Spiffing up a 2006 Suzuki Boulevard s50

Hey Evan-

I recently found myself in possession of a pretty low mileage 2006 Suzuki Boulevard s50.  I am excited about finally getting my hands on a motorcycle, but unfortunately this bike has been sitting dormant in a garage for over a year, and more unfortunately, I have no idea where to start with getting it running.  I ordered the shop manual and should have most of the appropriate tools, but after doing some research on the internet, it sounds like I need some help from a guy like you.  Basically, I found your carb cleaning article on your site and was wondering if you had any more articles like that.

My, admittedly inexperienced, intuition are telling me I need to:
Get new battery
change oil
change spark plugs
clean carbs
empty old gasoline?
Look at the pistons, cylinders, and rings? – if I have to do this, do I need to take the engine out of the bike?  Is it possible to fix these if the bike has just been sitting?

I know time is money, but ANY help you can give me, or even a push in the right direction would be extremely helpful.  This is my first bike and I am very excited about getting it up and running.  I have some big sights for this bad boy: Step one get it running, Step two make it awesome (http://www.wrenchmonkees.com/bikes.html)

Thanks in advance for your help

Cheers

That’s a pretty new bike, and it’s been indoors so it probably doesn’t need too much. First thing I would do is get a new battery for it and put it in. Check that there is oil in the engine, turn on the gas, and see if it’ll start. You’ll probably end up needing to clean the carbs and flush out the gas tank, but I usually at least attempt briefly to start the bike before going further. Otherwise your list looks fine. There is no reason to inspect the motor (pistons, cyl, etc) unless there are known problems with it. Just clean the carbs, change the oil, new battery and plugs, maybe a valve adjustment and you should be in business. If you get a repair manual it will be easy to take care of the basics.

Good luck.

Hey Evan-

Thanks for responding, that’s the best news I’ve heard all year.  Any rocket science involved with flushing the gas tank, or just literally take the tank off the bike and flush it out?  Carb wise, ill make sure to follow your guide.

Appreciate the help

For flushing the tank, you’ve got it. Just dump it out and fill it back up. You can put the old gas into your car (as long as it’s clean) and it’ll be diluted plenty that it’ll run just fine.

My only word of caution is do your best not to splash the paint too badly with gas. Prolonged gas exposure will eventually cause your clear coat to peel.

 

Evan Fell

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