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Big Problems for a Beginner (Electrical)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
  • Start date Start date
A

Anonymous

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So I?m in trouble. My bike (1983 GS550L) is dead, and as I?m new to motorcycles I?m not exactly sure what?s going on. To figure it out I?ll tell you what happened. I bought the bike back in March, and since it had been sitting for about 2 years did the standard draining/replacing fluids, lubing things, and got a new battery. Everything was fine, and then my schedule got really tight and I didn?t have time to ride. The other day I went to go for a ride, and the bike was dead! So I thought that there was a slow drain somewhere, pop the clutch to start it and let the engine do the charging. The headlight blew either when I popped the clutch or shortly after, but was working (dim) when I turned the bike on.

I went and rode for a little while before stopping for lunch. After lunch the battery still wasn?t strong enough to start the bike with the electric starter, so again pop goes the clutch and I was on my way. About 15 minutes later I was stopped at a light, started to accelerate and all of a sudden lost power. I pulled over, and there was a sulfur smell. I took the seat off, and there was a white smoke coming from the battery breather. The battery was very hot to the touch. I decided that the course of action was to get the old battery (which I still had and worked with the bike when I got it) and try and see if I could get going again.

After getting the old battery and swapping out the shot battery I started the bike up again (another pop o? the ole clutch) and she sprang to life. I got about 2 minutes of life out of that battery and again lost power. This is where I am now.

My best guess is that the stator and R/R both need replacing, as well as a new battery. Are there other things that could be at fault? Possibly a short somewhere? If so how do I determine where the cause is; and more importantly how do I fix it? I was going to order a Clymer manual, and the Electrex stator and R/R and try and install them myself. From the stator papers, and the Electrex site this doesn?t seem like a terribly difficult task. Are these papers deceiving? Am I in over my head? Would it end up being cheaper for me to just take it to a local shop? If I replace the parts myself (and do it properly) if there is a short somewhere will it ruin a new stator and R/R?

Oh so many questions. I hope you all have some answers.

Thanks in advance for all your help!
 
You sound like you have some mechanical experience, but what is missing from your description is any mention of what voltage the charging system is (or had been) operating at. That is where you need to start. You need a volt meter to read the voltage.
- I recommend a volt meter with digital readout. Sometimes the meters with a needle have a range of 0 - 50 volts and is hard to see difference the between , say 12 and a half volts and 13 and a half volts. With a digital meter it is easy to see such a difference and easy to see small changes in voltage. An inexpensive meter from auto parts store or Radio Shack will do.
- THis web site has indepth troubleshooting charts for electrical charging problems (in the gargage section). BUt you need a voltmeter to do anything.
- Having a battery charger is good idea also, so you start with a charged battery.
- First you check battery voltage with bike running. Then the trouble shooting chart will have you take apart the charging system wiring to take ohm ("Continuity","resistance") readings of the stator coils and R/Rectifyer. SO this means two things 1) the volt meter you get should also have ohm readings. 2) You need to find this wiring and feel comfortable taking apart the wiring. Then you can check the stator and the R/R each seperatly rather than spending 100-150-or more on each.
- Some people may quess at what your problem is from your description, but, really need to measure a few things with a meter.
 
I would say your regulator is shot and you are overcharging your battery, hence the smoke from the battery. you will need a new regulator and battery.
 
Chances are you are going to buy another battery. Go ahead and make sure your battery has water and remove it from the bike and charge it over night with a 1 amp charger. . it should read 12.6 volts when fully charged. Disconnect the regulator and start the bike. Make sure the bike runs ok, then check the stator per the stator pages. Also check the reg/rect, but it is probably fried.
 
The digital volt/ohmmeter --multimeter is a very good investment. Buy a decent one and you will not regret the extra couple of bucks it costs.


Follow the advice above and do the needed checks.

You might get lucky with the stator.... :)

more than a bit doubtful about the battery.. :?

you are certain to need a new R/R :cry:
 
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