Long story short, I own an 82 Suzuki GS-450L. The main GS board has registration suspended, and I haven't found anything explaining too much.

I am very mechanically inclined, I just have very little experience working on bikes or carburetors. I bought this bike from a bud's dad for an unmentionable price (let's just say it was barely in the triple digits), w/ the understanding it may need a little work and a key cut. Well I bought it. Apparently he thought he had an issue where it would idle too high and stay high, but I believe he just always left the choke on (manual choke as a lever). Consequentially, he may have monkeyed w/ a few things on the choke when trying to fix it, even though he thought it also was a leak around the intake manifold/air box/boots.

So the symptoms are frustrating. It will start and idle fine, when it warms up, it idles around 1k. It would idle down if you didn't touch the throttle after warmup and die, so you had to keep gassing it like a cam'd muscle car. I adjusted the tension at the carb for the throttle cable and fixed that problem for now. It still has a bogging problem, though. Pretty much, either when on the kickstand or driving down the street, it will bog when you rev it. It's odd that it doesn't rely on the amount of load! It seems like it's around 3k and above, but it seems to surge and kick power back in in the higher RPM's, say above 6-7k. It will buck and surge from powering on and off when bogging, making it a bit dangerous to drive!

Should I mess w/ the mixture screws, or do ya'll think I should try cleaning anything on the carbs? If so, what should I clean? I know there's a bunch of valves and stuff in the carb, and have the schematic and tools to do the job, but I don't want to tear into a carb if it' not necessary.....

Help me get my first street-bike on the road!!!

 

hmmmm does it still have the original exhaust? I had a '82 CB650 that did weird things cause they put an exhaust on it that wasn't designed for the bike.

 

I'm not one to take apart an engine, but if you're capable of it, I think you should tear it down and clean out everything. Then build it back up, possibly with new (or new-old-stock) parts. This way, you'll have a as-close-to-new-as-possible engine.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by The_Head &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hmmmm does it still have the original exhaust? I had a '82 CB650 that did weird things cause they put an exhaust on it that wasn't designed for the bike.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The bike is completely stock. There is nothing on it to need new jets, or to throw the mixture off!


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm not one to take apart an engine, but if you're capable of it, I think you should tear it down and clean out everything. Then build it back up, possibly with new (or new-old-stock) parts. This way, you'll have a as-close-to-new-as-possible engine.</TD></TR></TABLE>

No cash at this time. This is a get-around and learn-it bike; one day I WILL buy an old GS1100 and make it ridiculous.....and then never ride it at full throttle

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by LudeyKrus &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">No cash at this time. </TD></TR></TABLE>
I feel your pain. Good luck with sorting her out.

 

It probably has points, check those out. Make sure it's timed correctly, and make sure that the timing advance mechanism is working properly.

See if you can find a rebuild kit for the carbs, and an owners manual for the bike. take the carbs apart, and clean them. Like, cold soak clean them. Not the carb spray garbage you get at autozone, you need to make sure all of the tiny tiny passages inside the body of the carb are clean. You'll need to completely dissassemble the carbs, so make sure you remember where everything goes.

It also may have an accelerator pump. check that out, make sure it's operating correctly. It could also be the source of some woe.

You'll definetely want to synchronize the carburators once you've adjusted the timing and cleaned them. you probably don't have the tools for it though, so make friends with a motorcycle mechanic real quick, and maybe he'll let you borrow his synchronization gauges.

If you need to adjust your mixture, do it with the air screws primarily, but those only alter the mixture at idle and off-idle, partial throttle. your accelerator pump is going to control the transition from low-rpm to WOT. sometimes you can adjust the main jet mixture by moving a clip on the jet needle.

 

I'd go with a carb cleanup as well. if there is a fuel filter ditch it and get a new one. If the guy has been messing with the settings you might be quicker getting them setup by a garage.

Check your main jets are not coroded and sticking.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by LudeyKrus &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Long story short, I own an 82 Suzuki GS-450L. The main GS board has registration suspended, and I haven't found anything explaining too much.

I am very mechanically inclined, I just have very little experience working on bikes or carburetors. I bought this bike from a bud's dad for an unmentionable price (let's just say it was barely in the triple digits), w/ the understanding it may need a little work and a key cut. Well I bought it. Apparently he thought he had an issue where it would idle too high and stay high, but I believe he just always left the choke on (manual choke as a lever). Consequentially, he may have monkeyed w/ a few things on the choke when trying to fix it, even though he thought it also was a leak around the intake manifold/air box/boots.

So the symptoms are frustrating. It will start and idle fine, when it warms up, it idles around 1k. It would idle down if you didn't touch the throttle after warmup and die, so you had to keep gassing it like a cam'd muscle car. I adjusted the tension at the carb for the throttle cable and fixed that problem for now. It still has a bogging problem, though. Pretty much, either when on the kickstand or driving down the street, it will bog when you rev it. It's odd that it doesn't rely on the amount of load! It seems like it's around 3k and above, but it seems to surge and kick power back in in the higher RPM's, say above 6-7k. It will buck and surge from powering on and off when bogging, making it a bit dangerous to drive!

Should I mess w/ the mixture screws, or do ya'll think I should try cleaning anything on the carbs? If so, what should I clean? I know there's a bunch of valves and stuff in the carb, and have the schematic and tools to do the job, but I don't want to tear into a carb if it' not necessary.....

Help me get my first street-bike on the road!!! </TD></TR></TABLE>

Been away, sorry for the late response.

Have you got diaphrams in the carbs, they perish on older bikes and screw up the mixture. It is going to be a fuel issue as is the case with most old bits of kit. Might be easier to get some refurbed carbs or fit some from a later bike.

 

You need to clean your carbs and maybe purchase rebuild kits for them
dirt or sediment is stuck in your jets and leaning out your fuel mixture