Ok.. first of all... I'm a new bike owner.  Bought myself an older model to get more comfortable with riding.

I have the 1983 GS850 and I'm having a really hard time starting it up.  I just got the bike and was told it sometimes has a hard time below 50.  (it has been pretty cold)

I've only had the chance to ride it twice, for less than 2 miles.  To me it felt like it was idling a little rough, and had to hold just a little extra RPM to prevent stalling out.

The past two weeks I've not been able to start it at all.  

I tried putting in new spark plugs but that's about my limit on mechanical skills.  Battery seems to be good.  The lights are coming on, and I can hear the starter trying to get her going, but it's just not kicking in.

Someone suggested spraying carb cleaner into the air intake while I try to start it?  
I wasn't sure if that was a good idea or even how to find the air intake!  

I know that's probably an idiot situation, but I couldn't spot that labelled in the manual either.

Any help?

Thanks for your time  

It sounds like he's advising you to use the carb cleaner as starter fluid. I wouldn't do that to any engine unless I was already planning on doing a ring and valve job soon.

How many miles on it since the last engine rebuild? How long did the bike set before you tried to ride it? How old is the gas in it? The problem may be anything from misuse of the choke to rebuild time. In between those, you have things like  spark plug replacements, carburator adjustments, carburator cleaning, spark timing, carbon buildup in the chambers...

A quick google showed a lot of hits on gs850, with webpages for everything from carb synchronization to hard starting and rebuilds.

regards,
Joe  

In my experience, carb cleaner should not be used while the engine is not running.  If you use carb cleaner, carefully read the instructions and follow them.

With a bike this old, it could be a lot of things.  It could be the carbs need to be synchronized or it could be a problem with the ignition system.

If you can replace the spark plugs, you might also try new spark plug wires.  It couldn't hurt.  They might be due for replacement even if they aren't the problem.  

I own a 1977 GS750 and a 1982 GS650 and both run great, after some effort.  The Suzuki GS bikes are bulletproof designs with a great history, so you've made a good start with your 850.  The best web site out there, and it's specifically for Suzuki GS's, is: www.thegsresources.com.  Given your description, I'd start with a carb cleaning and adjustment, which is shown on that site in great detail with lots of photos.  First off, you need to decide if you're gonna invest some time and money learning how to fix your own bike (which I think is a lot of fun), or hire somebody else to do it (which gets expensive).  Vintage bikes are simple machines compared to the latest technology, so don't be afraid to dig in!