Another charging problem

[paulie]

Hello, all! My name's Paul. This will be my first of many posts to come on this forum, and I am the proud owner of a GS550L ('85). I've put a lot of sweat, blood, tears and money into my bike, and yet again she ceases to ask for more. I've been riding since I was 6, and now that I'm old enough to finally ride on the streets (and years of begging my parents to let me, currently 19) I went out and bought her. Anyways, on to the problem. The bike has a new rectifier, as well as a new starter motor, and a fairly new battery (at least thats what the previous owner told me, and it checked out at the auto shop last time). I took the carbs off 2 weeks ago, cleaned 'em, and threw 'em back in, as well as repaired a damaged intake boot. Now here's the kicker; the bike will start up just fine if I try to jump it, also it'll start after a few hours of trickle charging. HOWEVER, after riding for a while, or letting Samantha (my bike) sit at idle, I'll try and restart it and it's like the battery wasn't charged at all; the starter doesn't crank fast enough. My first impression is: Stator problem. Now, being as I am new to electrical work, if you guy's would be so kind as to point me in the right direction I would appreciate the help! Maybe I don't have the technical knowledge (you may have to dumb everything down a bit), but I do have the heart and patience to learn, and I do want to be able to fix my own bike and pour my heart and soul into it and truly make her mine. So ladies and gentlemen, fire away.
Thanks,
Paul

 

[posplayr]

Do a "quick test" which can be found in my signature. Post the results for diagnostic opinions.

 

[Andrew Vanis]

yep, do the quick test and then the stator papers

$5 on the battery being shot.

Interestingly the Quick Test says start with a "good" battery but there is no positive way to assess a "good" battery unless its a new one since some that seem to charge up have the proper voltage but still don't have enough juice.

 

[posplayr]

yep, do the quick test and then the stator papers

$5 on the battery being shot.

Interestingly the Quick Test says start with a "good" battery but there is no positive way to assess a "good" battery unless its a new one since some that seem to charge up have the proper voltage but still don't have enough juice.

A comparison of voltages In step 1 and step 2 is an effective load test for verifying the battery is good. As with most things people either read it and miss it or do not read at all so a little redundancy is hardly out of line.

 

[Redman]

...............

Paul,

Welcome to GSR.

Good to meet a 19 year old that doesn't think he needs a crotch rocket.

See Advice above for testing the charging system.
Notice that this will involve you having a voltmeter.

Dave

.

 

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. paulie,

You'll want to test your charging system with a known good, fully charged battery. In the links below you should find The Stator Papers and other documentation to help you diagnose and repair your charging system. Thanks to Mr. posplayr for providing a lot of that documentation. See the electrical section of my little website. For most all your regular maintenance needs, just see the links below. They are full of GS lovin'. :dancing:

If you are here you probably have a 30 year old motorcycle that needs about 20 years worth of maintenance. In the links below you'll find maintenance lists, documentation, wiring diagrams, "how to" guides, vendor links, tips, tricks, and a whole lot of GS goodness. This is your "mega-welcome". Let's get started.

Let me dump a TON of 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. This is what NOT to do: Top 10 Newbie Mistakes. 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!

More links to helpful threads in the forum:
Help! Your Bike Won't Start
DON'T DO THESE THINGS
Help! Your Bike Won't Run Well
Oh God! Pods!


Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[spyug]

Welcome. These are great bikes when you get them sorted and there are several things you will need to attend to, not the least of which is charging.

The majority of old bikes have or will develop charging issues. Once you confirm that your battery is good you should immediately check the state of your charging.

I say immediately because these models, for some unknown reason and unlike most other models, have a tendency to overcharge. This often results in damage to the bike's ignitor. Ignitors for this model are scarcer than hen's teeth and extremely costly if obtained. There are a couple of aftermarket solutions but you don't want to get into that either.

There are many of these bikes parked due to blown ignitors so please don't ignore this.

So familiarize yourself with the stator papers and testing flowchart, ensure you have a good battery and verify your rate of charge. Anything more than about 14.5v at between 3000/5000 rpm would be cause for concern.

Good luck with it and post some pics.