Here's a technical question :)

[Clumzi]

How are you supposed to start a GS? I'm serious. Does everyone else here have to pull the choke out with their right hand, hold the clutch in with their left and use their shoulder to hit the starter? Was the GS made for people with three arms? Is there are trick to getting the choke to stay out? Is my bike missing that magical little piece that holds the choke open and makes you not feel like a dumbass when you go to start your bike? Not that mine starts anymore, but when it did that's what I had to do.

-nick

BTW - If there is an award for greatest n00b question ever, I want this thrown in the mix

[GSXXZRX]

[quote=Clumzi; Is my bike missing that magical little piece that holds the choke open


Yes.

[hikermikem]

1) You can bypass the clutch "safety" switch. Follow the wires from the switch (under the clutch lever) into the headlight housing. At the end there are two bullet connections. Disconnect the "switch end" bullets and let them hang, then connect the two bullets that came from the harness together. Now you don't have to pull the clutch to start the bike.

MAKE SURE THE BIKE IS IN NETURAL BEFORE STARTING !!!

2) Your clutch lever should stay by itself... is it the "pull knob" type, or the "thumb lever" type. Either way, it's supposed to stay where you set it.

3) Grow an additional arm - this can come in handy for many purposes, aside from holding the choke open...

Good luck,

mike

[waterman]

The choke on my 650 has a collar type cap that can be tightened around the choke cable stem. What makes it deceptive is that it is located under a rubber cap. Lift the rubber cap and turn the plastic collar clockwise to tighten.

You can also disable clutch safety switch as suggested. If you do this, get in the habit of only starting bike in neutral, don't ask me why.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

My choke wouldn't stay up when I first got my bike. I seem to recall that I was able to tighten my choke knob lock nut just a smidgen to give the shaft a little more friction. Check page 11-5 in the manual you downloaded from my website.

EDIT: Oops, that's the page on my 850 manual. Sorry.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[shadowfist]

1) You can bypass the clutch "safety" switch. Follow the wires from the switch (under the clutch lever) into the headlight housing. At the end there are two bullet connections. Disconnect the "switch end" bullets and let them hang, then connect the two bullets that came from the harness together. Now you don't have to pull the clutch to start the bike.

MAKE SURE THE BIKE IS IN NETURAL BEFORE STARTING !!!

2) Your clutch lever should stay by itself... is it the "pull knob" type, or the "thumb lever" type. Either way, it's supposed to stay where you set it.
you mean 'choke' i'm sure. i haven't seen many 'pull knob' style clutch levers

3) Grow an additional arm - this can come in handy for many purposes, aside from holding the choke open...
if you grew an additional head as well it would make a great Halloween costume.

Good luck,

mike

just my 2 cents

[MelodicMetalGod]

How are you supposed to start a GS? I'm serious. Does everyone else here have to pull the choke out with their right hand, hold the clutch in with their left and use their shoulder to hit the starter? Was the GS made for people with three arms? Is there are trick to getting the choke to stay out? Is my bike missing that magical little piece that holds the choke open and makes you not feel like a dumbass when you go to start your bike? Not that mine starts anymore, but when it did that's what I had to do.

-nick

BTW - If there is an award for greatest n00b question ever, I want this thrown in the mix

A) My choke stays where I set it until I set it differently
B) I hereby nominate this question for the aforementioned "Greatest n00b Question Ever" award (yet to be created, I believe)
C) I have no advice, but I would like to thank you for the mental image of a rider usind their shoulder to hit the start button!!! LOL!!!

Best of luck and welcome to the show!

[TheCafeKid]

a couple of my bikes have had the "thumb" choke lever, located on the left bar switch housing. From time to time, the screw that the lever pivots on will back out just enough to keep the lever from staying in place. The fix is simply to bust out the phillips head screw driver and tighten it back up, Or yeah, you'd be putting the bike in neutral (i have my clutch lever lock out eliminated on all my bikes, i hate it) holding the choke in place and then starting the bike...

[GQROD]

How are you supposed to start a GS? I'm serious. Does everyone else here have to pull the choke out with their right hand, hold the clutch in with their left and use their shoulder to hit the starter? Was the GS made for people with three arms? Is there are trick to getting the choke to stay out? Is my bike missing that magical little piece that holds the choke open and makes you not feel like a dumbass when you go to start your bike? Not that mine starts anymore, but when it did that's what I had to do.

-nick

BTW - If there is an award for greatest n00b question ever, I want this thrown in the mix

And i thought i had that award locked in-lmao " using their shoulder to hit the starter"-lol at this rate you are better than me i'm just hitting my old starter with a sledge hammer-just out of spite. ( still waiting on the new starter to come in to update my other thread ). With these GS's it seems like it's all about that voo-doo that you do so well to get them started and running but they are fun.

[SqDancerLynn1]

A little trick i learned Pull the choke all the way up & turn slightly to the right - Should stay up on its own

[renobruce]

You are supposed to use your nose, not your shoulder.

[Steve]

At least you are not making a mistake that many noobs do when trying to start their 'new' bikes ...

By using your shoulder (or nose) to push the starter button, you are not twisting the throttle. The 'choke' system relies on the high vacuum that is pulled on the closed throttle butterflies to draw in the extra fuel. That's why it's actually an 'enrichment' system, not a 'choke'. By opening the throttle while trying to start the bike, you destroy the vacuum that is drawing the extra fuel through the enrichment system, defeating it.


And, just for reference, the pull-knob 'chokes' were on most GSs until '81. In '82 they moved to the lever under the left hand grip.

.

[rudy]

And, just for reference, the pull-knob 'chokes' were on most GSs until '81. In '82 they moved to the lever under the left hand grip.

.

So what happens when I say mine has a lever on the left side of the carbs? So does my buddy's 750. To tell ya the truth, I'd rather have it there. No &$%@# cable to lube or worry about, just straight handle on a rod. Simple, direct, effective, just my style. It's kinda funny, my friends all call cold starting the "launch sequence". They think there's so many things to do before starting. Silly people and their turnkey cars. Don't know what they're missing.

[tkent02]

So what happens when I say mine has a lever on the left side of the carbs? So does my buddy's 750. To tell ya the truth, I'd rather have it there. No &$%@# cable to lube or worry about, just straight handle on a rod. Simple, direct, effective, just my style. It's kinda funny, my friends all call cold starting the "launch sequence". They think there's so many things to do before starting. Silly people and their turnkey cars. Don't know what they're missing.

The lever on the carbs is certainly the best type, simplicity is a good thing.
Tighten up the screw through the lever, it is a friction adjustment.
And ditch the silly clutch switch, it's lame.

[TheCafeKid]

So what happens when I say mine has a lever on the left side of the carbs? So does my buddy's 750. To tell ya the truth, I'd rather have it there. No &$%@# cable to lube or worry about, just straight handle on a rod. Simple, direct, effective, just my style. It's kinda funny, my friends all call cold starting the "launch sequence". They think there's so many things to do before starting. Silly people and their turnkey cars. Don't know what they're missing.

the early VM carbed bikes had the levers on the carbs...and yeah, i like it too...simplicity at its finest. Be aware however, that on the older models, the plastic "spools" (I call them that cos i dont know what they technical term for them is, and they look like empty thread spools) that are on the choke plungers will sometimes harden, and break with age. Then you're kinda screwed, as it wont choke that cylinders carb anymore. Also, sometimes the carb mounted levers get sticky and gummy and wont do a damn thing, so keep em sparkly Someone once posted up a site that sold aluminum spools to replace those plastic ones...might have been the same place that sells aluminum cam end plugs, but i will be damned if i can remember where...wish i knew!