GS500e - Need help to get it running again please.

[MissBex]

Heya all.

My stepdad has a 1996 GS500e that he got from a guy in Germany a good 10 or more years ago and had it sat in his garage. It was started and run a few years ago when my friend was going to buy it as his first big bike but he ended up getting something else instead.

So it's been sat again for a few years and now my stepdad want to get use of it again. At first it wouldn't start at all and that was because it had a dead battery. He'es bought a new battery and then it would turn over but not fire. I said to him it's probably the carbs where it's been sat for a long time. So today we took the tank off and had a look around. He thought the carbs weren't perhaps getting fuel but turns out they were, no problem. The petcock thingy - he blew down the tube and if you have the arrow so it's slighty off central facing downwards (Like south west position) then the air goes all the way through, but in other positions you couldn't hear the air getting through, so we left it in the south-west position, put it all back together and tank on and it started up but the choke fully all the way on and lots of revs. We got it idling without the use for throttle but with the choke fully on still but it was only at just over 1k revs which didn't seem right to me.
As soon as you start to close the choke off it just cuts out. Tried it again afterward a few times and wouldn't even start again.

We called it a night and I said I'll see if I can find any help online, so if anyone has any advice that would be most appreciated
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Direct Access Passed - 30/05/14
00' Honda Hornet 600

[wr6133]

Carbs are gummed up, actually remove them, strip them and clean them.

[TUG]

Tank will be gummed up or full of rust or both, carbs will be gummed up, everything will need going over with a fine tooth comb.
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Haz ER-5, innit!

[P.]

They have vacuum taps. Requires the engine to run for fuel to come out. You've left it on "PRI" which is prime, don't do that, could end bad. Use that once you have stripped and cleaned the carbs as it will let you fill the bowls without the bike actually running.

[MarJay]

How could it be fuel if it didn't turn over? No Offense, but try to get your terminology right if you want us to help you with this. Clearly it does turn over, it just didn't fire.

Now it runs but doesn't idle, it's obviously a fuelling issue. I'd hazard a guess that the pilot jets in the carbs are gummed up. Your best bet is to remove the carbs and give them a thorough clean, You may even need to get them ultrasonically cleaned by a professional. I don't think a few squirts of carb cleaner will do the job to be honest, but you could give it a go I guess.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[MissBex]

[P.]

Even if he doesn't want to strip them, he most likely will need to.

[_Iain_]

[hmmmnz]

Strip them down, its an arse to get the air box off, but its all easy sailing from there,
i would strip down any bikes carbs thats been sitting for a year or more, just as a matter of course, the jets will be blocked, the bowls will be full of shit,
And who knows what condition the diagphrams are in,
Would be stupid not to do the work, he'll be chasing his tail otherwise.
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the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[MissBex]

Thanks all. I told him when he got in today and he huffed a big sigh. Didn't hear anything else from him about it and he's working all week then going on holiday then back to work again so no idea when/if it'll get done anytime soon. He's really been trying to avoid it I think cause he doesn't really know what he's wholeheartedly doing and he's a little bit of a "Bull at a gate" and never sits down to watch vids/read how to do things, just goes straight in there.

Someone said to me it could be an idea to get some refurb kits in case o-rings & gaskets are knackered and will just be able to put new jets straight in. Not had a proper look but seen them on ebay, 2 for just over £30, would it be worth getting?

[Robby]

If he has no time and won't sit still and figure it out, get the carbs off and get them cleaned by someone else. Probably worth sending them off to be ultrasonically cleaned and rebuilt.

It could be something as simple as draining the carbs and cleaning out the mixture circuit. This is a very simple job, but anything to do with the mixture circuit requires a delicate approach.

If the tank was partially empty during the storage, it is likely to have rusted. The best method I have used for de-rusting a tank is found at the following link. Bear in mind that the bike probably uses an aluminium alloy fuel tap, so this will need to be removed and the hole blocked off somehow. I block the hole off with a little piece of steel held in by two bolts, with a bit of silicon pipe used as a gasket.

https://www.realclassic.co.uk/techfiles/petrol_tank_cleaning_and_rust_removal.html

[Bunny Lingus]

I wouldn't be sending anything off to be ultrasonically cleaned 'cos I'm waaay too skint & tight, so anything like that is not usually viable for me. Also, as the bike is so old & your pops seems all right doing it himself you could always try some of Bunny's pikeytech parts cleaning methods using stuff you would find in your kitchen. For brass carburetor parts like jets, try soaking 'em in cider vinegar. For the aluminium alloy carb bodies a saucepan of boiling lemon juice will clean 'em up. You can also throw the jets in if you don't have vinegar. Twenty minutes on a rolling boil should do it. The citric acid creates a dull finish on the alloy so be prepared to give 'em a polish if you want them shiny. Once they're clean, rinse in a bucket of water to neutralise the citric/acetic acid. You can save the vinegar & lemon juice in some plastic bottles & use it to clean other rusty bits around the home.
If the tank is very rusty inside, get rid of the old petrol & throw in a handful of very small nuts & bolts & a pint of diesel. Put the tank in a bin bag to protect your clothes. Shake vigorously & keep shaking until all the flaky rust has been removed. Twenty minutes should do it. Empty out the diesel & nuts & bolts & half fill the tank with cider vinegar. Stand the tank on end & leave overnight. Turn the tank so that all of the inside gets exposed. You can leave the vinegar in for as long as you like. Some folks don't bother with the diesel & nuts/bolts bit as they can be a pain to get out but I have a magnet on a string & it don't bother me if I lose any in there. Just make sure that they are small though 'cos if you use big 'uns they'll dent the metal.
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Bunny Lingus & The Flipside Faggots