Carbs? Pipes on 2 and 4 are cold.

[Guest]

I’m assuming this is a carb question and not ignition. The 850 has sat for over a year. I finally got my garage built in June and the 850 now has a cozy place to reside. Last season the throttle cable broke and I never got it on the road. This year I have been too busy to think about it until now. So when I start it... took a bit of time... the exhaust pipes on 2 and 4 are cold. The bike warms up, idles fairly well, 1 and 3 get hot...but 2 and 4 pipes never get hot... they warm a bit, but I think that is just engine heat, not combustion heat. Any thoughts?

[Nessism]

My thought is that it's time for a bit of maintenance. The Newbie Mistakes thread as linked in my signature can be used as a guide.

[Gorminrider]

Probably carbs...Usually plugged jets or enrichment-"choke" tubes unless the float-needles are stuck(is there fuel in the bowl?) You'll have to take the carbs out and at least take the bowls off and clean up in there...do one at a time to keep it simple.
Or go the whole hog ,ungang them and rebuild all if that's your thing.

Unlikely it's spark because 1 and 3 are firing(1-4, 2-3 share coils) ...so, if no spark, it'd be limited to the plug leads, the plugs, or the plug caps, (these commonly have an internal resistor as OEM) Id still bet on carbs from here at the keyboard.

[Brendan W]

Unlikely it's spark because 1 and 3 are firing(1-4, 2-3 share coils) ...so, if no spark, it'd be limited to the plug leads, the plugs, or the plug caps, (these commonly have an internal resistor as OEM) Id still bet on carbs from here at the keyboard.

Wouldn't be the first time the coils supplied 1-3 and 2-4

[Gorminrider]

from the gs850 manual,

The sparking occurring at the same time in Nos. 1 and 4 cylinders presents no problem, and the same
applies to Nos. 2 and 3 cylinders. ......

[Big T]

from the gs850 manual,

Wow

You both missed, and made, Brendan's point.

[Steve]

I'm leaning toward carbs as well, but be SURE that you also check Brandan's "point" about plug wires. As he hinted, it would not be the first time that the wires were put on the wrong plugs.

Valve adjustment is rather critical on these machines. The specified clearance is pitifully small, and they tighten up with use. They approach ZERO clearance quickly, which leads to expen$ive problems.

You are lucky that you live in one of the few hotbeds of GS knowledge on this side of the globe. Contact bwringer (Brian) to see what ideas he might have.
Since you WILL be getting into the valves for adjustment, feel free to take advantage of the offer in my signature.

.

[twotimeGSr]

Thank you All for your comments. It doesn’t sound like there will be a quick fix. I will check the plug wires to make certain I didn’t cross them. I hope it is that! I rebuilt the carbs when I purchased it, but the sitting has likely taken its toll. Well, at least I now have a garage in which to work on it.

[Gorminrider]

Wow

You both missed, and made, Brendan's point.

yes, I wasn't thinking the OP could put it into a garage after a season riding that way. But on GSResources, there's always a way. Still, my experience with getting the leads wrong on an engine is a pretty definite BAD NOISE, not just "cold pipes".