Fuel Filter

GS500 does not come with a fuel filter from the factory. It's easy to splice a fuel filter into the fuel line going from the petcock to the carbs. Lots of topics on GSTWIN.COM board about that, try this one.

Make sure to use appropriate MOTORCYCLE fuel filters, like this one!

Many people prefer using such transparent (clear) filters. You can easily see if there's gas in the system. If there is water in the system it will tend to sit at the lowest point, i.e. in the filter. With this fuel filter you can easily spot water in the fuel supply.

A word of caution using car fuel filters on carburator motorcycles. A lot of people (including myself) have gotten in trouble by putting the wrong kind of filters on GS500 (i.e. filters with paper filter elements). Most automotive filters assume a LOT more pressure, coming from a fuel pump. Fuel-injected motorcycles also have fuel pumps. We just have gravity feed with a drop of, what, less than a foot? The pressure drops as the fuel level drops, so sometimes this is "cured" by filling the tank, not because it was empty but because the weight of the gas in the tank increases the pressure in the hoses, and the owner ends up thinking that they just have an awfully high "reserve"... for a while, until the filter gets a little more clogged and the situation worsens.

I found a great place for the filter -- under the petcock (see picture). The filter is injected into the fuel line from the gas tank to the petcock. The hose is secured to the frame with velcro and that keeps the filter tight. It's easy to see if there's anything in the filter.

When installing remember about direction of gas flow (marked with the arrow on the filter).