Idle Problem

[brutusthehero]

I have an 81 GS550L and am having idle problems.
When i adjust the idle control screw to a good idle after the bike is warm and i am riding, i let off the throttle and pull the clutch the idle will be much higher at this point i change it again to 1000 rpms, some times it idles fine sometimes it idles way low barely keeping the engine running. Also when speeding up some times the rpm go up instantly 2 or 3 thousand and i feel no power out of it.

I have already took off the air filer and sprayed gumout in to the intake trying to free the slides in the carbs but had no success. (i dont think that my sliders are sticking)

[brutusthehero]

Next i am going to try to reset the air/fuel screws can anybody tell me what stock settings are

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. brutusthehero,

It sounds like air intake leaks to me. New carb boots and/or intake O-rings may be necessary, explained below.

I'll give you the unofficial "mega-welcome". Pay particular attention to the "Top 10 Common Issues". There are plenty of tutorials on my site and I have links to those on Mr. bwringer's site and Mr. Matchless' site. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

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

[chef1366]

Classic intake leak.

[brutusthehero]

so what you are saying is that i should replace these(http://www.bwringer.com/gs/intakeorings.html) first

[chef1366]

so what you are saying is that i should replace these(http://www.bwringer.com/gs/intakeorings.html) first

You betcha!

If you didn't already follow this carb cleaning guide

http://www.thegsresources.com/gs_carbrebuild.htm

[brutusthehero]

So i got new intake boots in and they didnt help so much. Now it seems that there are no or very little flat spots as i am getting on the throttle but the enigne seems very boggy at low rpms. I then changed the spark plugs and still had the same problems. After a 10 min ride or so the bike would not idle above 500 rpms and no longer runs, it starts up and the rpms jump a little but then it goes down to less than 1000 rpm with choke or not and then it dies.

[TheCafeKid]

Did you install the required orings behind the intake boots?? Just checkin....

Sounds like its time to tear the carbs down to me....

Before you go diggin up a "rebuild kit" Have a look at the GSResources rebuild tutorial...You dont NEED anything new (except maybe some new float bowl gaskets) but you WILL need orings. These can be had, in a nice ready made package, all labeled and with instructions on what goes where from www.cycleorings.com for 12-15 bucks?? Something like that...maybe less!

Also, have you adjusted the valves on that bike? The list of NECESSARY MAINTAINENCE is not too long, but it is, afterall, NECESSARY. And unfortunately, the more people try to avoid doing it, the more frustrated they become, the more riding season slips thru their fingers..

[brutusthehero]

i did put orings on the intake boots

when i looked into the carbs they looked pretty clean could they still need to be rebuilt?

[MacGyver]

Do you have enough tension on your intake boot clamps? Mine were stretched to the limit and very likely contributing to my idle/stalling problems. On a whim, I replaced them with zip ties and now the idle is much more stable. I still have issues, but this does seem to have addressed a similar idle issue as you have described. Replacement clamps may be in my future, but the zip ties are doing the job for now.