Cafe Racer Build 19, Suzuki GS550 diagnosing a cafe racer running on 3 cylinders

No video

Cafe Racer Build 19, Suzuki GS550 diagnosing a cafe racer running on 3 cylinders

Рет қаралды 39,856

Күн бұрын

The Suzuki GS550 cafe racer build is only running on 3 cylinders. The exhaust pipe on cylinder 3 is cold to touch meaning that it's not firing.
In this video I run through my process of diagnosing this through;
1. Testing the cylinder pressure
2. Testing the spark pressure
3. Strip the carburettors to test
Stickers available at
fortheboldindus...
Instagram: / for_the_bold_industries
Filmed with Gopro:
amzn.to/2rMZjPC
Compression testing kit:
amzn.to/2sn0HcI
Spark tester:
amzn.to/2srm4u1

Пікірлер: 144

@pmac3099 7 жыл бұрын

I love the feeling when it starts and all 4 pipes get hot. I hope to experience it again one of these months.

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Yeah it's a sigh of relief from me.

@pmac3099 7 жыл бұрын

If haven't bumped up the jetting on those mikunis I recommend it. Made a huge improvement on my 78 550.

@LasergirlYT 5 жыл бұрын

Really enjoyed your video. Thanks from a 54 year old grandmother in Los Angeles. Keep up the good work... You really never know who's watching and learning 😉

@forthebold 5 жыл бұрын

That's the wonderful thing with motorcycles, it brings all walks of life together, and it doesn't matter age or gender.

@ADVENTureMessage 7 жыл бұрын

Working out the bugs is part of the fun! I know every nut and bolt on my '78 KZ400. Your videos are very motivating. Thanks...

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Glad they help.

@Mr7official_ 7 жыл бұрын

I've been watching all your builds and I just want to say you have one of the most beautiful cafe racers I've ever seen

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you, means a lot to hear that.

@GreatEgret 6 жыл бұрын

I know I'm late to the game here as you posted this more than a year ago, but this was a fun video to watch. It's encouraging. I'm starting my own build on a similar bike in a few weeks and this got me really excited to get to work on it! Cheers.

@forthebold 6 жыл бұрын

all part of the fun, good luck

@Swokpmund 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video.. 3rd time cleaning Carbs of GS850 Gl it runs great.. the day after on 3 again.. will do it again later and check that little tiny hole for the 4 th time. Thank you for the Video.

@spartanrider5614 7 жыл бұрын

thanks to this video I finally got my gs850gt started and running.

@BlackFrog551 7 жыл бұрын

That's your choke tube pipe, bro. Next time, completely disassemble your carbs and do a chem dip. You can pick up a parts cleaner can for cheap. Just disassemble, dip and your carbs will be clean and look like new. I love these bikes. Mine is a 79' GS550e. Beautiful build, very tastefully done.

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Good idea, it needs cleaning up drastically.

@dnosbush 7 жыл бұрын

I just bought a 79 suzuki gs550e myself! I took the carbs apart and cleaned them but didn't do a them dip - maybe I should!

@ShatteredBrush 7 жыл бұрын

Glad to see her run! Congrats on an awesome bike, you did an awesome job and appreciate the videos. They are helping me with mine!

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Amazing, I'm glad they help.

@JohnDSmith 7 жыл бұрын

I'm going to try this on my CB550. It was running fine all summer and now cylinders 1&2 are cold. Checking the carbs tomorrow!

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Good luck on your carbs

@ilCantaluppi 7 жыл бұрын

Each video I watch is tempting me more and more to start a project! Awesome job with yours anyway!

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Glad they inspire you. Good luck if you decide to start one.

@elijahbutterfield4869 7 жыл бұрын

man that bike is finicky. lots of respect for the amount of patience.

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Ha, it's what you get from a bike that hasn't ran in 21 years

@elijahbutterfield4869 7 жыл бұрын

dreegez True. Didn't know that it was 21 years though. Even more props to ya then

@ShiiWaddyWaddy 7 жыл бұрын

Well done mate. it's always the same. compression spark fuel. Bike sounds like it needs the carbs balancing, and the advance timing looking at. Will run much smoother then.

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Yeah the carb synchronising will be done this weekend, and it was all down to one blocked hole in the float bowl which I stumbled across by accident, luckily.

@ShiiWaddyWaddy 7 жыл бұрын

dreegez it's always something simple. The amount of times I racked my brains and stayed awake at night try to work out why the bike was or wasn't doing something I wanted. Always turned out to be something simple like, cap missing off carb boot. check out my instagram for the build pics. keep it up.

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Ethan Wadsworth Same here, thinking about it last thing at night. I'll check out your Instagram.

@hollywood84660 7 жыл бұрын

Absolutely love the video found them yesterday and subscribed and watched all the video spent about two hours watching them all they are great.

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Amazing, glad you enjoyed them.

@OMFGory 7 жыл бұрын

I like the series I just wish there was more videos! Cheers mate

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks, planning on getting at least one video up a week, probably every Friday from next week onwards

@paycee17 7 жыл бұрын

Man when I saw that project over I was worried about the future of the channel. This is very good news (: Keep doing what you enjoy,, thanks for the inspiration

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Pierre Condroyer This project has a long way to go ;) but there'll be more how to videos, motovlogs and more new bikes.

@paycee17 7 жыл бұрын

You can be proud of the finished bike, can't wait to watch the test rides and your upcoming projects.

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Pierre Condroyer Amazing, thanks for watching

@R8designNo 7 жыл бұрын

Can you do a vid where you explain what type of jets, pilots, needle hight, adjustment of mixture and fuel screw etc and maybe a sync with the vac gauge on the GS550? Or maybe explain the process? Would be very helpful for me and i guess other having problem with this as well :) Cheers, keep up the good work, can't wait to see the CX build!

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Yeah I will do when I have the bike running.

@haidensmith7473 2 ай бұрын

Thank you I have a 84 kz 550 and I’m diagnosing a cylinder misfire

@dnosbush 7 жыл бұрын

Thats really funny! On my 79 suzuki gs550e I just bought I also am not getting cylinder 3 firing. Same thing - I'm getting compression but we thought it was a weak spark and possibly failing under compression so I am awaiting my new coil I ordered. If that doesn't work, I'll make sure to check that same hole you mentioned. Thanks for the tips!

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Cylinder 3 runs with the same coil and cylinder 2, how's the spark in that out of interest? Good luck with getting it running. Also have you set your points?

@dnosbush 7 жыл бұрын

I haven't set the points, no. I think those are the next things to check - the carbs and the points. I had the carbs apart and cleaned them with compressed air and a small piece of wire. Didn't realize they could have been dirty somewhere else. Thanks for the tips and the videos.

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and good luck

@spartanrider5614 7 жыл бұрын

ran into the same problem on my gs850, does sound you may be slightly out of sync but chuffed you got her running on all four

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks, this weekend I'll turn my hand to syncing it, get it sounding sweeter.

@leeclynes4712 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much that’s helped me immensely

@forthebold Жыл бұрын

Glad it did.

@rmulchi 7 жыл бұрын

Nicely done, congrats. It sounds awesome.

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks, still a bit to go to get it sounding perfect.

@rossyoung878 7 жыл бұрын

I'm checking here nearly every day, c'mon man, where's the next piece of the story!!? 😉

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Uploading as I type, sorry for the delay, I promise they'll be more frequent

@Ad.Mitch.GCR1 7 жыл бұрын

Good job my man! persistence and consistency is key... keep growing i look forward to seeing the next vid, hopefully a road test :) keep up the good work. Adam

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks, a few more things to be done before it's road worthy, and an MOT is needed.

@Ad.Mitch.GCR1 7 жыл бұрын

Things will be getting easier now i would think and good luck with the MOT when it comes. See you on the road when you're finally out and about.

@ponsi6715 7 жыл бұрын

Congrats! You made it man!

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Nearly there.

@jennylloyd1436 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for explaining, learning a lot from you, much appreciated

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

I'm glad they help

@michaelyiannett4515 7 жыл бұрын

Well done mate, great fix.

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

+Michael Yiannett only chance that I thought to check there

@michaelyiannett4515 7 жыл бұрын

Like you say tho, persistence pays. Do you have a mechanical background? Im always encouraged when I see backyard restorations. I have an 87 Suzuki GSX 400 X Impulse that I am restoring and its always an encouragement to see others making it happen. Your Suzuki looks and sounds awesome btw.

@kasper.breistein 7 жыл бұрын

Great job! As you say, persistence is key :)

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks, it definitely is, what ever you do.

@STEVEBLACKA 7 жыл бұрын

Well done . My Bmw rode in to the garage and is now just a frame..lol I am expecting lots of issues oce its back together .

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

It's the way it goes, but keep at it :)

@STEVEBLACKA 7 жыл бұрын

Will do !

@dnosbush 7 жыл бұрын

I've been working like mad on my 79 suzuki gs550 that I picked up. Cylinder 3 also wasn't firing for me. I do believe that the vacuum tube from the carbs to the petcock/fuel shut off to operate the pump comes from cylinder 3. My petcock was leaking like a sieve through that diaphragm. I believe it was dripping into cylinder 3 as the bike sat and has been giving me tons of grief. I have a 79GS550L tank on the bike and I am having a hell of a time finding a replacement petcock/fuel shot off. I believe I need a Suzuki 44300-45270 and can't find one anywhere - looks like the part is obsolete and I don't know how to tell if there is one that superseded it. I found this info on the carbs as wellGS550L (77-79) the specs are for the VM's idle r/min 1100-1200 carb mik vm22ss id no 47110 bore size 22 (0.87) float height 24.+/-1.0 (0.95 +/-0.04) fuel level 4.0+/-1.0 (0.16 +/-0.04) air screw 2.0 turns back cut away 1.5 jet needle 5dl35-3 (the -3 3rd notch??) pilot screw 1.0 pilot jet #15 pilot outlet 0.6 needle jet 0-6 by pass 1.0 main jet #80 Great website here: thegsresources.com Thanks for the videos!

@alejandroibarrola4318 6 жыл бұрын

Hi bro, have you fixed the petcock issue? Im having the same problem with a GS750L from 1979, I cant seem to find a new petcock or the rebuild kit, if you have a solution please tell me what can I do. Regards.

@forthebold 6 жыл бұрын

+Alejandro Ibarrola petcocks are so expensive. I ended up using one from another bike but adjusting to fit mine

@johnmac.6760 3 жыл бұрын

Hi mate, hope you don't mind me asking, do you work on other people's bikes? I've got a 550 kawasaki zephyr, completely standard all electrics are working as they should and never been hacked into. it really needs a complete overhaul and made running right, again hope you don't mind me asking, thanks, regards John.. 👍👍🏍️

@forthebold Жыл бұрын

I know this is a late reply but no sorry. I don’t work on other peoples bikes.

@LasergirlYT 5 жыл бұрын

Oh... By the way... I just bought a 1979 kz650....wish me luck! 😅

@forthebold 5 жыл бұрын

Best of luck.

@JayVon_Ro 7 жыл бұрын

Awesome grats man!!!!

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you

@n4n4ng86tube 7 жыл бұрын

awesome bike 👍😁🏍

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment

@heriberthustensaft 7 жыл бұрын

I'm really psyched for you...have the same problem on my honda cb 750 :/

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks, it was just by chance I thought to check the float bowl, good luck with yours.

@dondonjordan 7 жыл бұрын

Great series. Really inspiring me to go out and grab a bike to give a new life to. Are you planning to take the engine apart again for painting? :p

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Yeah I'll be taking the whole bike apart for re-painting nearer the end

@antonjansson9407 5 жыл бұрын

Isnt 3 bar preassure for such an engine pretty low even though it's cold? I've got the same bike and same tool and I do get the same readings.. *confused* Thanks for good content btw

@antonjansson9407 5 жыл бұрын

I think I just figured it out, if you have a cheap compression tester which I have (HF) the schrader valve is located up by the gauge near the release button. And a lot of the preassure gets lost when the hose needs to be filled before reaching the valve. So guys, buy a compression tester with the schrader valve at the end of the hose

@Mr7official_ 7 жыл бұрын

Do you have a description of where you got all your parts from?

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

I keep meaning to do that, but with limited time I never get around to it.

@okay_86 7 жыл бұрын

I have a 78 gs400 that I plan on making into a cafe racer and an 82 gs550 that I plan on making into a bobber

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Excellent, good luck with them

@TheDesertStormGuy 7 жыл бұрын

You should drill some holes in the front disc to eliminate heating and ruining your brake pads

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

I don't know if I'd trust my wobly hands but might be worth buying some

@TheDesertStormGuy 7 жыл бұрын

dreegez you should invest in one coz if you'll be riding during rains, you gonna have a rough time getting grip onto those plain disc. and even a over heat will ruin the break pads

@shubhamkhedaskar 7 жыл бұрын

+dreegez , the bike that I want to transform is TVS Victor... its pretty old bike and has single cylinder 100c engine...and I was thinking of getting an Yamaha R6 engine for the customization..if not the TVS Victor than maybe Royal Enfield Continental GT..it also has a single cylinder 500cc engine and its a complete cafe racer, if I buy the GT as donor bike and replace the engine, will it work ? please reply

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

I definitely don't think the TVS Victor would take the R6 engine, you may have better luck with the Royal Enfield, all depends on the level of skill you have. Perhaps look at a project that doesn't need an engine swap if you think it might not work

@shubhamkhedaskar 7 жыл бұрын

+dreegez , Thanks !! this really is helpful !!

@ichangersnare4582 7 жыл бұрын

She's a beauty. kindly make a test ride video. Thanks...

@norwichscott 2 жыл бұрын

I'm having the same problem with my 85 vmax. But it's intermittent. Think is the coil.

@forthebold 2 жыл бұрын

Coil is a quick one to swap round to test.

@norwichscott 2 жыл бұрын

@@forthebold it was the coil. And, no, it wasn't a 'quick one". It was one of the fronts 😆

@kev2523 6 жыл бұрын

New to the channel! What exhaust is that? Can't be stock, no?

@forthebold 6 жыл бұрын

+Kevin Butcher Landes the silencer is an aftermarket welded on

@ecirlos4902 4 жыл бұрын

Si you just clean the carburetor and that did it ?

@forthebold 4 жыл бұрын

For this particular issue on the GS550 yes

@shubhamkhedaskar 7 жыл бұрын

+dreegez , can a 100cc bike chassis handle the weight of 600cc engine..please reply

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Chances are no, Some people might say you can, but a 600cc engine will be a lot bigger, and so will need hefty modification to your frame to fit it in, your balance might be off then, and you will definitely need to upgrade your brakes, electrics etc, probably not worth the hassle, just bike a 600cc donor bike complete i'd suggest

@YaminIISR 7 жыл бұрын

When the test drive comming up man?!?

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Soon, a few more bits to go

@modernmanadvice 4 жыл бұрын

My GS550 has the exact same issue. What are the actual symptoms of this issue? Does the bike stall/loss power after riding it for 15 mins?

@forthebold 4 жыл бұрын

Symptoms are sounding like it’s running on 3 cylinders and pipe not warming up. Sounds so bad you wouldn’t want to try riding it.

@modernmanadvice 3 жыл бұрын

@@forthebold I did. Which is why I ask. It rides but stalls/losses power. Specially, shifting down going down lower speed. I meant symptoms as to what happens to the bike when it does run, I already know my bike runs on 3 cylinders, just not sure of my issue is because of it. Or also a bad air/fuel mix. By the way, I'm a big fan of your work. My current project (this GS550 was inspired by your warrior project).

@forthebold 3 жыл бұрын

It’s not going to be behaving how you want it until you have it running on all 4. So I’d ignore anything it’s doing at the moment whilst riding until you have it firing on all cylinders. Once you have that sorted you can cross any other issues later.

@modernmanadvice 3 жыл бұрын

@@forthebold Thanks brother. Much appreciated 👊🏼

@modernmanadvice 3 жыл бұрын

@@forthebold quick update: compression is good. Spark is good. Rebuilt/clean the carbs. Everytime I start it a different cylinder won't fire off. Sometimes it's #4, sometimes it's #2 sometimes is two at a time. I'm at a loss. Plus now I have fuel overflowing from the air of valve going to the ground. Any thoughts?

@the_CHAR_official 7 жыл бұрын

Hey great videos, would you recommend a 1987 srx250 Yamaha as a cafe racer project?

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Yeah that's a good base to start from.

@the_CHAR_official 7 жыл бұрын

ok cheers i may be having my hands on one soon :D

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Reece Hobbs Excellent, good luck with it.

@the_CHAR_official 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks

@konstantynkyrylyuk9901 6 жыл бұрын

Same type of engine. Suzuki gs550m - pressure 7-8bar......

@williamn01 7 жыл бұрын

Do you reckon the gs 550 is a good starter bike for first build , in getting a 84 model for £300 loads of new parts with it it's not running at the moment but it's been idle for a long time .

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

All depends why it's not running. It is a good bike in all fairness to start on, the frame is simple enough and so is the engine (for a 4 stroke engine)

@williamn01 7 жыл бұрын

For The Bold - dreegez the boy said he thinks it will run with clean fuel and new battery wether that's true or not is a different case think I will go for it tho

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

If you can 'test' it first, that would be peace of mind for you. But sounds good, I would love to see another GS build.

@williamn01 7 жыл бұрын

£300 quid can't really be that bad haha , Is parts easy to get a hold of or what ? Trying to do a bit of research just now but don't want to end up losing out on the bike with it getting sold for that price as it doesn't seem much .

@forthebold 7 жыл бұрын

Parts are easy enough, a lot fit onto it, I had a bit of researching to do to get my intake boots to get the right code, they ended up costing £176 for 4, but that's the worst cost I've had. Electrics etc are all easy to find.

@shubhamkhedaskar 7 жыл бұрын

+dreegez Thanks !!