HI,
I have an '81 GS 450T. Driving home yesterday it gradually lost power until i came to a stop. From start of power loss to a complete stop took 15-20 seconds. After a short sit it started again and was running very rough kinda herky jerkythen it died. I took it back out today and as soon as it got hot it did the same thing.
This is the second time this scenario has presented itself. The first time i installed a new ignitor, cleaned the carbs, replaced a fuse, trimmed the plug wires and checked all my contacts. All were good.
My question is this, are carburetor functions affected by heat? Could it be the stator? Ignition coils getting hot and breaking down.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as riding days are getting rare these days.
Thank you in advance.

 

Hi,

Among other possibilities, what you describe could be due to a lean condition, possibly caused by air leaks in the intake system. Does your bike use o-rings on the intake boots? Are you intake boots cracked? Is the airbox sealed tightly? These old GS bikes don't like air leaks in the intake system. Have you tried new plug caps? They're pretty cheap and will eliminate one possible cause. What kind of shape is your battery in? While it is possible that your coils are glitching out when they get hot, you might want to eliminate all the cheap/simple fixes first. Are you sure you got the carbs really, really clean? Are you using an inline fuel filter (normally not recommended)? What kind of shape is your petcock in? Is your gas tank clean and free of rust? Check out my website (link below) for lots of GS lovin'.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

First off let me say how great it is to see you here and i can't wait for GS to be up and running.
I ordered some new o-rings for the intake boots.I also bought a kit and fasteners from Mr. Barr in addition to float bowl gaskets.The boots themselves are in good shape. I have a new battery(1 MO). I will try some new boots as I am sure they are OE. Also the tank is clean and the petcock is new. The thing that has me tripping is the bike will start with choke and bog down if i touch the gas.That lasts about 30 seconds then i am able to twist the throttle with normal response and close the choke. I am able to ride then for about five minutes then she dies again. Thanks again for your consideration. I am in the process of obtaining a new signal generator. Worth my time?

 

More suggestions:

Start here:[*]stuck choke[*]floats too low[*]dirty carbs[*]closed clearance valves

Then move on to:[*]igniter[*]fuel petcock dirty[*]weak battery[*]bad regulator/rectifier
Also make sure your gas cap is clean and venting properly. It's a process of elimination. It's worth it if you want to ride that bike. Being almost 30 years old, I really have to stay on top of the maintenance of my bike. But I'd much rather ride my bike than any of the plastic sport bikes or cruisers I see around here.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff