charging system up grade

[not a biker]

kind of new here, i have owned a 80 and 82 gs1100 before. both were almost new. i never had a charging system problem. now i have a low millage 84 gs 1150 es. 11,000 miles. i see so many posts about stater ,regulator problems. is it a big enough problem that i should do a up grade even though i am having no current problems. i am a beliver in if it is not broke do not fix it.

 

[jpaul]

As you say, if it isn't broke, don't fix it. I would suggest checking all the connections related to the charging system, and cleaning them up. I try to go over all connections in the area of any job I'm working on, not just those related to the charging system. Unplug the connections, clean them up, then add some dielectric grease when reassembling. I know one guy that does this with every connection on his bike, every winter. I think that's a little obsessive myself, but he lives in Wisconsin, so he has more winter than average.

 

[spyug]

I'm of the same mindset but I also believe in fore knowledge is power. So in that regard, I always wire in a voltage meter to keep an eye on things.

With these bikes the R/R is weak and the one thing to do is run the seperate line from the negative lead to the negative pole of the battery.

It is also a good idea to clean up contacts and change out bullet connectors for newer spades. Apart from that I wouldn't fiddle with anything else unless there is a real charging problem.

Ride them, don't wrench 'em......my new moto.

Good luck with it.

Cheers,
Spyug

 

[bonanzadave]

i am a beliver in if it is not broke do not fix it.

As far as Suzuki RRs go..... If it aint broke, ride 500 miles from home and it will be.

Save up $40 and get a honda RR from Duanage. Then when yours craps out you wont be stuck with a dead battery.

 

[lurch12_2000]

As far as Suzuki RRs go..... If it aint broke, ride 500 miles from home and it will be.

Save up $40 and get a honda RR from Duanage. Then when yours craps out you wont be stuck with a dead battery.

I'll second this!!!....3 GS1100's owned - 3 failed stock r/r's + 3 Duanage Honda r/r replacements = ~14.55 volts

 

[alke46]

Just where does one fine the Duanage Honda R/R?

 

[rustybronco]

from Duaneage...
pm him and ask.
http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/member.php?u=208

or if he is out of them at the present time, find one on e-bay and wire it up yourself.
something like this one. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...6306&ih=021&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&viewitem=

I must say his are very reasonable and take all the work out of finding one and wiring it up.

 

[Billy Ricks]

This is what I use, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/06-0...m14QQhashZitem230302940048QQitemZ230302940048 .
You can always find them for $40 or so and only a year or two old. No sense wire to hook up either.

 

[alke46]

Thanks guys. Since this is my 1st GS in several years, I probably should get one just for when the right time comes as it surely will.
I had this happen to me back in '92 but was unaware of what had happened. I was 1300 miles from home and had a replacement stator put on at a salvage yard for bikes. Needless to say I was very skeptical, but it was still performing properly when I sold the bike in'98.

 

[Guest]

duaneage hooked me up as well.

The sense wire i just wired into the rear running light. Works perfectly and I no longer worry about frying wires or burning up my stator or R/R

 

[Tazman001]

Honda R/R

Honda R/R

off a 01 CBR 929 work? Where would I find instructions on what wires to connect where? Thanks for any help.

 

[BassCliff]

off a 01 CBR 929 work? Where would I find instructions on what wires to connect where? Thanks for any help.

Hi Mr. Tazman001,

How many wires does it have? What color?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[Billy Ricks]

off a 01 CBR 929 work? Where would I find instructions on what wires to connect where? Thanks for any help.

Looks to be the same part as the 1000RR. Hooks up the same as your GS regulator. Three yellow wires from the stator, red for positive, and green for ground. Also no sensor wire to hook up. Just wait for a good deal on one. I've picked up two of them off Ebay. One cost me $30 plus shipping and the other $40 plus shipping.

 

[lurch12_2000]

Looks to be the same part as the 1000RR. Hooks up the same as you GS regulator. Three yellow wires from the stator, red for positive, and green for ground. Also no sensor wire to hook up. Just wait for a good deal on one. I've picked up two of them off Ebay. One cost me $30 plus shipping and the other $40 plus shipping.

Why wait for a good deal at that price when Duanage (GSR forum member) sends you exactly what you need right away with all the connectors and diagram for $40 including shipping. All three that I bought from him for 3 different GS1100's bolted right up, work perfect, and even the sensor wire to the rear brake light is easy to hook up. He includes all the bullet connectors you need and there is no cutting wires to length. It has about twice the heat sink surface as the stock one.

 

[Billy Ricks]

Why wait for a good deal at that price when Duanage (GSR forum member) sends you exactly what you need right away with all the connectors and diagram for $40 including shipping. All three that I bought from him for 3 different GS1100's bolted right up, work perfect, and even the sensor wire to the rear brake light is easy to hook up. He includes all the bullet connectors you need and there is no cutting wires to length. It has about twice the heat sink surface as the stock one.

They can be had just about any day of the week on Ebay for about the same money. Not trying to step on Duane's toes here, just stating the truth. These R/Rs are only a year or two old. Unless things have changed Duane's come from bikes from the early '80s. The newer Honda regs are also about twice the size of the GS units.

 

[duaneage]

They can be had just about any day of the week on Ebay for about the same money. Not trying to step on Duane's toes here, just stating the truth. These R/Rs are only a year or two old. Unless things have changed Duane's come from bikes from the early '80s. The newer Honda regs are also about twice the size of the GS units.

Either is a great option, but some people don't have soldering irons, heat shrink tubing, or crimp tools. And waiting for an ebay seller to ship an item can be trying, Lord knows I have experience in this area. Sometimes they send a totally different model than pictured.

I've tested Honda RRs from early as 78 and they still work. And they are still charging GS bikes today. At 450 watts of capacity, they double the capacity of the charging system regulator over OEM. I don't have specs on the newer RRs so I can't comment on what they put out.

Don't worry about my toes, I'm wearing safety boots. I try to stay with the same Honda RR everyone is familiar with because I don't know if the newer RRs will turn out to last as long as the old ones. How do we know the new RRs are going to stand the test of time? After all, they are most certainly made in China at the lowest cost point possible. So far I have not found a defective SDG Honda RR yet and I've tested more than anyone.

 

[Tazman001]

Ya, picked up two

Ya, picked up two

off fleabay..

Looks to be the same part as the 1000RR. Hooks up the same as your GS regulator. Three yellow wires from the stator, red for positive, and green for ground. Also no sensor wire to hook up. Just wait for a good deal on one. I've picked up two of them off Ebay. One cost me $30 plus shipping and the other $40 plus shipping.

Got the 929 one for 99? +shipping and a '07 600RR regulator for $10.50 +shipping. A good deal on both I think. You're right, three yellow wires, two reds, and two greens. Thanks for the wiring help! Haven't checked the charging on either GS yet, but I think the 750 ain't charging from the explanation I got from the PO. Gotta finish the carb cleaning yet.

 

[highmileage]

A lot of you have resorted to the Honda r/r conversions with excellent results. They seem to be less fragile than the OEM GS part.

But after much discussion here, it was determined that what fries the GS r/r is heat and a bad ground.

Your GS r/r is mounted to the battery box which is rubber mounted to the frame, and the only ground is a puny wire. Another wire run from the mounting bolt to either the frame or the negative battery terminal helps.

To combat heat, at least GSer has resorted to mounting a little computer fan to blow on his r/r.

But here's what I did. I extended the wires to the r/r, ran them under the tank, and mounted it up front next to the horn where an awful lot of other bikes have them (some others put it on the lower triple clamp or down near the bottom front of the motor). Mine's bolted to the frame and it's in the wind. It looks clean and it works. Superior grounding and cooling over the stock position with no parts replaced.

I have since put over 30K miles on this GS and it still has its original r/r and charges just fine, thank you.

 

[jacora]

Not installed R/R as yours

Not installed R/R as yours

Billy;
I already purchased a R/R from Honda CBR1000RR.
How is working the no sense wire R/R in your bike??
Does it gets hot??
Does the stator wires gets hot or melt down??
Honda sense wire units looks to be better because provides charge modulation to the charge system and avoids overheating of R/R.
So, I am curious about the fact that Honda provides sense and non sense wire in their bikes. Please let me know.
I WOULD LIKE TO BRING TO DISCUSSION DIFFERENCES IN OPERATION IF ANY.

 

[CB900SS]

I am very curious about this thread myself. My 1150 burned the R/R when I first purchased it, a used replacement swapped in and it charges fine. But I think I would like to keep my eyes open for a newer honda unit from ebay, then go through and test the stator and swap in the honda R/R.

Question- What is this sense wire I keep hearing about eliminating?