Hi fellow riders.

Bought myself a 2001 ls650 and this is the first "real" motorcycle I have owned. the seller didn't mention that when it go full throttle, it'll sputter like it's running out of gas. It won't go past 55mph, or 4000rpms without doing the same thing. Yes, the petcock is on. The choke is off. Just going to get those questions right out of the way LOL (recently got it up to 65 after playing with the idle and a/f screw, but the issue is still there)...it had sad for 8 years and seller restored it to running status, gas tank is clean, new sparks, valve adjustment...and improved some more stuff. However, this is the main issue here and i need it fixed..he adjusted valves so I'm not sure its that.

Just a bit of background of me, I built my own motorcycle, it was a china bike but nonetheless, it is a motorcycle. I have switched carbs in that motorcycle but the carb on the 650, I am scared to touch. I don't want to mess anything up because I don't know this carb. I'm a bit wary. I just wanted an input from savage riders.

From what I have experienced in the past, with my own bike that I built, it all points to the carb, i've also talked to a couple mechanics and they think the same. However, it's intimidating and I don't know where to start to fix or look...thus I signed up here. Mechanics, as anyone know is expensive. I wonder if this is a problem i can fix myself?

The guy rebuilt the carb. maybe some gunk got in there between then and now?

He also experienced this issue and decided to drill a bigger hole in the main jet..apparently, it worked for him....I still can't decide whether it's genius or the stupidest thing I've heard of.

I was going to just buy a new carb, which is what I would like to do but I can't exactly just do that. Carb replacement recommendations? what carb can I buy that I can just simply put in, adjust to my elevation and what the bike wants and ride on?

It also stinks sometimes and backfired but recently I played with the a/f screw and its a little better at not backfiring.

Gary_in_NJ wrote on 04/12/21 at 17:06:40:


It has a new petcock and the owner before me put it in. I have not checked the diaphragm of the carb, as I’m a little scared if I take it off I won’t be able to put it back...I don’t know how to take the battery and casing for battery off so I can freely move the carb about. Is there a video on how to removed and reinsert the carb? Or tutorial..I want to try but I’m scared I’ll  tear an air hose to the air box or the flange..lol.

I'm with Gary.  Petcock and slide first.  The stock vaccume operated petcocks often fail and some aftermarket options leave a lot to be desired.  The prefered pectock is a genuine Yamaha raptor unit.

The slide is pulled open with vacuum which is where the diaphragm comes in.  If it is torn or isn't seated properly it can fail to fully open the slide.  Same thing if the slide is worn or dirty.

I would look at those items first and confirm the jetting just to make sure it's reasonably close to stock.  Stock jetting is known to work and it's good place to start when trying to get things operational.  Performance jetting comes later if desired.

And just to confirm, does the bike have the stock airbox, and exhaust?  Have you checked the air filter?

I agree with Zipi, try to establish whehter the replacement petcock is OEM or aftermarket. there are a variety of Raptor petcocks and if the PO has replaced it with one of these the inlet and outlet diameters could be wrong. If it's OEM Suzuki you could check for vacuum leaks between the carb and inlet port. The techies here will advise on the correct Yamaha 660 petcock part number, if you wish to replace.
Are you using fresh fuel, there should be a nut on the bottom of the float bowl which will alow you to drain the carb. Aside from that follow Zipis recomendations about going for a ride.

zipidachimp wrote on 04/12/21 at 23:29:05:


I’ve ran it on all settings, because I ride it and end up running out of gas. Reserve, Fuel and even Off (for good Measure. Yeah, off works!  )

Congrats and welcome!
Once you've ruled-out an OEM vacuum petcock problem, a loose battery connection, clogged air filter or bad spark plug, you're most likely looking at pulling the carb and cleaning/inspecting.  Great resources on this forum so you should be fine if you've done anything like this in the past.  You mention the PO drilled out the main jet?  I would suggest ordering a new jet to throw in there while going through things.
Read the guides on here regarding the carb.  The factory screws can be a pain to get out, especially if you don't have a JIS screwdriver set.  I ended up having to gently use an impact screwdriver to get mine out.  Gently.  The carb is aluminum. SS allen head cap screws can be sourced at Ace hardware and those specs are in the guides.
Be sure to add your location and altitude to your signature to get the best help from the experts here.

Tocsik wrote on 04/13/21 at 06:59:25:


Concerning the jets, I live in Nc and my altitude is 553ft...not sure what size jets go in these bikes honestly. I’m not an expert at carbs but I am still learning. Also, where would I buy jets for this bike? It sounds like Chinese ones or cheap stuff on this bike is failure to launch!  

Start with a bit of reading:

Things every savage newb should know...:  http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1344399573

A guide for almost everything possible on the Savage:  http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1181745927

Carb cleanup:  http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=tech;action=display;num=1191899985

Lancer's place for parts:  http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1338581006