Ok- now I'm really down - electrical hell!

[Anonymous]

Road home 30 miles from work tonight. Stalled it on the uphill incline into the garage. Tried to start it and it wouldn't go. Seemed like a dying battery. I't wouldn't grind and the lights were dim. Pushed it into the garage. Went out an hour later and tah-dah - nothing! No lights, nothing! pushed it up the hill and tried to compression start it and same thing - nothing. No lights no kicking over etc. So now I'm stumped.
I thought I just had a dead battery. Makes sense, except that if the alternator was ok I should have been able to compression start it - right? But NOOOOO!
Now if this were a car I would have been able to pop start it even if the battery was completely dead, right? Why not the bike?
This GS550 has been running fine for the past 1.5k miles over the past six weeks. No indication that the battery was on the way out. Lights always worked. Starter would grind for a minute or so and then some trying to start the thing. Does anyone have a clue what this could be? My clymer manual offers nothing. I'd get a new battery but since I couldn't compression start it that can't be it - right?
I love this bike but I am loosing my patience - fast! I admire the patience you all have with your GSs. I wish I had the same.
Thanks for any advise you can give.

[fgh]

When faced with this kind of issue this absolute first thing is to test the battery. Charge it for 24 hours at 2 amps. If the bike runs it is almost always a charging problem. No you can't compression or push start it with a completely dead battery. The charging system won't make enough current to fire the coils until 2000+ rpm's. Once you get the battery charged check the voltage at the battery at 5000 rpm. It should be 13 to 14. If it is not then you've got charging system problems. Check the "Garage" for test procedures.

[Evil Hobbit]

read the stator papers in the garage section. I'm going through the same problem right now. I ordered a new Stator and R/R, just waiting for the delivery.

[Anonymous]

But could it just die that quickly, with no warning or symptoms. How 'bout the strange situation that I put it to bed around 6:30 with dim lights and at around 8:00 p.m. there was not even enough charge to light up the instruments or the gear/neutral indicator?
Ok, I'm off to the shop for a battery charger tomorrow. I do not want the trickle charger type - right? Those are for winterizing the bike. I want a good old fashioned sears type for recharging a car battery.
I have read about the stator problems with these bikes. Always seemed to be a long term problem. so I have caught the GS plague too. Does this mean it is time to buy another bike and relegate the GS to "project" status rather than daily commuter bike?

[argonsagas]

It DID give you symptoms...the lights were dim...but you ignored the symptoms.

You DO need a 2 amp or less battery charger. It IS good for normal charges, as well as winter storage. In fact, unless it has been run to dead, and left there, your battery will never need a fast charge.

A fast charge is done at higher-than-normal amperage and high voltage, so it tends to loosen some of the particulate matter that adheres to the plate walls, and thus may allow the battery to rejuvenate iself.

A low-amperage charge allows the battery to slowly divest itself of those same particulate matters and return itself to its normal operation. It can be considerably more effective than a fast charge at bringing a"dead" battery back to life.

[airportcop]

Response to electric hell

Read the stator papers and use the flow chart. It works. I had a very similar problem and my new battery eventually fried after several charges and rides. I had to replace the battery, stator and voltage regulator rectifier (RR). I used the Electrex parts which by the way are working great. I believe that I was probably running off of the charged battery since the RR was fried and it fried the stator. Also if you order direct from England the Electrex parts are cheaper for both parts including shipping than just the stator from Suzuki! Plus they have a 1 year warranty. Trust me. I have been through this as have alot of other GSers. I did all of the research and thanks to this site I am riding my 1980 GS 550L again. It runs better than ever with a major difference in the lighting category.

[Evil Hobbit]

Re: Response to electric hell

Also if you order direct from England the Electrex parts are cheaper for both parts including shipping than just the stator from Suzuki! Plus they have a 1 year warranty.

Know you tell me!

[fgh]

Hey ERICP!
Just wondering how your doing. I read you were going to get a charger and reload the battery. If it recharged OK and starts the bike then drive it 2 to 3 miles with the head light on. When you get back check to see if the head light looks dimmer. If yes then check the voltage at the battery at 5000 rpm. If it isn't 13-14 or OK per the "Stator Papers" you've got a charging system problem. OH and heed what they say early in the papers. Check all wires and ground for wear and tear or signs of poor connections. I've seen people buy all kinds of stuff when all they needed was to clean the battery terminals or fix a broken wire.

As for me I've got my '83's stator rewound and need to get insulator sleeves to connent the windings to the leads to the reg/rect. Hopefully I can find something that will probably take the heat and oil and get the epoxy coating on it today and test the new wind in the bike tomorrow.

LOL

[Anonymous]

I drove it yesterday and seems like the battery was dimmer when I returned. I'm working with the flowchart from the stator papers with no luck. Seems like the whole thing is an advertisement for these folks who sell regulators and stators.
They say to connect the red multimeter lead to the red output wire of the RR. BUT THEY NEVER SAY IF YOU SHOULD DISCONNECT THE CONNECTION!! So now I'm stuck. And if I did figure this out and got less than .2 volts it says I would have a bad lead from the positive lead of the RR to the battery. However, my RR IS NOT CONNECTED TO THE BATTERY!
See what I mean?
I'll post a general question about this stuff in technical but If noone can steer me around this pathetic spreadsheet then it is going to the dealer to solve the problem. And if I have to do that then this bike is not worth it and it will be posted in the classified section of this site.

[James Branagan]

I think you miss read it,,,,,

,,cuase it does say to leave it conected to the bike! And yes it does go to the battery, but also splits off to go to the switch and/or fuse box! You have to make sure that the connections are clean and tight!
After many trips to the shop, and talking to the dealerships, I can tell you that this is the most comprehensive advice that there is out there! Follow it step by step( read, then re-read all steps before doing the test, to be sure you got it down to memory!)
I can tell you from experaince, you dont wanna strip your harness like I had too! They are right when they say that the other wire is for confusion only. One of the wires coming out of the r/r,goes into the harness does a flip at a conector,(way up under the gas tank!) and comes back as the red/white wire. That connector is the place of the short in my bike, it melted down. Hope that helps a little!

PUP

[Anonymous]

It says to leave it connected to the bike but not on the step I was on. That was the next step (connecting to ground) where it notes that.
It makes no sense. Connecting the ground lead of your meter to the positive lead of the battery? then connecting your hot lead to he output of the voltage regulator? The reason that these bikes have such a bad rap going about electical is because noone can explain how it works? Should we expect this from the company that gave us the Samuri?

[James Branagan]

steps one thru three,,,,

step one is to check the battery, steps two and three specificly say to keep it hooked up to the bike and keep bike running!

It might help if they where more specific as to which part is being tested! Step one is testing the battery, then ifn its getting power from the chargeing system at all. If its not, then you move on to step two!
This test is to check the R/R. Your not going to disconnect it becuase you need power from the stator to see if the R/R is putting the right volts to the right places at the right time! If its not putting it right, then you need to see why, hence you move on to the stator.
This is whats makeing the power, or supposed too! This you need to isolate, its the heart of the system, if its not makeing juice , then the R/R cant do its thing!
Its easy to understand if you have learning in vehicular electronics, but very hard to explain to someone who is not familair with such.
As my wife says, to those who know, no explaination is needed, to those who dont, none can be given!

Ya gotta read the steps very carefully, and people are known to miss things when reading. Lord knows I do when reading the "honey-doo" list! heee-heee



PUP!

[Anonymous]

I checked the connections from the stator and got 80-90 volts AC at 5500 or so RMPs. So the stator seems good. Then I connected the red wire of the RR directly to the battery (+) and the ground of the RR to the battery (-). Started it up again and at high revs never got above 12.4 volts. Thanks to Earl for simplifying this testing, by the way.
So I guess I have a fried RR. Now, to spend $140 on a new one through the site sponsor or seak other, cheaper alternatives. Anyone have suggestions?
Thanks.

[Steve]

I just got a R/R from Dennis Kirk (dot com). Had a choice of Electrex or Rick's Regulators. Rick's was a bit cheaper, but looks just like the Electrex.

If you want to check your regulator (you can't do anything to fix it, though), here is how:

Disconnect your R/R plug(s). All measurements will be on the R/R side of the connector(s). Using your digital VOM (volt-ohm meter), put it in the diode check setting. Connect the red lead from the meter to the red lead on the R/R. Touch the black meter lead to each of the wires that connect to the stator. You should show no connection (infinite resistance). Switch the leads, put the black meter lead on the red R/R lead, touch each of the stator wires. You should show about .5 volts or so on each lead.

Repeat this using the black (ground) lead on the R/R. With the black meter lead connected to the black R/R lead, you should show nothing on the meter. With the red meter lead on the black R/R lead, you should show about .5 volts on each stator lead.

If ANY of these six measurements are wrong, you have a bad R/R. This only checks the rectifier part of the R/R. The regulator part is checked by re-connecting everything and measuring the voltage at the battery. Remove the fuses that are in the lighting circuits to see the maximum potential of the regulator. Run the engine at about 3000 rpm and check voltage. Put the fuses back in and check again. Will probably be a bit lower, but should still be above 13 and climbing. If not, charge the battery and check it again.

[earlfor]

Output voltage of the R/R should be checked at 5k rpm and with the headlight on high beam and the tailight on.

Earl

The regulator part is checked by re-connecting everything and measuring the voltage at the battery. Remove the fuses that are in the lighting circuits to see the maximum potential of the regulator. Run the engine at about 3000 rpm and check voltage. Put the fuses back in and check again. Will probably be a bit lower, but should still be above 13 and climbing. If not, charge the battery and check it again.