Problem starting and Idling my GS550e

[Andrew4086]

Hi everyone!

I am new to the forum here, but have been searching the threads for someone with similar issues to me, but cant find anything. There is alot of great information on here, and its great to see so many people willing to help eachother out.

As for the issues, first a little background. I purchased a 1978 GS550e about 3 weeks ago. It has 75,000kms on the clock, but most of those have been put on between 2001-2009. as of 2001, it only had 12,000kms. When the bike was delivered, it started and ran great. No problem starting with the electric starter. The owner said she put a new Dyna ignition on the bike, and had the regulator or rectifier replaced (i have no idea what these are, but i hear they are a common problem?)

Within a few days, it was getting harder and harder to start with the electric starter. I began having to kick start it. Now, i can ONLY really start it with the kick starter, and when i finally do get it going (after dozens of kicks) it will not idle on its own. ( i also bought a battery charger and fully charged the battery with still no success) Ive tried with the choke on, and with it off, and all positions in between. If the throttle is released, the engine will slow down to 1,000 rpm and then die althogether. Dozens more kicks will eventually get it going again, but again, if the throttle is released it will die.

When i press the starter button, i can hear what i can only assume is the starter motor turning, but it sounds like the engine isnt "catching"??? Only every few seconds do i hear any combustion occur in the engine (enough to budge the tachometer, but not enough to actually start the engine i guess). Im vaguely familiar with checking the "air, fuel, and spark", but if the engine can be run (and ran well as recently as a week ago), I assume it has all three. how bad of a problem could there be? This is my first motorcycle, im now 26, and have been waiting over 15 years for this time. It was such a high to get my first bike, and im now at such a low!

HELP!!!

Thanks in advance, everyone!

[Andrew4086]

Oh, Heres the bike

I know, its very purple

[citizenVern]

You know what they say about assumptions. I made a few wrong assumptions in recent posts and now it's all on my "permanent record" here in the forums. Embarrassing. My bike was running fine, all the way out to the coast. I spent the night, rode around a bit the next day, then filled up and hit the road. 15 miles later it just died on me and didn't give a single puff after that, no matter how long it cranked over.

I mention it because it sounds somewhat similar to your problem. After (my bike) sitting all winter i replaced the plugs (which were pretty dirty but probably should have worked alright) and finally tried some starter spray. That was enough to get the gas flowing, but it ran REALLY rough for a while. Eventually it coughed out some nasty hairballs, and has started/run well ever since. All i can figure is that it was bad gas or water or something.

I'd start by checking your fuel line. If there are any clear areas you should see gas, not air. Then check a couple of your plugs (pull them out, connect them to their wire, touch them to the engine and crank it over). I know it's not a ton of help, but it's a start. Good luck.

citizenVern
1980 GS550L

[DimitriT]

I would start by checking the condition of the battery. Put a voltmeter on
it and look for at least 12v. If you get less tha 12.4v you should put it on
a charger (battery tender) and see if the problem temporarily goes away.

You may need a new battery or you may have a problem wsith the charging
system.

[Steve]

Nothing wrong with purple. (As long as it doesn't have a green belly, too.


Now to your problem ...

Sounds like it's time to check the valve adjustment. One of the classic symptoms of mis-adjusted (especially tight) valves is hard starting when cold. Lots of good information on BassCliff's little website. See if he has a manual for your bike that you can download, then find the tutorial for 8-valve adjustments. It's not hard, but the first time will take you a couple of hours. If you need replacement shims, you will have to wait a week or so if you order them, unless you have a local shop that will trade shims with you for free or a modest charge.

.

[skidMarkNZ]

Drain your carb bowls... (nut on very very bottom of each carb....take it out) try get something under there to catch it with, chinese takeaway container lid fits under...

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. Andrew4086,

Let me roll out the welcome mat for you. Pay attention to the "Top 10 Common Issues".

Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Andrew4086]

Okay, so in typical new-guy fasion, I tried the easier options first, and thought i would share results to see if they change anyone's opinions.

First the battery. I set it up on a charger until fully charged. At fully charged and installed, it read about 12.3V. When i thumb the starter, the voltage drops to just over 10.0 V.

Next I drained the float bowls as suggested and retried. No dice, although i did manage to get a significant amount of gasoline on my driveway... so i guess the night was not a total waste.

I pulled the plugs and took a look at them. They are all fairly blackened, but appear to be reasonably clear of debris and buildup. I held my thumb over the plug hole and felt pretty good suction (which is what i want, right?). Although, once i reattached to plug to the plug wire and touched it to the engine and thumbed the starter, i didnt see a spark. I tried with both of the "outside" cylinders. The ouside right cylinder plug(as seen from the rear of the bike) was dry when i pulled it after trying to start, and the outside left was wet with fuel.

The other suggestions seem to be to do a valve adjustment (which i will do regardless, but if this is not likely the issue, i would rather get the issue sorted first), and ive heard i should rebuild the carbs (the kits are on the way).

Could a valve adjustment really be the culprit? I am beginning to suspect a problem with the "spark" part of the fuel-spark-air equation. But i have no idea where to go from here.

Thanks for all the suggestions, i look forward to hearing more.

[nisom512]

Nothing wrong with purple. (As long as it doesn't have a green belly, too.


Now to your problem ...

Sounds like it's time to check the valve adjustment. One of the classic symptoms of mis-adjusted (especially tight) valves is hard starting when cold. Lots of good information on BassCliff's little website. See if he has a manual for your bike that you can download, then find the tutorial for 8-valve adjustments. It's not hard, but the first time will take you a couple of hours. If you need replacement shims, you will have to wait a week or so if you order them, unless you have a local shop that will trade shims with you for free or a modest charge.

.

BAM!!! I would highly suggest you doing this it is fun and a good learning experiance.
Oh and I would listen to Steve.....hes really smart......but watch out some days he is kinda a smart allic.

Jake

[tkent02]

What's your location?
There is probably someone here on this GSR in your local area who could help you get that fine machine running like a top in a few hours. Adjust the valves, it's easy and it needs it. Troubleshoot the electrical system, also easy. Clean the carburetors, they need it.
Does it have a good spark?
Good compression?
Get it all and you will have a reliable bike.
Or fiddle**** around with it all summer, it's up to you.

[DimitriT]

First the battery. I set it up on a charger until fully charged. At fully charged and installed, it read about 12.3V. When i thumb the starter, the voltage drops to just over 10.0 V.

Did you notice an improvement in starting immediately after
recharging? That may tell us that the problem was due to the
battery.

The 10v when its cranking is normal. The starter really draws
alot of current.

When you put a battery on a charger it should read close to
13V for a few minutes after you disconnect. A healthy
battery will then settle down to between 12.4 and 12.9
volts (depending on temperature) over night. That overnight
standing voltage will tell you how healthy it is. If that
falls below 12v your battery is not holding a charge and you
need to replace it. Otherwise it will slowly lose charge and
you will have trouble starting and running the bike.

The next thing to check is if the charging system is operating.
Once you get it started put your voltmeter on the battery
terminals and watch the voltage. When you are holding the
RPMs steady at about 3k you should be getting at least 13v
from your charging system, but less than 17v.

[Andrew4086]

I am located in Prince George BC, Canada. If there is anyone in the area who is willing to meet up and help a new rider out, that would be phenomenal.

Charging the battery does nothing to help get it going, and i cant check the voltage when its running, because i cant get it running anymore! Lol.

The carbs are going to (hopefully) be cleaned/rebuilt next weekend, with the valves adjusted thereafter. If its something electrical, im not sure where to even begin. I suppose i will see where i am at after the carbs/valves.

Okay, maybe a dumb question, but i have a 4th position on my ignition. Theres Lock, Off, On, and a 4th position that i cant read what it says. Any ideas? And when im trying to start the bike, i have the petcock "on", but in what circumstance would i use the "prime" setting?

thanks again.

[DimitriT]

I am located in Prince George BC, Canada. If there is anyone in the area who is willing to meet up and help a new rider out, that would be phenomenal.

Charging the battery does nothing to help get it going, and i cant check the voltage when its running, because i cant get it running anymore! Lol.

The carbs are going to (hopefully) be cleaned/rebuilt next weekend, with the valves adjusted thereafter. If its something electrical, im not sure where to even begin. I suppose i will see where i am at after the carbs/valves.

Okay, maybe a dumb question, but i have a 4th position on my ignition. Theres Lock, Off, On, and a 4th position that i cant read what it says. Any ideas? And when im trying to start the bike, i have the petcock "on", but in what circumstance would i use the "prime" setting?

thanks again.

OK, when A bike's been sitting for a few days its a good idea to prime it before
trying to start it. That means set your petcock to the prime position and leave
it there for 3 minutes to let the carbs prime (fill up).

Once the carbs are full the bike is ready to be started. You probably need to add
choke to start it cold. Start with half choke. If that doesn't do it, go with full. If your
still not firing up then you need to dig into the carbs or other places to figure out
what's wrong.

Once the bike is running, then you can put the petcock in the ON position. You
can usually just leave it in the ON position most of the time, except when you
need to prime it or when you are running on reserve.

[Andrew4086]

Thanks for that. Any idea about the 4th position on the ignition switch (to the right of "On"?

[twiggy2cents]

mine is a 2nd position for lock