Hey tehere!

I have a 1992 xt600E, And the damn thing wont start, well kind of... The first thing, it strats when cold and seems to run fine, ok there are occassional backfires, but when I turn on any of the lights (low beam, blinker, horn) it sometimes stops runing if I dont give more gas. The battery isnt brand new, but still, I thought it should run even without battery once running :confused1::confused1:

Is this have anything todo with R/R or maybe just bad ground?

And even when running it only runs with choke on, once I turn it off, it stalls or if I give gas starts running very rough and I hear a sort of slight knocking sound from the carb :confused1:

First find out if you have charging, measure! Next take out carb and clean it, there is a small filter inside too.

Not sure how cleaning a fish would help, but I'm game to try anything

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That concrete whizzing by five inches below your foot is the real thing...

It is charging, it shows about 13,4 volts on a running bike. I already cleaned the carbs, but will take them apart again. The only thing I couldnt get to was the diaphragm because the bolt holding it in place was damaged. I guess Ill just bore it out and replace it.

I did NOT. Thanks, will also check that

Yes this is the small filter i was writing about, had about same problem as you when filter in tank was defect and rust came down to this filter.

As a GUESS ... I think your Pilot Jet is clogged. I recommend buying a NEW jet ... do not clean old jet. Just replace with new one. To do this, Carb must come off the bike. Take it apart and clean everything really well. Clean or Replace filter and Pilot jet.

Take your time, work slowly and carefully. Remove all jets, clean all orifices once jets are removed. Use Carb cleaner (eye protection) and high pressure air. Carefully remove float bowl cover and clean gently. Keep track of all parts. Take pictures or video if you are easily confused.

If battery will not crank over bike ... you could try to charge it up ... or ... if that battery is over 3 or 4 years old and is not maintained on a "smart" charger, then to be sure ... I would replace the battery with a NEW sealed, Maintenance free battery. (Yuasa are good)

Don't worry about the "knocking" sounds now ... all bikes run terrible with a clogged jet. Most likely, once Carb and Jets are CLEAN .. it will run OK.

Good luck!

Thank you all for quick and usefull tips

I will get to the carb later today and report back. Thanks again.

On this subject what carb cleaners/ high power air solutions do you folk recommended in the UK. I've got a GS550 that needs its carbs doing and I've read various online demos but they're all from the US talking about US products that I'm not sure I can easily buy here. Never done carbs before so any advice welcomed

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That concrete whizzing by five inches below your foot is the real thing...

I used high pressure air on can and petrol, never had problem after the clean. Its importan to check the filter inside tank if you dont have one xtra on the hose, my filter was floating inside tank.

I only use petrol for cleaning if stuck on side of the road or if NO OTHER chemical is available. Never use petrol indoors. Great way to burn down your house. ... and (obviously) handle chemicals with extreme care.

I'm guessing the Suzuki GS550 uses a typical CV type carbs? Either Mikuni or Keihin? So fairly simple, straightforward Carb. Get the work shop manual if you can. (online?)

I'd go on a UK forum, specific to mechanical subjects, get some tips. Maybe there is a GS550 forum? :confused1:

Carb rebuilding
Take your time, go slow, take both Carbs off. Keep all parts organized. Try to find out what jets it should have. Probably just a Pilot Jet, Main Jet and needle valve (little rubber tipped thingy shown above) along with some air passages, maybe a leak jet of some kind? Should also have a Pilot fuel screw adjustment and Idle adjustment. Remove all you can ... flush then blow it all out. (eye protection!)

Try to get a professional Carb cleaner ... remove all rubber bits from carb and soak in the solution for several hours. If you can, buy NEW Carb kits for your Carbs. This should include various O rings and other parts for your Carbs. Old dried out O rings can cause problems on old bikes, especially in float bowl.

No idea what is available in UK regards Carb cleaners, most in USA are now very weak and non toxic ... thus rather ineffective. Get the best you can. Find out what Pros are using.

Very good advice from XTrock about cleaning In-Tank Petcock Filters. These are often ignored and can really get a lot of grunge build up on older bikes. Remove petcock, flush tank out, make sure it's clean and not rusted inside.

Clean petcock filter(s) attached to intake pipes on petcock. You may have two pipes ... (for RUN and RESERVE)

Always try to do this type of work outside or in VERY well ventilated area ... Fan? Wear gloves when working with Petrol or Carb Cleaner.

Thanks guys I'm gonna have a read and think about what you've said and then look around and see what I can buy. I assume, if you have to soak the carb bits, that the carb cleaner isn't a spray, as I guess you get through a lot of it?

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That concrete whizzing by five inches below your foot is the real thing...

Most Carb cleaners here ARE spray type ... and not all that effective. Soaking is best if you have a lot of built up Varnish in the internal passages. But you could just keep applying spray on cleaner ... as it evaporates, spray on more. To soak you need to buy a whole big tin of the stuff. So, you decide.

Probably be adequate with the spray if not too bad.

Best !

Another thing you might consider that is very cheap is white vinegar!

Bear with me on this one. We used to use it to clean and service breathing regulators when I worked in the diving industry, when sonic baths weren't available (like when you're living on a pontoon 25km offshore!)

BUT! Also bear in mind that it is a very mild acid and any carb parts that you soak must NOT be left for any more than 30 minutes at a time before you have another look at them. If you leave them overnight you will not like the results!!

It really is a very effective cleaner for a lot of things. Good luck.

Chris.

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http://wombatstravels.blogspot.com.au/

Vinegar is very effective removing rust from bolts, hardware etc. I've soaked gas tanks with it prior to using Caswell epoxy. Tanks came out bare clean metal inside. Just be sure to rinse, neutralize with soda water then air dry. rust will start almost immediately so get the tank protected.

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'84 XT600 is now bored to 2nd oversize and new OEM pistons and rings installed. No more smoking.