Good Morning,


I have been reading the forums and looking at common causes for issues. First, i want to say thank you to the founders and users of this forum. I really appreciate all of the hard work and insight that you bring to this place.I am a brand new rider, i just finished the BRC and i am a Marine Combat Vet. So having this motorcycle has been amazing therapy for me. Before i purchased the bike, i looked on this forum for hours about stuff that would potentially be an issue.

https://imgur.com/rf1ZT74

I bought a 2005 Suzuki LS 650 about two weeks ago. I got it relatively cheap and it has about 13k miles on it. The previous owner laid it down once and there is a scuff on the gas tank and he broke the left blinker off. He put a crappy one on it but i replaced it with an OEM Blinker. So going into this, i knew there would be some sweat equity.  That being said, im willing to work hard but im not mechanically inclined. I change the oil and spark plugs in my car and thats about it.

Replaced this POS blinker with OEM
https://imgur.com/suyJ5xA

I have a few questions for the users here.

1. I installed the OEM light but there is slack and the light isnt as tight as the one that did'nt get broken off. I Zipp tied the slack to the frame under the seat as much as i could. I put roach clips inside the metal frame that leads to the seat. Any suggestions on how to make this tighter? Theres a little jiggle to it.

2. I have read about the raptor petcock and i think that i am experiencing some issues related to the old OEM one. I have read through the forums but if you don't mind giving me some advice on this one if be very appreciative. I was out riding yesterday and was able to go about 20 miles on a full tank with no problem.

Sometimes when im shifting into 1st gear from 2nd and about to come to a stop, i hear backfiring or popping from the exhaust. Is this due to a dirty carburetor? Failing petcock?

3. During my same ride yesterday as mentioned in #2, About a mile from home, im going 25mph on a street and i suddenly lost power to the motorcycle. The lights were still on but i had no engine, when i came to a stop at the light, i manager to get it to fire up again. However there were clicks and the neutral light was flickering off slowly and on. I managed to get to a side street and then when i came to a stop, the bike completely died again.

I sat there trying to turn her over again. When i pushed the kill switch back to the on position, held in the clutch and tried to start, i got a **whirr, whirr, click, click, click,*** The lights are on on the bike, the neutral indicator would light up but then fade down.

My assumptions are #1 The battery is bad and needing replacement, #2 The starter is bad, #3 The Fuel system is messed up?

I had to push that bad boy a mile home in full gear in the summer. The walk of shame was not fun. I would stop every 20 mins and turn the key in the bike back to on and sit down and try to turn it over.  One time, i almost got a fire but it quickly died. The sound of it trying to start was like a low *whurrrrr followed by clicks*

So, any insight into this would be helpful. I am also looking for a mentor with the upcoming maintenance i have to perform.I live in Upstate NY, so if any kind souls are near me and want to take me under their wing that would be awesome.

The previous owner didn't keep up with maintenance and i see that i have some work ahead of me. I am a bit apprehensive to remove the Carb myself as i am a bit afraid of messing it up. I have a mechanic appointment at my local suzuki dealer to do a safety inspection and to fix all the stuff im not skilled enough to do.

Thanks so much for reading!

Thank you for your reply. I will check those when i get home from work!

Thank you for your input. Today when i get home from work ill check the battery.

sorry if these questions are stupid...

1.Theres a water level in the battery?

2. If i need a new battery, is there one that lasts a long time or one you recommend? Thanks! I have a battery tender the previous dude gave me. Just charging that won't do the trick i assume?

Thanks for your patience.

Thanks! I need to take a look at it this afternoon. I appreciate the reply.

I took video of what my bike is doing. It turns then constant clicking. I just pulled the battery out and am gonna take it to a auto store to get it tested. Its not the OEM or a water type battery and i have no idea how old it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy-F-prsyjE

If it's not the battery...

I watched the videos today on petcock change and it looks simple enough to do. I plan to do that next!

I had the old battery tested. It had no charge and was dead. Couldn't charge it back up and there was a dead cell. So it's battery time! So..... I had to go to three different stores. Advanced Auto parts had no stock, Pep boys had nothing, Napa was closed and I got a Duralast Gold but the terminals are the wrong type. I gotta bring it back to AutoZone and go to batteries plus or something. I'm assuming that since it's the 4th tommorow they are closed. :/


Ive been using the LS650 to get parts. I always get confused with the S40 Blvd stuff. Thanks for catching that I just fixed it.

Thanks for the reply.

Welcome to the addiction!
Just order a battery from ebay, no driving around and it should be cheaper too.
I have 4 registered bikes and bought all the batteries from ebay
Where upstate are you? I visit Hancock but I'm from Longisland Ny

Sounds like it is starving for fuel.  Your petcock is probably bad so keep the petcock on PRIME, start with full choke and then go to half choke once it starts.