Another project GS550ES, needing some help...

[BassCliff]

Hey howdy hey!

Mr. Jbeaber,

First let me say,...

Let it be known that on this day you are hereby cordially and formally welcomed to the GSR Forum as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Please note that "good standing" implies pictures! :-D

It's probably best if you buy a new factory petcock. The rebuild kits do not work most of the time. Just replace it with the right part and then you won't have to worry about it for the next 20 years. If you can't clean and coat your tank back into shape, there's always ebay.

Thanks for joining us. Best of luck with your restorations. Keep us informed and bring on the pictures. We love before and after pictures.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The unofficial GSR greeter)

[MelodicMetalGod]

Good to hear that another 550ES is in rehab. Sounds like you've got a good foundation to work with.

FYI: If you find you need parts, especially gas tank or carbs, let me know as I've got extras.

Best of luck!

[Jbeaber]

Ignition amusement

Well, I took the ignition apart this weekend. Everything looked fine except the tumbler. It would not move at all with the key in it. So, I brought it to a locksmith along with the key, the fuel cap and the helmet lock as samples where the key worked. They called me in a little while later, all fixed. The key never fit the ignition. It was set to a completely different key. Now it isn't. The ignition is all better and should be reconnected this evening.
I also am going to attack the carbs again. So, am I right in this plan for soaking one of my carbs?
1. Remove everything that isn't metal, all rubber and plastic. The float bowl is clean, so just soaking the main body.
2. Soak it for 20 minutes in the bucket o' carb cleaner
3. Rinse thoroughly with water
4. Dry it
5. Spray carb cleaner into all the little orifices and the holes
6. Put it all back together and see if the right side of the engine fires up

[MelodicMetalGod]

You've got the right idea with soaking the carbs. However, many folks here recommend an overnight soaking rather than the 20 minute suggestion that's on the product.

On the other hand, I was able to bring my carbs back to life with just a good carb cleaner spray (took a whole can).

Other than that, replace any worn out gaskets and o-rings and ensure the slides, diaphragms and needle-valves are in decent shape.

Best of luck!

[Jbeaber]

Well, the ignition is back on the bike and happy. The only bad news on that is that the new keys I had made are a little bit wider than the original. I need to go to the locksmith to have them clean those up a bit.
The bad news is that the soak didn't accomplish anything. I did mess up one little thing, tho, that I intend to undo this evening. I soaked the carb with the idle air screws in place. I know ho far out they need to be, 3.5 turns. We checked and compared those this past weekend. The ones on the right side, however, were much tougher to remove than those on the left. I've noticed that bikes that sit tend to suffer more on their right sides than left... The higher side if the bike is on the side stand. So, tonight I will repeat and see if I have any luck. Other ideas are, of course, welcome. The right side of the engine roars to life if you spray carb cleaner into the back of the attached carb; air and spark are definitely there. Fuel is my problem..... Yes, the float bowls are full.

[MelodicMetalGod]

Will the right side idle or stay "lit" after you've hit it with carb cleaner or does it die as soon as you stop spraying? Are you spraying at closed or open throttle? With or without choke?

Potential issues that come to mind (assuming good air and spark):
1) Slide - are they moving freely? How is the wear?
2) Diaphragm - Is it definitely getting a good seal? No tears?
3) Needle jet - Clean and clear?
4) Pilot jet - Clean and clear?

The soak will loosen stuff up but sometimes won't clear the smallest orifices such as the pilot jets and needles jets and the choke tube/passage. Hit those with carefully aimed carb cleaner spray (wear safety glasses!) and use single soft bristle (brass or nylon, don't use steel) from a brush to "poke" through the tiny openings of the jets.

[LeeGS550E]

You should also blow compressed air through the various passages. Especially the idle air circuit.

[Jbeaber]

I am definitely going to resoak the carbs. The jets are all clean and clear. They were removed, inspected and cleaned. The right side idle jets were both gunked up, which led me to suspect the passages behind them could be as well. Hard to tell definitively since they do seem to turn in the body of the carb. The slides definitely move and freely. The diaphragm is not torn and is readily pliable. It is in no worse shape than the other carbs. The idle air circuit (and maybe still the passages inside the carb for the idle jet) are the hopeful culprits. As I said before, there was a lot of resistance on one of the idle air screws when we tried to pull them and I forgot to for the soaks. Keep your fingers crossed!
Man, all three of our bikes are down now... My triumph has a battery or charging issue (thank goodness for warranties), the battery on our SV650 seems to have cracked! It is getting replaced right now along with a certificate for a free battery from Yuasa (classy people). And, well, this bike probably hasn't run in 7 years... Not a good bike week....

[Jbeaber]

And MMG... I learned to ride on a CB650SC and then, two years later, my first project was a CB650SC. I know that bike VERY well. Nice bike....

[97Intruder]

I had similar problems with my bike when I first got her going, had to take the carbs off 3 times to re-clean them cuz apparently I dislodged more stuff the other times I had them off....can't figure how.....also, I neglected to clean the idle air jets, and didn't realize that there were jets under the rubber plugs in the float-bowl(facing the top) after the 3'rd time, it was the " charm ".....now she purrs like a lion on all 4
Hope you have good luck

[Thomas Kenny]

Good answer MelodicMetalGod, wow you have learned a bunch. I finally have my 1984 GS550ES on the road and in great tune with a Vance and Hines Pipe and sorted out jetting it really has some punch now. Hope our new friend gets his bike sorted out soon.

[Thomas Kenny]

My first bike was a Honda CB650SC Nighthawk. A beautiful bike and plenty of power. :-)

[Jbeaber]

Well, getting back to the bike. I have run into a weird issue and don't know how to solve it. The screw inside the right handlebar control unit that holds the start button assembly in place is gone. The start button keeps falling loose. Any idea about what size that screw is? If anyone can get me info on that screw I would really appreciate it.
I got the bike running on all four cylinders a week or so ago. The idle air screws were the problem. Once I soaked the carbs in cleaner with those screws removed, things went much better. I have 10 gallons of beer to finish brewing, then back to the bike. In the mean time I have had to replace the battery in my Triumph Daytona 675 and the battery and regulator rectifier in my wife's SV650. The regulator stopped working, fried the battery big time....

[Jbeaber]

And now back to working on the bike on a more regular basis....
I spent some time working the carbs again. I got the bike running on all four cylinders a while back. Then when I took a second look at it, I lost the right two again. Tonight, a good long soak in the carb cleaner did wonders. I have tested it a few times and it seems like it is going to consistently run on all four. So, all of this has been done feeding the fuel in from a funnel. The gas tank may or may not be in good shape. It is my next thing to attack. The petcock is not stock, no labels. I will play around with it to see if it is feeding the carbs. if it is, life is good. I am going to Por-15 or something the tank. I tried cleaning it with hydrochloric and phosphoric acids and it didn't hold long. So, I'll try coating it. Then it comes time to take care of the rest of the things the bike needs....
- new forks seals and oil (that will be done professionally. I have tried and it hasn't gone well)
- new tires
- all new fluids (oil, brake, etc...)
- some TLC to make sure everything else is happy...

[Jbeaber]

I ordered the POR-15 kit and am expecting it to arrive early next week. I'll try to take care of the fuel tank once and for all over Turkey Day weekend. This weekend I may take the petcock apart to see if I can find anything wrong with it. It's broken, what more damage can I do. Then it will be time to get the oil changed.
Fuel delivery is the big project now. I get that settled, this bike will be rolling soon. Then I need to look into the fun of registration. The CA DMV has no record of this bike's existence. This is a good thing. Otherwise, you have to pay all of the back registration to get it legal. I have no title, I do have an old registration. I've been told I will have to demonstrate that I have tried to find the owner of the bike, send a letter to them certified mail. If I do not get a response, it's mine, all done. The short story on the bike is that the previous owner gave it to my mechanic as a project. My mechanic decided his time was better spent on more popular bikes, knew I like projects, so he gave it to me. I decided I liked it and have been slowly, yet surely, working on it.