81 gs250t

[waphill]

Noob here. Just bought the bike for $400 last week. It's going to be a learner bike for the wife. It's all original showing 12K on odo. Just needs some minor work. I thought it was a good buy, however, I know absolutely nothing about these bikes.

What can you guys tell me about these bikes?

What are some common problems?

One of the mufflers has a substantial gash in it. Is NOS still available?

Engine starts and idles great. It is very sluggish on accel and has very little power. I've never owned a carbed bike, so I'm not sure what to start checking. Any ideas?

Any info is very much appreciated!

[mike-s]

$400? that's how much mine was, and it was a rolling wreck when i got it, though in our market it was called the GSX-250E instead. GS-250T, GS-250TT, GS-250TX, GSX-250E are all basically different people taking turns at doing the styling on the tank, seat, side covers and dash.

I can tell you that a lot of people buy then, run them into the ground and then sell them off to some other person willing to throw the time/money into the project of getting them working again.

You've encountered a common problem already, mufflers. Is it a muffler leak alone? or is there a problem with the headers too? If you have a 2 into 2 one like this (link), they seem prone to rusting out quite badly and it would be in your best interests to try and find a 2-1 header as these are lighter and a lot easier to put on/take off as needed.

Carbies definitely need to be set up correctly, as some (including mine) were outrageously neglected and choked up, and it was a wonder it was still able to start, let alone run when i first got it. Stripping the carbs (as per the imminent BassCliff welcome wagon/guide) and cleaning out all the nooks and crannies thoroughly is a good first step. Then sync the carbs and plug her back together.

I would also suggest consider getting a compression test done to get a rough idea of the condition of the cylinders, but given its only got 12k (miles? km?) unless the past owner was brutally neglectful, it should likely be perfectly fine. It may still be handy as it'll show if there is any leaks past the valves or not when done correctly.

Another thing to do is check the valve clearances, this is an absolute must as these bikes can have their clearances wander a little, especially as they have to work so hard to get anywhere.

As to NOS, available, but expect to pay through the nose if buying genuine off a shop, ebay would be your best bet, or alternatively look into getting a single pipe and buy an aftermarket one if as mentioned above your 2-1-2 (if that's what you've got) is shot.

If you want to have a look at some component parts of a GS/GSX then feel free to check my flickr photoset out, though hopefully most of these won't be relevant to you as i got up to my elbows deep in engine a couple of times in there.

[waphill]

It is the stock exhaust. 2 full pipes. I need to get out there and take some pics! There is a hole right where you would latch onto the side stand with your heel.

As for the carbs, I have no knowledge at all. I'll probably enlist the services of my pops on that one. He's been wrenching on old bikes forever.

I'll definitely check compression and valves. I've been reading a little on this site. A lot of posts on the intake boots and o-rings. Does that apply to the 250? If so, is there a forum recommended vendor to give my business to?

Here's a short vid of a little throttle blipping. If you watch my hand and tach, you'll see the quite poor throttle response.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFU-dMLl3Y4

Thanks for all the help!

[7981GS]

That's actually not too bad!
If the gas is bad and smells like varnish, drain the tank.
Drain the float bowls on the carburetors. (with the petcock off or on position if that one has a vacuum tube running to the petcock)
Try dumping a half a can of Seafoam or Berryman's carb cleaner into the tank and filling with fresh fuel.
Then, turn the fuel to prime or reserve for 30 seconds to fill the float bowls then back to on.
It just might come back around on it's own. I got lucky with one doing the exact same thing.

Daniel

[waphill]

It doesn't seem too bad because it's not under load. It doesn't have enough power to accelerate out of first gear!

[mike-s]

The hole in the side of the muffler is the same as the one I had on my bike when I got it. Doing the carbs is pretty easy as long as you have a manual to refer to. Then again practice is mighty handy as well, so it may pay for your dad to give you a hand.

As to the o-rings, you have a 30 year old bike and a totally unknown history, so replacing them might be a good idea in the interest of being thorough. At the very least it is going to help make things better.

If you want to do the half arsed thing and try and make do without a carb rebuild i would suggest at least syncing the carbs & removing the idle needles and give them a little cleanup and redoing the idle tuning and see how far that takes you.

Also seriously i recommend giving the headers a full once over, taking them off to check them out for holes as well would be a good idea too.

[pete]

Welcome!

All of the above is good advice, you really need to check everything out fully.

One thing is to make sure your valve clearances are done before balancing the carbs as that will change the balance.

Not sure if it was mentioned earlier, but definitely check your charging system thoroughly. The GS' are notorious for dodgy regulator/rectifiers and if it's over charging, you'll likely fry your battery and possibly ignitor as well, and of course if you're under charging then you won't be charging at all...