Check the screen filter above the float valve. It can get blocked, or part blocked and cause that.

Water is heavier than fuel and seeks the lowest point in the fuel system. If you suspect water in the fuel you can place the petcock on RESERVE and then drain the fuel into a clear glass or jar. Within seconds the mixture will settle and if there is water in the fuel it will settle below the fuel. The water is clear and the fuel has that redish tone. If the contents of the glass are clear...keep draining. If the contents only look like (and smell like) fuel, then you have no water.

Don't tell your wife why there is a glass missing from the cabinet.

With your motorcycle standing upright (not leaning on the sidestand), drain the carburetor into a small container.  Use the drain screw on the bottom of the float bowl.  As Gary said, water is heavier than fuel.  Any water will accumulate in the bottom of the float bowl, right where the drain screw is.  So when you drain the float bowl using the drain screw, the water should be the first liquid to exit.

Examine the liquid that you catch in the container.  If there is water in there it will be evident.  Pretty hard to miss a drop of water in gas.  If you see water, I suggest you remove the float bowl and clean it out.

Since you were running on reserve there's a good chance the water was already in your tank (possibly condensation from winter storage).  When you flip to reserve the petcock passes through the junk on the bottom of the tank.  No matter how it got in there, if you have water in the sytem you need to get it out.

Good luck.

I previously deleted the vacuum part of the petcock as shown in the DIY section of the forum, so I knew the petcock wasn't the issue. http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1113631600/6#6

Last night I drained the tank again and the carb bowl- gas looked ok visually.  

Tore the carb apart and found a hunk of crud in the main jet. (Hmm,that just might be the problem!)

Sprayed and blew everything out of the carb, put it all together and running good again!  

Thanks guys

runwyrlph wrote on 06/12/20 at 05:10:51:


Isnt this forum best?
A lot of old bikers and a lot of knowledege about this bike.
In anyway, I drive this LS650 frome my storage/transport company at first, at a lot of choke, tupt up 99 oktan at nearest pump, get home at that, at home it seems to idle as it should.
To that I found out that there is a Leo Vince Silvetail K02 slip on exhauste system on this bike.. and some sort of home made end damper.. almost right trou.. a lot of backfiring.
After a week i got both the original Susuki exhauste and the original Leo Vince K02 end damper, I put it on emedetly.. the origonaly Leo Vince end damper. No more backfires, sutes my fine. It looks a bit more Custom then Suzuki original.
But at easter.. a lot of choke, my exhauste get both yelow and some parts blue. Suposebly by E10 fuel, not draining my tank or carburator?
Thats to that, I was stupid.. drain your tank and carburator on winther.
IE there are any other things to think about, at first winteraisation, drain it, some people got there bikes as a heretige frome a father or any els, after 10 yers, mayby rost in the tank. The petcock filter situation,, probably mostly about rost in the tank. Next thing the vacum hose, good fiting and no bad rubber, not even a visibly cracklings.

AbSoLootLee!  Well Done Ohio,,

Wheres the Standin O emoji?