Bike stuck on roadside! Electrical failure.

[Mr.Vroom]

Hi everyone, today I took my 1978 Gs550 out for a spin. I was going down hill faster than I should've been, and pushing the bike harder than it can take. The whole bike stopped working. I jiggled the head light a little because I was having problems with it not letting the turn signals flash ( the housing is cracked out, I am getting a replacement). After jiggling the headlight the lights started working. I was hoping the bike had just over heated. I pushed it to a gravel lot while I figure out what's wrong with it. I've gone back now that it's cooled down. The start button still does not work. I was able to use the kick starter to find out that there is no spark. It does have a dynatek Dyna S plate, so its not the ignitor. I was thinking that because the bike was revved out for so long that maybe the stator produced more voltage than the regulator/rectifier can handle and fried it and the starter relay? That's why the bike won't turn over or produce spark? I'm going to test them the way the manual calls for. Is there anything else you guys have to add? Thanks!

 

[gustovh]

You might try looking at the fuses. Easiest first in my book.

V

 

[Redman]

. . . . . . .. . .
. . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . I jiggled the head light a little because I was having problems with it not letting the turn signals flash . . . . . . . . !

Meaning? The t/signals would come on but not flash? ? ? If so, that is your 3rd clue that charging system is not charging and system voltage is too low to operate the flasher.
1st clue would be headlight not brighting when rev engine from idel.
2nd clue would be t/signals flashing slow.


4th clue would be slow cranking.
5th clue would be bike dead on side of road.

 

[Redman]

Try putting a trickle chargert on battery for several hours. See if things different then (for a while only).

You have a volt meter?

 

[Mr.Vroom]

I rode it home! The kill switch was fried, so I twisted the two wires together. Why would the kill switch burn out like that? Also, one the plastic protector on the red wire coming out of the rectifier was burned a little. Are these two problems related?

 

[Redman]

Kill switch only switches the power to the ignition and starter solenoid circuit. So has nothing to do with the t/signal not flashing.

red wire from r/r carry’s lots of current, so any little bit of a bad connection there will produce heat . Not at all related to problem at kill switch.

good that you got it running.

now can check to see if charging system is working….

 

[zuluwiz]

I had a problem with the Ratzuki a couple years ago. It died on a country road, wouldn't run or crank. Started poking around and found the hot wire on the battery post was not tight, loose bolt. Got that tightened properly and it fired right off and I rode it home. Probably not what happened to you, but worth telling, i guess.

 

[rphillips]

Off topic but, Everybody has a story. Pulled my CB 1100F Honda off rd. for a cigarette break, a few yrs. ago, and all was fine. Went to start it back and nothing. Removed the side cover and saw most of the Neg. batt. post, including the part the cable bolt was connected to, had melted off and was gone. I whittled a small piece of a limb to wedge in to hold the end of cable against what was left of batt. post and rode home just fine. Another odd thing about it, I've seen neg. post melted off two motorcycle batts., both on Honda CB1100F's.

 

[Suzukian]

Hi everyone, today I took my 1978 Gs550 out for a spin. I was going down hill faster than I should've been, and pushing the bike harder than it can take. The whole bike stopped working. I jiggled the head light a little because I was having problems with it not letting the turn signals flash ( the housing is cracked out, I am getting a replacement). After jiggling the headlight the lights started working. I was hoping the bike had just over heated. I pushed it to a gravel lot while I figure out what's wrong with it. I've gone back now that it's cooled down. The start button still does not work. I was able to use the kick starter to find out that there is no spark. It does have a dynatek Dyna S plate, so its not the ignitor. I was thinking that because the bike was revved out for so long that maybe the stator produced more voltage than the regulator/rectifier can handle and fried it and the starter relay? That's why the bike won't turn over or produce spark? I'm going to test them the way the manual calls for. Is there anything else you guys have to add? Thanks!

I would charge the battery fully, or get one that charges fully, if you can get the bike started, check the voltage out put (DC) and you should be getting around 13.8 volts. You probably have the dreaded Suzuki Stator problem. Your Stator may be burned out. When you are riding the bike hard, the Regulator only regulates the voltage on one leg of the Stator. The two other legs are rectified to 12 volts, but swing up and down, unregulated, the CEMF (Counter Electro Motive Force) overheats the stator and burns it out, usually taking the cr@appy R/R with it. Electrosports makes a great Stator,a and fully regulated Regulator /Rectifier. On my bike, and most of these bikes, I run the 3 wires from the stator directly to the Rectifier (the order doesn't matter), and the +/- DC directly to the battery. This simplifies the system, and cuts about 6 feet of too thin of a wire gauge in the harness. Something to look at.

 

[nvr2old]

Electrosports makes a great Stator,a and fully regulated Regulator /Rectifier. On my bike, and most of these bikes, I run the 3 wires from the stator directly to the Rectifier (the order doesn't matter), and the +/- DC directly to the battery. This simplifies the system, and cuts about 6 feet of too thin of a wire gauge in the harness.

Same setup on my GS1000S. I switched to this and even a lame-brained-electricity-nube like myself was able to install it. Fired right up and has charged perfectly for over a year now.