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78 GS550 Dies in 3rd Gear

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    78 GS550 Dies in 3rd Gear

    I've had good success with my GS550 rebuild. https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...0-back-to-life
    She purrs like a kitten but roars like a beast when I get her up and running.

    Yesterday I installed a Dyna-S, timed it perfectly and it seems to idle great in the garage. I took the bike out today, 1st gear, no problem, 2nd gear, going great,
    the second I shift up to 3rd gear the bike dies IMMEDIATELY. Red oil warning light comes on, etc. No revving, no engine wind down. It's as if I shut the bike off the minute I put it in 3rd. I then downshift to 2nd and the bike starts back up and runs fine. Back up into 3rd, bike dies, down into 2nd bike comes alive as if nothings wrong. Weird.

    I can shift it up to 4, 5 or 6th gear and the bike will run. What is with 3rd gear? I feel certain there is an electrical issue but for the life of me I can't imagine what it might be.

    Any thoughts will bring you good karma.

    Thanks. Mike
    Last edited by Wangofree; 12-16-2020, 07:10 PM.

    #2
    I've never heard of anything like this, though it does sound electrical. Can you remove the Dyna and go back to the old?
    1982 GS1100E V&H "SS" exhaust, APE pods, 1150 oil cooler, 140 speedo, 99.3 rear wheel HP, black engine, '83 red

    2016 XL883L sigpic Two-tone blue and white. Almost 42 hp! Status: destroyed, now owned by the insurance company. The hole in my memory starts an hour before the accident and ends 24 hours after.

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      #3


      Hi Rob, here's a video showing shifting up and down into 3rd and its sudden death.
      I could go back to points, but that would definitely be a pain. I've installed a couple of electronic ignitions on other bikes
      (Honda's) without any issues.

      This is so strange that a mechanical action could cause an electrical reaction. I'm stumped, but I'll see if there was something I missed.

      Thanks.
      Last edited by Wangofree; 12-16-2020, 08:19 PM.

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        #4
        Maybe check the gear indicator wiring for a short??? That is a strange issue for sure! Make sure you let us know what the issue was, when you get it sorted.
        Ron
        When I die, just cremate me and put me in my GS tank. That way I can go through these carbs, one more time!
        1978 GS750E - November 2017 BOTM
        1978 GS1000C - May 2021 BOTM
        1982 GS1100E
        1999 Honda GL1500SE

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          #5
          Ron, You might be on to something. For the Dyna S I tapped into a keyed 12v wire coming off the "plug" from what I thought was the key. It might actually be the gear indicator wiring that I tapped into. I should move that tap to perhaps the coil power and see what happens.

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            #6
            Makes sense, 3 indicator light comes on & eng. dies, 3 indicator light goes off eng. starts back. Gear nor shift lever nor shift drum position would have nothing to do with electrical stuff. Very interesting.
            1983 GS1100E, 1983 CB1100F, 1991 GSX1100G, 1996 Kaw. ZL600 Eliminator, 1999 Bandit 1200S, 2005 Bandit 1200S, 2000 Kaw. ZRX 1100

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              #7
              Originally posted by rphillips View Post
              Makes sense, 3 indicator light comes on & eng. dies, 3 indicator light goes off eng. starts back. Gear nor shift lever nor shift drum position would have nothing to do with electrical stuff. Very interesting.
              True, but it's not without a very strong clue: it started with the replacement of the ignition, and always happens with the new, never happened with the old. That narrows it down quite a bit. Was any other work done on the bike at the same time as ignition upgrade?

              On a car or truck, it's pretty easy to skip a gear. A bit harder on a bike.
              1982 GS1100E V&H "SS" exhaust, APE pods, 1150 oil cooler, 140 speedo, 99.3 rear wheel HP, black engine, '83 red

              2016 XL883L sigpic Two-tone blue and white. Almost 42 hp! Status: destroyed, now owned by the insurance company. The hole in my memory starts an hour before the accident and ends 24 hours after.

              Comment


                #8
                Simple test: Disconnect the connector from the gear indicator switch.



                Note: THe gear indicator switch operates by connecting the appropriate light to ground. So when you go into 3rd gear, the switch grounds out that wire, in all other gears it will have voltage on it (thru the indicator light).
                Last edited by Redman; 12-17-2020, 09:55 AM.

                Had 850G for 14 years. Now have GK since 2005.
                GK at IndyMotoGP Suzuki Display... ... GK on GSResources Page ... ... Euro Trash Ego Machine .. ..3 mo'cykls.... update 2 mocykl


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                  #9
                  Ah, problem solved. Like an idiot I tapped into what was the 3rd gear selector indicator wire. This morning I removed that connection and made the Dyna-S power connection to the keyed power running to the coils. Problem solved.

                  Dyna-S has made a huge difference in cold starts. It used to take a good 60 seconds with babying the choke until the bike was warmed up and would idle. Now it starts within 5 - 8 seconds and doesn't take near as long to disengage the choke with a smooth idle following.

                  Morale of the story kids, don't connect your electronic ignition 12v power wire to anything other than the coil power, or some other power besides your gear selector power.

                  Thanks guys for your collective thoughts. Mike

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                    #10
                    Finding & fixing these little problems makes you feel good, don't it? Congrats.
                    1983 GS1100E, 1983 CB1100F, 1991 GSX1100G, 1996 Kaw. ZL600 Eliminator, 1999 Bandit 1200S, 2005 Bandit 1200S, 2000 Kaw. ZRX 1100

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                      #11
                      Nice detective work, Sherlock.
                      2@ \'78 GS1000

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                        #12
                        Sweet, problems like that are a real challenge. When nothing makes any sense, always keep going.
                        1981 GS1100E
                        1982 GS1100E



                        "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle

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