but I guess that's how i like my women....mean, but pretty. I

[gs scott]

A weak battery causes lots of issues, and using your horn as a test isn't a good check - they almost always sound like a sick cat. To measure is to know, as Nessism says - great advice. If your battery isn't putting out enough voltage, the coils can't do their job of sending spark to the plugs. No spark, no run.

Try to charge the battery before spending the money on that - why if you don't need to? Add distilled water, its cheap enough. Trickle charge it and see what happens. If you're not putting out enough voltage for the coils, you're not charging the battery much either. After the battery is good, check the voltage and make sure the charging system isn't part of the problem. Clear that, and I think you're back to carburation, and maybe float valves. The ethenol in todays gas is causing havoc with float valves - which results in hard starting... Doesn't show up in full throttle, but idling and starting. Valves could be an issue as well as mentioned earlier.

Good luck, keep us informed of your progress.

[supergrafx]

A weak battery causes lots of issues, and using your horn as a test isn't a good check - they almost always sound like a sick cat. To measure is to know, as Nessism says - great advice. If your battery isn't putting out enough voltage, the coils can't do their job of sending spark to the plugs. No spark, no run.

Try to charge the battery before spending the money on that - why if you don't need to? Add distilled water, its cheap enough. Trickle charge it and see what happens. If you're not putting out enough voltage for the coils, you're not charging the battery much either. After the battery is good, check the voltage and make sure the charging system isn't part of the problem. Clear that, and I think you're back to carburation, and maybe float valves. The ethenol in todays gas is causing havoc with float valves - which results in hard starting... Doesn't show up in full throttle, but idling and starting. Valves could be an issue as well as mentioned earlier.

Good luck, keep us informed of your progress.

Yesterday morning, I went out and bought a schumacher 1.5 amp slow float charger at advance auto parts, filled the battery's 6 cels with distilled water, and charged it for 13-15 hours. Well, it charged since my previous voltage of 11.4 increased to 12.72. I plugged it up, but the bike still wouldn't start. Lights, brakes, and the clicks once again were all alive, but the bike couldn't turn over. Tried kickstarting but nothing. In order to do the stator tests, must you not be able to get the bike started up in idle to check the voltage, ect...? I'm glad that I now know how to replenish and charge a battery, but am wondering what I should do next and am hoping there is a way to do the stator/rectifier;regulator tests without the bike's engine running. So, I guess from reading all your helpful comments, it could be the regulator, stator, valves, carbs, and someone made me worry at work that I might have flooded the tank by my past excessiveness to try and get the engine started. What should I do now?

[cloudbreakmd]

Hi, a couple weeks ago I posted pics of my bike I purchased. Here is the link:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=129471

Well, the bike won't start now. The starter will click, but it refuses to fire up. The previous owner wasn't able to start the bike immediately the first time I saw it but after applying the choke was able to start it 30 minutes later. Supposedly, the battery is fairly new, the carbs are refurbished; however, it is running without an air filter. This is my first bike and I have no idea where to start and what precautions to take. I have a service manual but with the little experience I have with automobile/bike repairs, it really isn't that helpful. I'm wondering if this could be a wiring issue and what I should be checking for specifically. I really would hate to have it towed to a motorcycle repair shop only to get ripped off. I'm taking off an hour or two from work to pick up my tags and new title tomorrow, with the realization that I will not be riding for even longer than I had expected. I just got my insurance coverage this weekend and now this..... The bike was starting fine for nearly 3-4 weeks.

If the engine turns over (meaning cranks)... Check the plugs. I remember that the owner after me had set the carbs to rich so they may be fouled. Also is the engine cranking or just making a clicking noise? If it is just clicking... There is probably a loose ground on that bike.

Check the link you posted about this bike. I used to own it prior to Peter.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=129471

[supergrafx]

If the engine turns over (meaning cranks)... Check the plugs. I remember that the owner after me had set the carbs to rich so they may be fouled. Also is the engine cranking or just making a clicking noise? If it is just clicking... There is probably a loose ground on that bike.

Check the link you posted about this bike. I used to own it prior to Peter.
http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=129471

Actually, I know there is a loose ground or a loose positive line for that matter in that when I took a fall on the bike, ever since the right turn signal led indicator does not blink. I asked the PO if he thought my turn signal if by chance ungrounded, might make the bike not run. He thought not however. By checking the plugs, do you mean the spark plugs?/or the entire electrical system? As far as the engine cranking or clicking, when I kickstart, it seems more like a clicking than a cranking, which to my memory when I first got the bike, the kickstarting seemed to have a cranking feeling, like I could crank it into power. Now, it just seems lame, weak, and not going anywhere.

[supergrafx]

I take back my previous comment about the engine only clicking. Sorry about my inaccurate testimonial. All the stress concerning the bike seems to have made me delusional. It is in fact cranking with the recharged battery. It was only clicking when the battery was almost dead. When the battery was empty, there were ofcourse no clicks. I printed out 400 pages up to model 81' of the 700 page gs550 from Basecliff's website for mechanical reference. Although I am a better learner when I'm shown how to do things hands on. I guess checking the spark plugs is next?...

[supergrafx]

I used to own it prior to Peter.
http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=129471

I totally missed that last part! That's f'n crazy yo! I've seen you posting in some other threads when I've been searching these forums for answers and never would have thought I'd touch down with the previous P.O. before the last. I recognize the rubber duckie pic from those prior threads. And you still have a GS! What made you get rid of the 550?

[cloudbreakmd]

Hi,
I meant the spark plugs. Sorry, I wasn't clear

Why did I get rid of it? I got the double whammie... Between getting very ill last summer and then getting scammed on ebay to the tune of $500 and needed to sell the bike to pay negative balance on Paypal... And Peter knew what I was building. So he bought the bike to build, but I still ended up doing most of the work. The LEDs and ignition switch relocation were my idea as well as the recessed taillight. He built the tail himself from scratch (I only helped build the plywood base) and he added the gas tank and grips as well as the sport stripe. He also added the front CBR600F2 master cylinder and bar end mirrors.


Lemme think what did I do to it?

• Cut Rear Frame
• Installed new petcock and screen
• Assembled/installed H4 headlight retrofit
• Front fork rebuild/replacement
• Changed both rims on the bike (the old ones were rusty)
• Installed new battery prior to him getting it from me
• Clip ons put on by me (but Peter adjusted them to that position because he liked the look---> I disagreed because I was worried about the tank)
• Replaced the exhaust studs and exhaust gaskets with OEM parts
• Rebuilt the carbs when he first got it but then it sat and his dad did them again
• He and I mounted/adjusted the gauges
• Cleaned and oiled filter
• Replaced the spark plugs with new NGK's
• Replaced the rear springs

And I swear there was a lot more but I can't remember right now. It was a nice looking bike when he was done. It needed fine tuning though for sure (with the carbs and the points needed replacement ---> get the Dyna S system).

You got a good bike but be careful with it. The steering with those bars is really twitchy, especially at speed. You might want to get a steering stabilizer (another item I suggested that was never implemented). Think something like a Daytona stabilizer to mount from the frame to the triple tree or something.

[supergrafx]

Hi,
I meant the spark plugs. Sorry, I wasn't clear

Why did I get rid of it? I got the double whammie... Between getting very ill last summer and then getting scammed on ebay to the tune of $500 and needed to sell the bike to pay negative balance on Paypal... And Peter knew what I was building. So he bought the bike to build, but I still ended up doing most of the work. The LEDs and ignition switch relocation were my idea as well as the recessed taillight. He built the tail himself from scratch (I only helped build the plywood base) and he added the gas tank and grips as well as the sport stripe. He also added the front CBR600F2 master cylinder and bar end mirrors.


Lemme think what did I do to it?

• Cut Rear Frame
• Installed new petcock and screen
• Assembled/installed H4 headlight retrofit
• Front fork rebuild/replacement
• Changed both rims on the bike (the old ones were rusty)
• Installed new battery prior to him getting it from me
• Clip ons put on by me (but Peter adjusted them to that position because he liked the look---> I disagreed because I was worried about the tank)
• Replaced the exhaust studs and exhaust gaskets with OEM parts
• Rebuilt the carbs when he first got it but then it sat and his dad did them again
• He and I mounted/adjusted the gauges
• Cleaned and oiled filter
• Replaced the spark plugs with new NGK's
• Replaced the rear springs

And I swear there was a lot more but I can't remember right now. It was a nice looking bike when he was done. It needed fine tuning though for sure (with the carbs and the points needed replacement ---> get the Dyna S system).

You got a good bike but be careful with it. The steering with those bars is really twitchy, especially at speed. You might want to get a steering stabilizer (another item I suggested that was never implemented). Think something like a Daytona stabilizer to mount from the frame to the triple tree or something.

I'm going to frame the before pics so I can have a before/after joint. I love the work you did to the bike. It is beautiful. I def want that dyna s ignition and a stabilizer. You know best. PM SENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jwhelan65]

Start simple

I had this same problem....check all your grounds, mine had a wiggle lose wire at the AC generator. After secuing it my problem was solved. Check every single connection associated with your charging system, it will save you time and money.. and trust me on a 20+ year old bike you will probably head off other potential frustrations in the process.

Good luck

Joe