1982 gs 450l ignition troubles

[Thedaggster]

Hello there,
My name is Evan and I am new to this site. About 2 months ago I "rescued" this 82 gs 450 from the weeds and thought that I should attempt to renovate this sucker for a fun cruiser. I have been a sportbike rider for years and just wanted a cruiser as well.

I have done a lot of work to this bike so far and will post my pictures when i am finished for your viewing pleasure.

So here is the issue. I have already had the bike running and have had it out on 2 test trips around town to check the function of the bike. Now it seems that the bike is not firing on one cylinder because once it is running the one side heats up very quickly while the other cylinder takes a while to heat up. Now I have already for the most part been through the entire bike. Carbs and everything are clean and I am attempting to troubleshoot the ignition system now and would like to see if there is anyone out there who has had this problem before.

I have checked spark on both plugs of this twin and it seems I get nothing out of either side. And typically on a cold start, the only way that I can get the bike started is by using a jump from a charger. But then after running, it seems that I can not get the bike to start off of its own battery power? It will crank over until the battery dies, then I have to recharge again. It is a brand new battery so i dont think that this is the problem. It holds charge up at about the 12.8 to 13V range.

My question is that what should I look at now? I checked resistance values on both points on the stator and both values are identical and seem to check out. I believe that the ignitor could be an item to take a closer look at? It seems as if this is the module that outputs the energy to create the spark on either plug. How can I test this to see if it is good or not?

I would appreciate any help as this bike is trying to take me for a run. Any suggestions would be an amazing help.

THANKs!!

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. Thedaggster,

You've double-posted in the same forum section for basically the same issue so I'll respond to this one since it was first.

For your charging system issue, check out the Stator Papers (link below in your "mega-welcome") and the related documentation on my website (stator tests and replacement, regulator/rectifier replacement, etc). There is additional related material (charging system wiring diagrams, r/r testing, etc) in the electrical section of my website.

The carbs must be properly cleaned, air intake system must be sealed, etc. You'll find the procedures on my website. Don't neglect the brakes and tires. You've got a 30 year old bike that needs 20 years worth of maintenance. Shortcuts will cause you grief. Just go through the maintenance lists so you and your bike will be insanely happy.

Now 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 Cleanup 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

[Thedaggster]

Thank you, I will check out your site and will go through the information that you have sent to me. Are these documents specific to the twins? Or are they all one in the same? Also, do these documents specifically review the ignition system? Thank you very much for your help and i appreciate the warm welcome!!

[pete]

Hi and welcome Evan! I had a look at your other post before replying to this one, but hopefully everything is covered off here.

If you're getting spark at all, then I would look elsewhere than your ignitor first.

The ignitors commonly die on these models, but it sounds from your description that you're getting one cylinder to run well and the other cylinder only once she rev's a bit. Is that right?

First of all, if you don't have a manual, get both the Clymer and Haynes from BassCliff's site. Then, if you're keen, get onto an eBay seller by the name of eClassic Bike (or similar) and get a reproduction factory manual from him. About $US30 plus shipping from memory.

There are tests in the Clymer for testing the various ignition components correctly.

The other thing to do is look at your plugs. Is the plug in the one you think is not firing wet? If not, it's not getting fuel. If it is wet, it's possible it's getting fuel and not firing.

When you say you've cleaned the carbs, what did you do exactly?

Also, the intake system needs a good once over. Intake boots need to seal well, the O rings under them need to be checked and most likely replaced, and the airbox and airbox boots need to be sealed well also.

Some of these will give you similar symptoms to a cylinder not appearing to spark, especially if it's not getting fuel.

Oh, check your fuel tank for rust and that it's getting enough fuel from the fuel tap, and if there's an extra inline fuel filter make sure it's flowing enough too.

I'm sure there's other stuff I'm missing but there's a start...

And feel free to post pic's of her before she's done too

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Thank you, I will check out your site and will go through the information that you have sent to me. Are these documents specific to the twins? Or are they all one in the same? Also, do these documents specifically review the ignition system? Thank you very much for your help and i appreciate the warm welcome!!

Unfortunately, little of the information on my site is specific to the GS twins but most of it is applicable in a general way. Specific to the twins is a carb cleaning procedure, a valve adjustment procedure, and the manuals below.

GS/GSX 250-400-450 '79-'85 (52MB)

GS400-450 '77-'87 (80MB)

The charging system information is good for all GS bikes, twins or not. Even though most of the information is geared toward the 4 cylinder bikes, much background information can be gained by reading through the guides and articles.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[keman]

Really look at your intake for leaks. One cyl might be running way lean due to air leaks, The one with the leak may be too hot making the other appear cold. Another thing to look at may be Carb sync... Have the carbs been properly vacuum synced?