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hard to start

  • Thread starter Thread starter mordantmonkey
  • Start date Start date
M

mordantmonkey

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79 gs550e

finally took my first ride! didn't go past 4th gear, but i didn't drop it either.

quite a few problems i noticed would need to be fixed. but nothing major. biggest problem right now is that it's so hard to start. I have to put it on full choke, and let it run for almost 10min. before i can turn off the choke. after anothr 10 min. it runs great, and starts right up when i kill it trying to pull out of a stop 8-[.

I hear that these engines are cold blooded but is there anything i can do to help it start a little easier?
 
(Good question, Mike!) Without knowing what has been tried already it's hard to point you in a particular direction...

Having said that, there IS one thing that I recently learned almost universally helps our Suzis start when they're cold ... that is switching the petcock to "prime" and allowing the float bowls to refill with fuel (when the bikes sit the bowls can empty). This little gem has proven VERY useful to me and others. ALWAYS put the bike on full choke and NEVER twist the throttle when it's cold.

One more thing ... DON'T FORGET TO SWITCH THE PETCOCK BACK TO "RUN" AFTER IT STARTS!!!!! If you don't switch it back the engine will get too much fuel, run poorly, and after you shut it down the excess fuel could leak into the crankcase and contaminate the oil.

If the bike is still problematic using this strategy you'll definitely need to look into carb cleaning, electrical/ignition issues, or a combination of both...

Good Luck with it!
 
Ah this was the kind of suggestion i was looking for. let the bowls fill, no throttle.
nothing has been done so far other than just kicking it repeatedly, resting kicking it some more, rinse, repeat until it finally started. after it started if i moved the choke or gave it any throttle it would die. but after running a solid 10 min. i could turn off the choke and get a decent idle. ~1300rpm
i think the first order of business will be a carb rebuilding, which i want to do myself, but on the carb synching: do you recommend i get them calibrated by a shop or do it myself?
 
mordantmonkey said:
Ah this was the kind of suggestion i was looking for. let the bowls fill, no throttle.
nothing has been done so far other than just kicking it repeatedly, resting kicking it some more, rinse, repeat until it finally started. after it started if i moved the choke or gave it any throttle it would die. but after running a solid 10 min. i could turn off the choke and get a decent idle. ~1300rpm
i think the first order of business will be a carb rebuilding, which i want to do myself, but on the carb synching: do you recommend i get them calibrated by a shop or do it myself?
Click to expand...

Do it yourself. It's easy.

Don't forget to change your oil, and change your air/oil filters as well. Check your valves and compression too. This should all be done before the synch.
 
well, it's got i tiny oil leak in the front of the valve cover, so i'll check the valve clearances etc. while i'm in there. guess ill just do that while i have the carbs and tank off. we've got some unseasonably nice weather here in KC (supposed to get to upper 60's by friday) so i'm gonna ride it out until december weather returns. then get to work in january.
 
mordantmonkey said:
well, it's got i tiny oil leak in the front of the valve cover, so i'll check the valve clearances etc. while i'm in there. guess ill just do that while i have the carbs and tank off. we've got some unseasonably nice weather here in KC (supposed to get to upper 60's by friday) so i'm gonna ride it out until december weather returns. then get to work in january.
Click to expand...

All you'll need is a new valve cover gasket. Easy. If you have any tachgear leaks, while the cover is off is a good time to address them.
 
I guess it's recommended to replace it with a rubber gasket right?
and how would i know if i have a tachgear leak?

thanks for the replies, btw.
 
Do you have a cable that comes out of the valve cover??(BTW on a 79 550 you should) If so that cable is the tacho drive cable, there are a couple of o-rings in there that can be replaced, if there is no sign of a leak around the housing there is no need.

Dink
 
mordantmonkey said:
Ah this was the kind of suggestion i was looking for. let the bowls fill, no throttle.
nothing has been done so far other than just kicking it repeatedly, resting kicking it some more, rinse, repeat until it finally started. after it started if i moved the choke or gave it any throttle it would die. but after running a solid 10 min. i could turn off the choke and get a decent idle. ~1300rpm
i think the first order of business will be a carb rebuilding, which i want to do myself, but on the carb synching: do you recommend i get them calibrated by a shop or do it myself?
Click to expand...
I will probably be riding around kc saturday.There is no shop that I know of in kc that will touch a GS. If you find one let me know.If you want to hook up let me know.I might be able to answer some questions in person.There is nothing I like better than talking about bikes,GS's that is!
 
well, it started second kick today, so i think maybe the float bowls went dry since it had been sitting a couple of weeks. still think it needs the carbs rebuilt. plus i just kind of want to do it for the learning experience anyway.

I don't think i have a stock petcock. it's black and has three positions (pri,on,res) prime, on, and reserve right? also, would this be a vaccum controlled petcock since it doesn't have an off setting?

i'm gonna be sepending most of this good weather getting comfortable with riding. second time riding was much more fun and felt more natural. clutch seems rather touchy (not much range between fully engaged and disengaged). Is this normal or will the clutch need work? i really have no idea how it should feel since i've only ridden a dirt bike a couple of times a long time ago.

tconroy, i'll give you a holler after i get my "sea legs", and see if you want to ride. probably won't be until the next nice weather spell though.
 
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Planecrazy said:
ALWAYS put the bike on full choke and NEVER twist the throttle when it's cold.
Click to expand...

Just curious: why the rec. to never twist the throttle while cold? Are you thinking along the lines of waiting until oil has had a chance to circulate or do you mean hands off the throttle until it's 100% warmed up?

I won't give it a good rev until it's been running at least for a little while, but I certainly don't wait 10 minutes before even touching the throttle. I always figure as long as oil has had a chance to pump to the top a bit then you're safe. My bike will happily idle at around 1000rpm, even in freezing or near-freezing temps, after about 20 seconds of choke and a few follow-up throttle blips. I don't feel like I'm putting any undue stresses on the engine with that routine...
 
t3rmin said:
Just curious: why the rec. to never twist the throttle while cold? Are you thinking along the lines of waiting until oil has had a chance to circulate or do you mean hands off the throttle until it's 100% warmed up?

I won't give it a good rev until it's been running at least for a little while, but I certainly don't wait 10 minutes before even touching the throttle. I always figure as long as oil has had a chance to pump to the top a bit then you're safe. My bike will happily idle at around 1000rpm, even in freezing or near-freezing temps, after about 20 seconds of choke and a few follow-up throttle blips. I don't feel like I'm putting any undue stresses on the engine with that routine...
Click to expand...

That directive was only for actually starting the bike. In my experience (with my bikes) if you twist the throttle on a completely cold GS it simply won't start ... once it's running you can twist as the bike lets you. On my GS's if I try to ride right off before they're warm they'll tend to die under throttle. Once they warm even a little you can get away with giving some gas, but I find that in general it's just a good idea to give the motor five minutes or so to warm up before attempting to ride off.

As with any device, individual results may vary...

Regards,
 
mordantmonkey said:
well, it started second kick today, so i think maybe the float bowls went dry since it had been sitting a couple of weeks. still think it needs the carbs rebuilt. plus i just kind of want to do it for the learning experience anyway.

I don't think i have a stock petcock. it's black and has three positions (pri,on,res) prime, on, and reserve right? also, would this be a vaccum controlled petcock since it doesn't have an off setting?

i'm gonna be sepending most of this good weather getting comfortable with riding. second time riding was much more fun and felt more natural. clutch seems rather touchy (not much range between fully engaged and disengaged). Is this normal or will the clutch need work? i really have no idea how it should feel since i've only ridden a dirt bike a couple of times a long time ago.

tconroy, i'll give you a holler after i get my "sea legs", and see if you want to ride. probably won't be until the next nice weather spell though.
Click to expand...

Sounds good dude!There are 8 more people in the kc area with GS's.THis spring we will get togheter and go riding.Get a manual if you dont have one already.It will help you on most everything you need to know.
 
Planecrazy said:
That directive was only for actually starting the bike. In my experience (with my bikes) if you twist the throttle on a completely cold GS it simply won't start ... once it's running you can twist as the bike lets you. On my GS's if I try to ride right off before they're warm they'll tend to die under throttle. Once they warm even a little you can get away with giving some gas, but I find that in general it's just a good idea to give the motor five minutes or so to warm up before attempting to ride off.

As with any device, individual results may vary...

Regards,
Click to expand...

Ah yes. Read you loud and clear. My bike doesn't take too kindly to load without some warming up either.

Now that I think about it, under some conditions I do give it just a little throttle while hitting the starter, but never much. Roars to life strongly with a tad of throttle when half-cold (or half-warm? ;-)) and no choke whereas it might not catch so well just hittin' the button.
 
t3rmin said:
Ah yes. Read you loud and clear. My bike doesn't take too kindly to load without some warming up either.

Now that I think about it, under some conditions I do give it just a little throttle while hitting the starter, but never much. Roars to life strongly with a tad of throttle when half-cold (or half-warm? ;-)) and no choke whereas it might not catch so well just hittin' the button.
Click to expand...

I didn't want to confuse things for others (or make it sound like I'm contradicting myself) because this only happens on my 1100G and not on my 550L, BUT I've noticed that if I crack the throttle JUST slightly on the "G" the starter has an easier time turning the motor over. The slight change from idle is apparently relieving just a touch of vacuum pressure that builds when the throttle is completely closed, but at this very slightly "cracked" position I'm not actually adding any fuel.

If anyone else experiences a very slow cranking motor at startup this "trick" MIGHT help a little...

Regards,
 
Last edited:
Steve, on my '82 850g just cracking the throttle when starting it cold with the choke on is the best way of starting it.
 
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