Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Last year i bought my first motorcycle it ran great, the guy i bought it from told me i needed an oil change and plug change.. well im not a very good mechanic so i had my dad come over and we changed the oil and plugs... well before we changed it all.. i started the bike and it ran fine..( this was like 1 week prior to changing the stuff) then all of a sudden it died.. so i looked at the oil level and it was VERY low.. so i didnt try to restart it... so i figured ok this is a good time for the oil and plug change.
so as i mentioned before me and my dad changed the oil and plugs.. well then after the oil and plug change i started it up.. and it was running but the sound it made was VERY different than the high pitched whine i was used to.. it was a more LOW BOGGY sound... well then the bike stalled and it wont start again.. it turns over fine but it will nto start... so i checked the fuel... feul was low so i put some fuel in it i had kicking around... didnt change anything... it still wouldnt start.. so does anyone know what my problem might be? and if you need to know any other facts please ask.. the bike is a Suzuki GS 550E 1981.. please help me guys!

any help will be hugely appreciated guys

Take it to a shop... may be bad gas, may be something more serious.

Pam

so should i try putting in some fresh gas?

Not to be a wise acre, but if you needed help changing oil & plugs you are not likely mechanically knowledgable enough yet to troubleshoot this.

Follow the lady's advice and take it to a reputable shop, unless you know a gearhead to help you and teach you.

Well heres my problem... i dont have any cash to bring it to a Shop... i would rather fiddle with it and see if i can fixi t if not.. ill burn it haha and when i do have some cash ill just buy a new one. =/

What ur getting at is you started to have the problem with the bike after you had the oil and the plugs changed? Then the problem is you or ur Dad did something wrong. Did you use the right oil? Did you overfill the oil? Overfilling will cause the engine to partly lock up. Did you use the exact same spark plug you took out? Are you sure the new spark plugs are good? Did you pull out the terminal outta the plug wire when you first pulled it off? Check and make sure it has the proper oil level, you must check the oil level when the bike is centered, not tilting on the kickstand. If thats ok check for spark, remove the plug wire from the spark plug, remove the plug, with the plug out hook the plug wire back up then get a set of jumper cables attach one end to the outside metal part of the plug and attact the other end to a good ground connection on the bike like the engine, turn it over and see if the electrode on the plug is sparking a nice blue spark, you have to ground the plug for it to spark, the plug must be tight, but not overtightened to be grounded. When you discribled the "low boggy" sound im kinda betting you may overfilled the oil.

You posted the same question in numerous forums. Obviously you are a newb to forum posting as well. One post is sufficient.

As for your question - You are working on a motorcycle. Something with 2 wheels that you are going to take out on public roads. And you know nothing about how to work on this stuff. You've already messed it up - and you have no idea what you are doing. But if by some divine miracle you get it running, i bet you have it out on the street in no time.

Doesn't that worry you? It sure as hell worries me. Take it to a professional. The life you save could be your own.

i have a buddy who has state farm insurance here in Washington on his bike.. hes very happy with it , always says i should get it.. but in WA you dont have to insure motorcycles so i dont... since my bike is worth like 700$ anyways

I just saw this from another of your posts. I really don't know what to say.

Why do you want to ride?

i want to ride cause i love the feeling.. but i really dont have extra cash to be spending on getting the bike fixed in a shop or for insurance every month.. i picked up a bike i could afoord to try and get some enjoyment out of it.. which i did for a while but now she wont start for me...im not trying to be an annoyance just wondering if someone with experience could help me..