1983 Suzuki GS750E

[mont_man22]

More troubles with the 83 GS750E... there was a crack in the stator cover which was leaking oil a bit: replaced it as well as the gasket. Had a friend drive it back 60 miles from Connecticut as i was working, and it ran fine (according to him). As he got of the exit in my home town and went around the round about the bike died. He pushed it and bump started it and it quickly died again. We then checked the battery and realized the water was low. Put water in it, tried jumping it with the car off. It idled fine for a few but once the jumpers were taken off it died again. Hauled it home and am going to slow charge overnight with a 1 Amp charger.

Any ideas on if the water level being low is the only issue and if it just needs that charge? I will probably put a multimeter on the batt in the morning to see if i get an appropriate reading. Either way do i dare drive it to work in the am? I just got the "road ready" bike and haven't ridden it myself for more than 20 minutes. This bike is beautiful and a lot of fun and Its killing me not to ride it!!! Any info/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


Thanks,

Monte A

monte@orangetelevision.tv

[OldVet66]

The boiled out battery is probably due to a R/R that is overcharging your system. I have to ask a question, since you replaced the stator cover, what shape was the stator in and what did the stator connections look like when they were removed and put in the new cover? Overcharging will also start blackening the medium dark amber insulation varnish on the stator indicating damage to the stator. I think it is time to catch up on neglected maintenance and forget about riding until it's in shape to be a reliable ride and most importantly safe. Welcome to the forum. I know you didn't want to hear about working on it and not riding it, but the maintenance can be a work in progress as long as it's reasonably safe to ride and on the other side you will learn to be your own mechanic and have a fine reliable ride. Shops don't want to see a bike over ten years old and they have a fine reputation of making things worse for a lot of money.

[Missile99]

Welcome to the GSR. Let us know when you check what OldVet asks about. I assume the bike started fine when it left Connecticut. The battery may now be toast. When it's off the charger, see what voltage it holds. Then see if it will start the bike and how far the voltage dips. If you get it running for a few minutes, see what the battery charge shows at certain rpm's.

You will definitely want to invest the time in ensuring a good charging system before venturing out. Make sure your battery can hold a charge and can start the bike even after sitting a while. You might want to get it load tested at a parts store to verify. Then you'll want to go through the Stator Papers on the GSR homepage. You can find member Posplayr and do the tests listed in his signature too.

[mont_man22]

I let it sit on my 1amp slow charger for awhile and all the lights turn on, horn sounds but nothing when I attempt to start it. No relay click nothing. The multi meter read 11v then 9v after a couple attempts. I'm going to let it sit and charge all night and make another attempt at starting it in the morning. We will see what happens... A new battery is an easy answer but another 100$ into a bike I bought "road ready". You can understand my frustrations...

[GateKeeper]

not many bikes are road ready until the new owner goes through it and knows for sure all is good.....

sorry to say, but usually it's true, and you will find something wrong with just about any bike that has a previous owner....

.

[ThrottleBack]

Dude mine is an 81 with 40 original miles that was serviced YEARLY and i STILL have had to invest time and patience. What you need now is to forget riding it and get a new battery (will u ever trust this one again? nope), check all the wiring, run a few new grounds (r/r to solenoid bolt, solenoid bolt to frame by batt, frame to batt neg; engine casing to bat neg), change the barrel connectors to new spade connectors, and test the charging system.

This prevents future headache, saves money, gives you working knowledge of your bike, and solves the problem.

[mont_man22]

Bike started right up this morning!!! I'm going to take it for a ride and see what happens. Wish me luck

[OldVet66]

A new battery is a good idea. Most of the time a boiled out battery will bounce right back after adding distilled water if it is going to. That it is requiring charging is not a good sign. More importantly you need a good fully charged battery to conduct any reliable electrical tests. How about my questions on what the stator looks like? If someone else changed it for you there is another unknown you need to deal with. I see you got it started. You need to measure your voltage to at least to get an idea if it is charging or overcharging. I fully understand the urge to ride, but these problems do not go away by themselves and you may likely be causing further damage by doing so.

[Mista M]

Do an intro in the owners section if you haven't. There is a wealth of new info in the sticky in that section. Go through it religiously, cut corners and you will pay later. Look into AGM batteries, no water and generally can be found for cheap.

[mont_man22]

Bike was running great and then the throttle began to loose its response. Hit the horn and heard nothing... the battery was dying. Everything else seems to be in perfect working order from what I can see. And it was running great for about an hour before it died.

I am buying a new battery today. I had the previous owner replace the stator cover so I'm not aware of the actual stator's condition. However through process of elimination I will know if this happens again that its not the battery and can move forward and diagnose it further.

Do any of you guys who ride your bikes regularly trickle charge them everynight? Only reason I ask is I would assume I should not have to do this with a new battery. But if Its a good idea how often should i do it.

[GateKeeper]

only time my battery is on a trickle charger is during the winter hibernation.....

.

[OldVet66]

I'm Betting it will happen again. The loss of throttle response was a voltage too low for the electronic ignition to work properly. Getting a new battery is a good idea and using a Battery Tender Jr. or equivalent in the winter is necessary but not needed in the summer if you ride regularly (AND HAVE A GOOD CHARGING SYSTEM) couldn't resist that. After you install your new battery and it is fully charged, do not ride. Do a full charging system check and determine what the problem is. You can find the stator papers "in the garage" section of this site. You will need a decent multimeter and be familiar with how to use it. As I see it now, it seems your R/R (regulator/Rectifier) is bad and there might be possible damage to the stator. Stator papers: http://www.thegsresources.com/garage/gs_statorfacts.htm

[OldVet66]

By the way, we have all been where you are now. Just about everything I know about motorcycles came from this site. We are just trying to make it easier for you, but you have to go through the dragged kicking and screaming phase before you will see that going through catching up on 20 some odd years of maintenance neglect step by step is the only way to do it.

[mont_man22]

I was on my way to work when it happened. I got a ride to work from a friend who then picked up a new battery for me. He said he went and put the new battery in the bike and it fired right up no problem. He then drove it back to my house and left it on the charger. Seems like its just the battery... I do have a multi meter and will check it when I'm home.

I am confident in my mind that I was not duped by the seller but I know things can happen and that is wishful thinking. However I bought it for $1500 from a guy who literally has about 20 GS's. He owns and manages his property's and works on his bikes every free chance he gets. I've already invested 250$ between stator cover, gasket, and battery. The thought of having to purchase another $200+ stator, r/r, and or solenoid is a heartbreaking thought... all though I agree the bike needs to be safe before I make anymore attempts.

[mont_man22]

I should mention I had almost this identical problem with my Acura Legend where it would run fine. Then the next morning i would go to start it and nothing. Got a new battery 6 months ago and i have yet to have any issues. I know, I know its a car. But the fact that it was almost the same situation got me thinking...