I have a Vstar 650 and it has been stored for about 5 months now. Just started it up and there is gas streaming from the left side under the tank. Any help is greatly appreciated

Check that the vinyl fuel line after the petcock is not split or pulled off the barb.

if the bike is fuel injected- the pump is in the fuel tank.. if the bike has carburetors- there is normally no fuel pump- the fuel gravity feeds from the tank thru the petcock valve into the carbs

ON THE LEFT HANDSIDE RIGHT BELOW THE GAS TANK INFRONT OF THE PET **** OR GAS TANK SHUTOFF VALVE,

was fuel left in the carburetors when you parked it your metering jets might be slightly clogged with varnish i dont recomend opening them yourself take it to a professional and next time you park it for an extended period of time close the fuel valve and leave the bike running until the carbs run out of gas "the bike will stop running when this happens"

The fuel petcock (on/off tap) has a rubber pad that the metal plate rests on against underside of tank. This has more than likely perished and become hard and brittle. Drain remaining fuel (if any) and remove the fuel hose and remove petcock retaining bolts. Carefully remove petcock as two fuel tube filters extend into tank. Replace the rubber pad with a new one. Might be a good idea to thoroughly check for cracking on all rubber components on the bike, especially fuel hose and brake fluid lines. Cheers.

1) Make sure your fuel petcock is closed, then detach the gas line coming off it (left underside of tank)
2) Remove the back seat (single acorn nut on rear fender)
3) Remove the front seat (two allen bolts at the back of seat)
4) There are two metric 12mm bolts under the front seat that hold the tank down. Remove them. The tank should be sitting loose on bike, but connected by some wires
5) Disconnect the white wiring harness under the bike. Tank is now totally free to remove.
6) Pull tank up and back at the same time, it will slide off the two rubber mounts at the front.

Sounds like your carb jets may be partially plugged, common if they are stored incorrectly, The choke circuits on these carburetors work on manifold vacuum and if you throttle the bike while trying to start it you will lose the choke affect. if they are partially plugged the only good way to fix it is to pull the carburetors and clean them. I would advise checking out www.roadstarclinic.com is a great source of information for the yamaha star line of motorcycles.

Therre is a vent from the underside of the tank to atmosphere. It may be pinched or clogged. If the cap has a vent it is plugged. clean cap in carburetor cleaner.