GS500E '98 bike dies on low rpms

[ArtemNY]

Ok guys. Here we go. My first topic.

:71baldboy:

I passed the test in an MSS school with ease. And bought this bike for just $300. It needs some parts replaced and some body job done. It's all gonna cost me ~$400-$500 (if I do all the job by myself) so I guess I got a good deal. The major problem is a carburator that must be cleaned because the bike was parked for a long time and even though the owner told me he cleaned it this year, I'm sure he lied so it dies on low rpms with this nasty BOOOOP noise. I've read a lot of stuff here and there and learned that this problem may be caused not only by the carb. So, the question is. What should I check first (step-by-step) before I go to the long journey of rebuilding my 1st carb.

I always take a good care of my vehicles and the bike is not an exception. If any even the smallest part of my vehicle (car/truck/bike or even bicycle) needs an attention, I fix it to make it work like it should. I'm a perfectionist.

PS I bought my 1st bike so cheap to learn to ride. I saw too many people buying $5000+ bikes and crashing them the 1st day because of the lack of ANY experience. After I fix this machine, my local keyfood parking lot is going to be my best friend for a couple of weeks to practice maneuvering, acceleration, stopping etc



PS. I'm in Brooklyn, so if there any local newbies or pros who need a company for the next year (or even this year if the weather gives us some warm rainless days), I'm here :thumbsup:






Thanks a LOT in advance! I'll appreciate any help or words of advice. Good luck everyone!

[slumlord]

You might be able to clean the carb without tearing the thing apart. First,take the tank off and drain it completely. Next,buy a gallon of lacquer thinner. Lacquer thinner is the main ingredient in Seafoam cleaner,BTW. With the tank removed,add about a pint of the thinner and slosh it around. Repeat every 10 minutes for an hour. Dump it out in a clean container and examine it, and then decide if you need to repeat the process. Adding an inline filter between the tank and the carbs will catch any little particles from the cleaning process..
Downstream from the tank,the carb bowls are the next place that dirty gas causes deposits. These bowls have drain screws in them. Open the screws,drain the gas out,close the screws,and let the lacquer thinner drain into them. Let it sit an hour,and repeat the process. The bowls should be reasonably clean at this point.
Since your bike runs but does not idle,remove the idle circuit screw from the side of the carb. Turn the screw tighter very gently until it bottoms[while counting the turns] so you know where the setting was originally. When you remove this screw,be careful of the spring and possibly an O-ring underneath it. Add some aerosol carb cleaner in the screw hole ,and then blow through it with shop air. Hopefully the idle jet will clear and the bike will run.
Sometimes less is more when it comes to cleaning or rebuilding a carb. I know you are a perfectionist, and if this advice does not make it run ,you can always do the full teardown. My carbs were so trashed after sitting for 15 years,that it did require a complete teardown with hardened varnish everywhere. At least your bike runs,so you should be ahead of the game.