[tdsmsh]

Thanks for everyone’s input.

I bought the bike yesterday. After dumping some fresh gas in the tank, and letting the bike idle for about 30 minutes in 45F weather, I was able to ride the bike home. It still is not running extremely well, but well enough to ride it. The engine sputters a bit until the RPMs get above 6000 or so, then it seems fine. It made for a tricky ride home with all the stoplights, etc.

I put some Sta-Bil in the tank of fresh gas so hopefully that will prevent more gunk build-up until I can either get the bike serviced or work on it myself.

It’s sad that I got the bike at the end of the riding season, but at least I got a good deal on it!

[tdsmsh]

If the owner agrees with my offer (lower than his asking price), I’ll be working on it next weekend.

There is almost certainly some risk involved. Given the talks I’ve had with him, I think it is unlikely there is a serious problem with the bike.

I will probably try putting some fresh gas in to dilute the old gas and maybe some dry gas. I’m hoping I can let it idle until it is warmed up and them maybe it will rev. Given that it was about 55 F today, and the bike ran for no more than a couple of minutes, getting the engine warmed up may have something to do with it.

[tdsmsh]

I looked at another gs500 today (I still haven’t got a bike). The bike is excellently priced as the owner just had a baby and is moving so he wants to dump the bike quick. The bike is in good condition, except for one thing. The bike starts quickly, even when cold, and idles very smoothly but as soon as you apply any throttle, the engine just cuts out. According to the owner, the bike was serviced about 1 year ago, and the gas in the tank is also that old. The bike has been sitting for a few months so he thinks it is just a matter of cleaning the carbs out. It just seems strange that the engine idles so smoothly and then cuts out immediately when the throttle is applied as if the kill switch was hit.

Anyone have thoughts on where to look for the problem?

Thanks!

[tdsmsh]

Thanks for all the input. I think I’m going to stay away from this one. It’s too bad because I like the GS500, but there aren’t many in my area. A taller dual sport is starting to look awful tempting…

[Author]

Posts