Trying to help my nephew...

[Dhall]

I'm trying to help my nephew get his 79 GS 1000 ("N" model, I believe) back on the road.

History:
Bike tries to start, but will not catch. We appear to be getting spark on all 4 cylinders, can't say how good, but it appears to equal spark on all 4, no issues with the plugs (all look good without any significant charring or burns on the porcelain). All 4 plugs replaced about 2 months before he started having problems.
It looks like he may have a ground issue as the battery, relatively new <1 year old, goes dry after about 2-3 weeks. That part we track down later if it is not the source of problems.

I've been told by a friend it is likely the "Igniter" but don't know enough about the circuitry in this model to say...

I'm riding newer bikes myself these days and have lost some of my troubleshooting skills in these regards.

Thanks in advance!

[timbaux]

I'm trying to help my nephew get his 79 GS 1000 ("N" model, I believe) back on the road.

History:
Bike tries to start, but will not catch. We appear to be getting spark on all 4 cylinders, can't say how good, but it appears to equal spark on all 4, no issues with the plugs (all look good without any significant charring or burns on the porcelain). All 4 plugs replaced about 2 months before he started having problems.
It looks like he may have a ground issue as the battery, relatively new <1 year old, goes dry after about 2-3 weeks. That part we track down later if it is not the source of problems.

I've been told by a friend it is likely the "Igniter" but don't know enough about the circuitry in this model to say...

I'm riding newer bikes myself these days and have lost some of my troubleshooting skills in these regards.

Thanks in advance!

thats similar to my problem. Mine will run and when i turn it off, then try to restart, the bike wont restart once it has sat a few minutes.

[Nessism]

The bike has points, no ignitor.

Ok, please detail all the maintenance you have performed on the bike. It is very difficult to diagnose a bike until you know the full maintenance history. Also tell us all the mods such as if there are pod air filters and/or an aftermarket exhaust. This is a 32 year old bike and all the maintenance needs to be up to date before you can try to understand what the running problem may be.

Regarding the battery issue, it sounds like the bike is overcharging and boiling out the fluid. You can check the charging voltage easy enough using the instructions in the factory service manual. Search out Basscliff's web site to download a manual, plus all kinds of great info he has put together.

[tom203]

Battery going dry in 3 weeks is a charging system problem, but that doesn't explain the no start. Doublecheck that the plug wires are on correct spark plugs- it's easy to mix them as you poke around. How long has it been sitting since this problem occured? Have you popped timing cover off to inspect points-asssuming you have stock ignition setup?

[SqDancerLynn1]

Check the petcock and make sure it is working. Did you clean the carbs ? that would be the next step. Then clean and seal the airbox.. You can't really check the charging circuit until it is running, Most likely the voltage reg may be bad and over charging the battery. Boiling it dry

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. Dhall,

Most everything on the bike is at least 30 years old, rubber, electrical connections, bearings, seals, etc. Keep that in mind. With these GS bikes, everything starts with clean carbs. Then there's properly adjusted valves followed by a sealed air intake system including new intake boot O-rings and intake boots as necessary. It's all in the maintenance lists in your "mega-welcome". Here it comes.... wait for it.... OK, I see it!

Let me dump a TON if information on you and 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", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. 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

[Graham]

Do a compression check with a gauge. If not factory specs than check valves. If compression is per factory specs then check if the plugs are wet after an attempt to start. If wet check points, condenser, coils and timing and/or carbs and petcock for fuel leakage. If plugs dry shoot some starting fluid into carbs and attempt start. If engine tries to start check carb and petcock operation. If engine does not try to start with starting fluid then check points, condenser, coils and timing. This should get you very close to your answer.