[Red-Rocket]

What's up D-series, I've put the CRX on the back burner as I've found a hell of a deal on a bike, $400 with a little rust, sat for a year and a bad front master cylinder.
This should be fun as I've never messed with carburetors or bikes.

 

[keel_hauled]

Nice! You'll find the carbs are surprisingly easy to work on. Hell, just about everything on a motorcycle is easy to work on. What are your goals for this bike?

 

[Red-Rocket]

Nice! You'll find the carbs are surprisingly easy to work on. Hell, just about everything on a motorcycle is easy to work on. What are your goals for this bike?

Yeah it took me a bit of reading to wrap my brain around how the carb works, but it helps these bikes have a close following almost like DSO

My goals with the bike are to actually get it running, learn something along the way and have a nice cheap daily motorcycle, hell I still need to get my license haha

 

[keel_hauled]

As far as being a daily goes, it doesn't get much cheaper or enjoyable than a motorcycle. You'll find yourself thinking less about how long it's going to take to get to your destination and thinking more about how enjoyable the ride is. You'll probably chuckle every time you have to fill up too. I spend about $6 to move 160 miles, and I'm typically not being light on the throttle.

 

[Sailor]

It should be a great starter bike. Relatively small, light and good on fuel.
Good luck with it.

 

[Red-Rocket]

And just to give a little background on the bike, the previous owner had it since 2010, and used it as a daily for most of it, until in 2015 he told me the bike started slowing down and he found the front brake to be seized up, he pulled the bleeder valve to unlock the caliper and got it home and parked it.

Since I've had it about 2 weeks now, the interior of the tank has redkote in it, the front master cylinder is bad, new pads and rotors are in order and a carb cleaning was needed, I pulled the jets and cleaned them with a bristle from a stainless brush, now I'm waiting on new pod filters(he had K&N filters on before which broke) front master rebuild kit, and a #150 main jet, I also need to stop at the hardware store and grab some M3 washers to shim the needle jet to compensate for the pods and Vance & Hines exhaust

 

[Sailor]

Excellent. Getting the jets and the filter right makes a huge difference.

Also, here in the UK, these bikes are often fitted with a restrictor kit. There are different kinds, but they basically all do the same thing and stop the bike from getting its max air/fuel flow.

The main problems with the GS500 all tend to be about carburation - and you're on the right track for that. You're also dealing with another common isssue: the tank can corrode on the inside.

Nice one.

 

[Red-Rocket]

Sorry for the lack of pictures, my data is almost up for the month.
As far as updates, I got my master cylinder rebuild kit today, the old circlip is seized in the master, so I've got it soaking in ATF and acetone overnight, I also need to pickup a snap ring Plier set from harbor freight in the morning. I also re routed my gas lines so I could install a fuel filter and secondary petcock.

I also shimmed my needle jet with 2 M3 washers, and I have my #150 main jets on order from Jets R Us, $21 for both but they're OEM mikuni

Once I get all of this in and installed. I just need to pop on new pads and a front tire and this bike will be road worthy

 

[Red-Rocket]

Got my air filters in today, popped them on and adjusted the idle screw, still have a hanging idle of 4K,I'll trouble shoot that later.

Rebuilt the master cylinder, the old piston had seized in the bore, luckily no damage and can't get the fucking master to bleed, it won't build pressure.

 

[shoebox_civic]

If you went from an airbox to pods youll need to up your pilot jet a size, up your mains 10 points, and raise the needle a notch (or stack a thin washer under it to raise) to richen it up. Since bikes back then were tuned fairly lean on e0 gas, and youve upped the airflow and are running e10 gas, it'll definitely help a lot

 

[shoebox_civic]

Wow i should have read your previous post, youre doing all that already :lol:


Except definitely raise the pilots too, youll never get a good stable idle coming off throttle and will have off-idle bogging if theyre undersized

 

[Red-Rocket]

If you went from an airbox to pods youll need to up your pilot jet a size, up your mains 10 points, and raise the needle a notch (or stack a thin washer under it to raise) to richen it up. Since bikes back then were tuned fairly lean on e0 gas, and youve upped the airflow and are running e10 gas, it'll definitely help a lot

Already done, running #40 pilot jets
2 washers on the needle
#150 main jets are on order

 

[Red-Rocket]

Well, I can't get the front brake MC to bleed the air and move fluid, it'll pull a slight vacuum on my finger but it won't pull any fluid from the reservoir, I'm either going to have to get a vacuum pump or buy a known working MC and call it a day.

On the carb side, I'm going to pull them back apart and make sure I cleaned the emulsion tubes.

 

[Red-Rocket]

Got new Mikuni 150 main jets in today, got both of the emulsion tubes pulled and cleaned out with the bristle off a stainless steel brush, and I FINALLY GOT FLUID TO THE FRONT CALIPER, ITS A MIRACLE

 

[Red-Rocket]

Well fuck me running, looks like I need to get the tank relined

 

[hotrodj]

Sounds like you need to bleed the MC, its a lil tricky, but not bad. And trust me, skip the liner crap. Just get a new/used tank. The liner and labor will be close to the cost of a replacement tank.

ANd shoebox is correct about the idle range/pilot needing enrichment. But I would suggest a larger pilot only as a last resort. Id attempt to compensate by raising the float height and re adjusting the mixture screw. Unless of coarse it has a non adjustable float. But you have to remember that CV carbs hate pod filters. Id advise going back to a air box with a high flow filter if you cant get it nailed down and running good all around.

You'll def want to synch the carbs while youre at it. Id do it 1 or 2 times a year lol

 

[keel_hauled]

Well fuck me running, looks like I need to get the tank relined

Uh oh. Would it be more cost effective to get a new tank?

 

[Red-Rocket]

Sounds like you need to bleed the MC, its a lil tricky, but not bad. And trust me, skip the liner crap. Just get a new/used tank. The liner and labor will be close to the cost of a replacement tank.

ANd shoebox is correct about the idle range/pilot needing enrichment. But I would suggest a larger pilot only as a last resort. Id attempt to compensate by raising the float height and re adjusting the mixture screw. Unless of coarse it has a non adjustable float. But you have to remember that CV carbs hate pod filters. Id advise going back to a air box with a high flow filter if you cant get it nailed down and running good all around.

You'll def want to synch the carbs while youre at it. Id do it 1 or 2 times a year lol

Way ahead of you, stock jets are 37.5 and 122
With the pod air filters and Vance and Hines exhaust. It's got a 40 pilot jet 2 washers on the needle jet and 150 main

 

[shoebox_civic]

Ive never had good luck with float hight dickering. Maybe its just because getting all four set exactly the same is so much harder than putting in four exactly matched pilots...

Depending on how the bike runs you may even need to go heavier on the cv slide spring... But ive always messed with Keihins not Mikunis

 

[Red-Rocket]

Ive got a new master cylinder on order, I couldn't get mine to move fluid at all and I'm tired of messing with it. Also spent $13 on 2 o-rings for the vacuum caps in the tops of the carbs, seeing as how one is missing and one is squished to hell. Until then I'm at a stand still.