Starter and wiring problems '82 GS300

[Daddy]

I'm new to working on motorcycles (though i do alot of work on cars) and recently picked up an '82 GS300 for my wife to ride. It had been sitting a few years but is in overall good shape. After putting a battery in it and getting a key made, the motorcycle ran pretty well but definitely needed some tuning up. Now to the problems

It started blowing its main fuse (the inline 20 amp). I think I maybe have something hooked up wrong from when when i had everything apart and it is causing a direct short. There is a black with white stripe wire coming out of the rectifier that connects into a wire coming out of the ignitor. It also has a wire that I thought was a ground near the rectifier and another same color wire on the right side of the bike that i thought was a ground over there but if i connect them to ground it immediately blows the main fuse.

another thing is that if those black wires are disconnected and i put a fuse in it, the dash lights up even with the key out of the ignition.

Another problem (again with those two wires disconnected), the starter just spins and doesn't actually engage.

Now, i'm not sure what all of this is related and hopefully it makes some sense. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am fairly mechanically inclined, just not sure all the workings of the systems specific to the motorcycle.

Thanks in advance!
Daniel

[Flyboy]

Hi Daniel, welcome, here you will find guys with heaps of good information, you certainly have come to the right place.
Basscliff should be along shortly to give you your mega welcome, his site is an absolute gold mine of information.
As for the wiring problem, I do not know the GS300 at all, but I assume it would be similar to the GS250/400/450 series, so here is the wiring diagram for that series, have a look and see if it helps, if not, help will be along shortly.

http://www.mtsac.edu/~cliff/storage/gs/GSX400_GS450_wiring.pdf

[tom203]

I'm new to working on motorcycles (though i do alot of work on cars) and recently picked up an '82 GS300 for my wife to ride. It had been sitting a few years but is in overall good shape. After putting a battery in it and getting a key made, the motorcycle ran pretty well but definitely needed some tuning up. Now to the problems

It started blowing its main fuse (the inline 20 amp). I think I maybe have something hooked up wrong from when when i had everything apart and it is causing a direct short. l

So, it was running "pretty well" and something happenned when you "had everything apart" ? What area were you were working on, cuz you likely disturbed some old connection?
I think this bike uses a single 15 amp fuse ( not a 20 ), so beware if that's what you found in the fuse holder- it might mean PO had a problem and opted for larger fuse.Connections on these bikes are always suspect, so as Flyboy mentioned, get a wiring diagram. Break the circuits down into seperate areas- ignition, lights, etc.- to locate any shorts. The r/r can be unplugged to see if there's a problem in the charging system.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. Daddy,

A generous member has donated a 300 manual for me to host on my little website, but I have yet to put it together and upload it. For now, let me share some GS lovin'.


I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.

If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Daddy]

Thanks for the help so far.

When i got the bike i immediately reaplaced the battery, took the fuel tank off, and took the airbox out. They both needed to be cleaned. after I got all that back together, the bike ran but a little rough like the carbs need adjusted.

Its pretty obvious I have a direct short to ground somewhere its just a matter of finding it. what has me really confused is why the power would come on and ignition would work with the key out. it didn't do this before I had the short.

[spyug]

Welcome aboard. Sorry to hear you have some issues but with these old gems that is common, and sorting them is part of the fun. By all means get on to Cliff's site and download that manual. The wiring diagram should clear everything up for you.

One thing that immediately caught my attention was the reference to a black with white tracer wire. For Zuks that is generally a ground wire. They also seem to use plain black wires (in some applications) for power, so it can get a bit confusing.

A good rule of thumb when reconditioning old bikes (of all brands) is to cleanup and or replace connectors and contacts as corrosion is a leading cause of electrical issues. In many cases just cleaning contacts can make a big difference but some are so bad that replacement is the only sure cure.

You may find that the charging system is not functioning correctly as well as this is another know problem area. Cliff has given you a reference to the Stator Papers and following the fault finding chart will help you check and repair any issues you may encounter.

Hopefully it will be easy enough to correct the issues you have and the wife will enjoy riding this neat little bike.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

cheers,
Spyug

[Daddy]

Last night I literally disconnected every connection and the only one that seems to be causing problems is the Rectifier. I just put a brand new on from Old Bike Barn on it but both the new and the old are doing the same thing.... blowing the main fuse as soon as i connect it. Tonight I'll be testing the Rectifier to see if it really is bad.

In the mean time, I thought I'd put up a few pictures and plans. Like I said in my first post, I'm building this bike for my wife to ride. Its an '82 GS300.
Plans so far:
~clean, fix and paint the tank
~new mirrors
~new turn signals (front and back)
~lower the bike slightly so she can put her feet down more easily
~shave some foam off the seat and reupholster it. (i do upholstery so i'm going to just have fun with it)
~put the rack and roll bar back on
~ General maintenance like oil change, fix wiring problem, fix the throttle cable sticking

I'll be removing the airbox and running a pair of K&N filters. I believe the ones for the GS450 will fit (part #RC-1822)

I've done a ton of searching but its still good to hear opinions from people so if you have suspension suggestions, I'm all ears. Right now I'm thinking 11.5 or possibly 11 shocks.

and a few pictures

IMAG0238 by Daddy's Car Accessories, on Flickr

IMAG0239 by Daddy's Car Accessories, on Flickr

IMAG0240 by Daddy's Car Accessories, on Flickr

IMAG0246 by Daddy's Car Accessories, on Flickr

IMAG0241 by Daddy's Car Accessories, on Flickr

IMAG0242 by Daddy's Car Accessories, on Flickr

IMAG0243 by Daddy's Car Accessories, on Flickr

IMAG0245 by Daddy's Car Accessories, on Flickr

[Graham]

Don?t take this the wrong way but is your battery in the right way?

[Daddy]

yep - to - and + to +

I haven't checked out the rectifier yet but I have been working on shortening the frame a tad, relocating the fender, trimming of extra brackets, etc. I also figured out the stance I'm going to put it at or at least close. So i picked up a set of 11" shocks. they might be a tad short but i got them for a good deal so i'll try them. if they end up being too short, i'll run them on my Shadow.
All of the electronics that ordinarily sit behind the side panels will be relocated to a panel under the seat to keep everything tucked out of sight.
The tank will be painted Eternal Blue Pearl (Honda Civic color), wheels will be white and the fenders will stay chrome. at least for now. I think it should look good. I can't decide what I want to do with the seat. being that I do upholstery, I have access to tons of materials. I might just stick with leather. I also have carbon fiber vinyl or one of the racing seat materials like Bride, Corbeau, Sparco, Status or Recaro.

A couple of trial fitting pictures before i took the grinder to it. I'll get more up of how it sits now once its light enough to take some.


IMG_0585 by Daddy's Car Accessories, on Flickr


IMG_0583 by Daddy's Car Accessories, on Flickr


IMG_0582 by Daddy's Car Accessories, on Flickr