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1981 GS550 Wont rev above 6-7k

  • Thread starter Thread starter octusis
  • Start date Start date
Just an aside, if one of the cams is retarded, intake maybe, the bike will not rev past 7000 no mater what you do to the carbs.. My 850 L had the intake cam off 1 tooth retarded from the PO. same symptoms. It took me about 3 months of chasing the carb thing before figuring it out. You should check your valve clearances anyway.

My 850 runs pods and 4-1.

Just a thought.

V
 
gustovh said:
Just an aside, if one of the cams is retarded, intake maybe, the bike will not rev past 7000 no mater what you do to the carbs.. My 850 L had the intake cam off 1 tooth retarded from the PO. same symptoms. It took me about 3 months of chasing the carb thing before figuring it out. You should check your valve clearances anyway.

My 850 runs pods and 4-1.

Just a thought.

V
Click to expand...

What marks do these bikes have to set off of for the cams?
 
octusis said:
What marks do these bikes have to set off of for the cams?
Click to expand...

You'll have to pull off the valve cover to get to that, it's something you can look at when you check your valves. Do you have a manual?
 
octusis said:
I don?t have a manual
Click to expand...

OK, let's go over a few things then one more time.

A picture of your plugs was posted and the consensus is that your bike is running lean. The folks who diagnosed this problem have been here awhile and I can assure you they know what they're talking about.

It was probably wrong of me to suggest the Lollypops. They I feed will help with low and mid range torque but WILL NOT do a darn thing for the root cause of your bike not revving.

It's winter and although a quick ride may be possible where you live you aren't missing out by having your bike off the road awhile. You could continue to ride your bike the way it runs now and just live with it OR you could be investing your time, money and effort into having a really top notch running and very dependable bike to ride next spring.

A proper carb cleaning with a set of NEW orings is time and money well spent. I've never run open pipes with pods but the guys who know what they're talking about have advised you to get and install a stage 3 jet kit. A guy who wants a good running dependable bike should follow this advice!

Checking valve clearances is MUST for best performance and the longevity of your engine. There are links here to a site where the repair manual can be downloaded FREE. A smart guy would take advantage of that site and all the other information it offers

GS's are notorious for charging system issues, taking time to properly diagnose where your bike is NOW will help you from having to deal with that problem instead of possibly leaving you alone in the dark with a fried charging system next year when you COULD be riding.

There's TONS of little things you can be going over if you slow down and take the time to do them. After you go through your bike with a fine toothed comb you'll have earned yourself some confidence to take on pretty much any emergency repair you may come across in the future.

So, download the manual, get the parts to rebuild those carbs the proper way and go over all the info available to you. You won't be given bad advice or steered the wrong way on this site. Your efforts WILL pay off, just not today.
 
LAB3 said:
OK, let's go over a few things then one more time.

A picture of your plugs was posted and the consensus is that your bike is running lean. The folks who diagnosed this problem have been here awhile and I can assure you they know what they're talking about.

It was probably wrong of me to suggest the Lollypops. They I feed will help with low and mid range torque but WILL NOT do a darn thing for the root cause of your bike not revving.

It's winter and although a quick ride may be possible where you live you aren't missing out by having your bike off the road awhile. You could continue to ride your bike the way it runs now and just live with it OR you could be investing your time, money and effort into having a really top notch running and very dependable bike to ride next spring.

A proper carb cleaning with a set of NEW orings is time and money well spent. I've never run open pipes with pods but the guys who know what they're talking about have advised you to get and install a stage 3 jet kit. A guy who wants a good running dependable bike should follow this advice!

Checking valve clearances is MUST for best performance and the longevity of your engine. There are links here to a site where the repair manual can be downloaded FREE. A smart guy would take advantage of that site and all the other information it offers

GS's are notorious for charging system issues, taking time to properly diagnose where your bike is NOW will help you from having to deal with that problem instead of possibly leaving you alone in the dark with a fried charging system next year when you COULD be riding.

There's TONS of little things you can be going over if you slow down and take the time to do them. After you go through your bike with a fine toothed comb you'll have earned yourself some confidence to take on pretty much any emergency repair you may come across in the future.

So, download the manual, get the parts to rebuild those carbs the proper way and go over all the info available to you. You won't be given bad advice or steered the wrong way on this site. Your efforts WILL pay off, just not today.
Click to expand...

I planned on buying those orings ASAP, now the issue is gonna be getting those darn float needle seats out.
 
If you go to the GS Owners section there's a sticky post right at the top. Follow EVERY link in that first post!

Now that you have a manual you should go through the recommended maintainence section in that manual and do everything that's suggested there. If you make the assumption that none of those things has been done before then you'll be addressing every aspect of your bike.
 
So i took it out today, same problems and everything but when I turned the petcock off (I don't have the stock one, I just have a regular on/off one) when I cut the fuel supply to the motor, It revved up alot higher and pulled like a freight train. But the plugs still show that its lean. I'm so lost at this point.
 
If your petcock screen is borked and allowing crud to get through to the carbs then the needle won't seat right to regulate the fuel level. Checking the petcock, replacing old lines and cleaning out the tank are something you should be doing right now.
 
LAB3 said:
If your petcock screen is borked and allowing crud to get through to the carbs then the needle won't seat right to regulate the fuel level. Checking the petcock, replacing old lines and cleaning out the tank are something you should be doing right now.
Click to expand...

i agree with him would you want a heart running with contaminated blood
 
LAB3 said:
If your petcock screen is borked and allowing crud to get through to the carbs then the needle won't seat right to regulate the fuel level. Checking the petcock, replacing old lines and cleaning out the tank are something you should be doing right now.
Click to expand...

I’ve just went through the carbs again and cleaned them. I’ve not had any experience with these carbs prior and I believe there is supposed to be a plug in the pilot jet upon further research, which these carbs don’t have any. So is it possible that could be my issue and someone had removed them in the past and forgot to put them in?
 

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YES, those little rubber plugs have got to be there. Will start & run without them, but nothing under load will be right.
 
rphillips said:
YES, those little rubber plugs have got to be there. Will start & run without them, but nothing under load will be right.
Click to expand...

Good stuff, already have them on order and cleaned carbs thoroughly as everyone else has said to do.
I’ve never seen anything like it on any of the other carbs I’ve ever worked on, odd that they need to be blocked off haha.
 
Last edited:
It worked. She finally runs decently alright, its breaking up a tad but I think thats due to incorrect float level. Thank you everyone for the help!
 
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