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Is gel-batteries not good for the gs1000g series?

  • Thread starter Thread starter trondster
  • Start date Start date
T

trondster

Guest
Hi there.
New to the forum, and was talking to an old mechanic
the other day about my GS1000G, 1982, and its charging problems.

He the bursted out in a long rant, that I have never heard about before.

He said that the electrical systems of these bikes were designet
so, that if you put a gel-battery on it, it will wear down the rectifier
and the stator (dotn remember excactly what he said)
and fry some of the electrical charging system.

The reason was something about the current always being
grounded to the frame...? (or something.)

I have never heard about this before, and figured I have to
check if this is true, before the new season starts,
and I drive off with a new gel-battery.

Tron
 
First of all, WELCOME.

Next, are you SURE it's a GEL battery? Many people will call anything that is sealed a "gel" battery, only because they don't know any different.

Next, the guy was partly right. Yes, there are problems with the charging system, but the type of battery you use will NOT cause them. What he was referring to was the stock "shunt-type" regulator, which merely diverts any excess current directly to ground to control the voltage output. The downside of this is that the stator is always putting out as much as it can, all the time. Again this has nothing to do with the type of battery in use.

What we are doing now is installing a "series-type" regulator. One of the more-common ones comes from a Polaris side-by-side ATV. Instead of diverting current to ground, it interrupts the current to control the output. This gives the stator a little time to 'breathe' and not work so hard.

A standard wet-cell battery will work just fine, but you still stand the chance of spilling acid or fumes all over the frame, so many (most?) of us use AGM batteries. That is a construction type, not a brand name. It is a sealed Absorbed Glass Mat battery that can pack a little more punch than a similarly-sized wet-cell battery and works very well in our bikes.

By the way, what bike do you REALLY have? If it's a 1000G, it's not an '82. If it's an '82, it's not a 1000G.

.
 
Steve said:
First of all, WELCOME.

Next, are you SURE it's a GEL battery? Many people will call anything that is sealed a "gel" battery, only because they don't know any different.

By the way, what bike do you REALLY have? If it's a 1000G, it's not an '82. If it's an '82, it's not a 1000G.

.
Click to expand...


Hi again, and thanks for an explaining answer.
Yes, I am 100% sure it is a gel-battery, and not just one of those closed ones.
(I havent checked what kind of regulator I have, and I forgot to take of the
battery poles when I stored the bike for the winter.....so I guess there is a big chance
of the battery being dead now, if I have the "shaunt-type" regulator then.
Anyway, it seems it might be something wrong with the regulator though,
as it only gave about 11.80 something voltage when over 4000 rpm.

I guess I should by a new one anyway. Where can I buy one of these
without holding my wallet hostage?

WHen it comes to the bike itself, I always thought this was a 1982 model,
as it says so in the Certificates of Title,......1982...



Heres what it looks like today:




If it is not a 1982 model, where can I find what model it actually is?

Tron
 
"First registered in 82" almost certainly means it was built in 81.

Before you change out the regulator, you really need to clean up all connections on the charging circuit and measure the readings then - there might be an improvement. Then check the naked alternator output readings - might be a fault in the stator anyway.

For a proper, decent, reliable series regulator, check the SH-775 threads on here and look for the Polaris part number. There's a thread relating to the current best prices for it - I've already checked for a European supplier and it's not worth while trying to buy one direct in Europe, unless your wallet is lined with gold. Much more cost-effective to simply buy one direct from Partzilla or somesuch and pay the shipping. After all, look at how much some of the European aftermarket suppliers want to charge you for a conventional shunt-type and compare costs.
 
Last edited:
Sorry to hijack the thread...but i will be quick....i have a bike which on the title says its a 1983 (registered)....and its a gs1000g.....does this mean my bike was also a late registration......when did they finish building the 1000g?
 
There's a further complication with the 850G (and possibly the 1000G) - in the European market the 850G was so popular that customer demand persuaded Suzuki to carry on making it for another few years after it was deleted from the showroom floors in the US. The last registered bikes in around 1988 were actually assembled in Europe from spares sources (at a premium, as you might guess) but some people were prepared to pay that.
 
trondster said:
Anyway, it seems it might be something wrong with the regulator though,
as it only gave about 11.80 something voltage when over 4000 rpm.
Click to expand...
One of the first things to check would be all the connections in the wiring harness to make sure they are clean and tight. There is one connection that can (should) be bypassed. Does your bike have a switch on the left handgrip for the headlights? If so, one of the three stator wires also goes through that switch (using a second set of contacts) to be turned off when the light is off. If you don't have a headlight switch, the wire from the stator is still diverted into the main wiring harness, then makes a u-turn under the fuel tank and goes back to the regulator. You can bypass that needless run by connecting all three stator wires directly to the three inputs on the regulator (R/R).


trondster said:
WHen it comes to the bike itself, I always thought this was a 1982 model,
as it says so in the Certificates of Title,......1982...



If it is not a 1982 model, where can I find what model it actually is?
Click to expand...
Certificates of Title are notoriously inaccurate, at times. Depending on where you live (by the way, where is it?), the title might show actual production date, it might show the actual model year, it might show the purchase date. In your case, it appears to be the "first sold" date. Looking at the picture, that is typical of what was available in the US only in '80 and '81. The rectangular turn signals showed up here for the '81 model year. Starting in '82, the bike looked completely different and the engine made a jump to 1100cc. I have no idea how long the 1000G might have continued in your area.



Rikkd said:
Sorry to hijack the thread...but i will be quick....i have a bike which on the title says its a 1983 (registered)....and its a gs1000g.....does this mean my bike was also a late registration......when did they finish building the 1000g?
Click to expand...
See my comments above, but I will add that production for a given model year typically goes through about July.
Starting in August or September, you will see models produced for the next year.
That means that your bike was likely a carry-over and not sold. Look on the VIN tag on the steering neck. It will have the serial number, along with a letter in its lower-right corner. If the letter is T, it's a 1980 bike. If the letter is X, it's an '81. Z is for '82, D is for '83. Other things that happened about that time (in the US): if the serial number is about 11 digits, the bike is 1980 or earlier. Starting with the '81 model year, all manufacturers were required to have a standardized 17-digit serial number. In the upper-right corner of the VIN plate, you will see the production date.

.
.
 
The rectangular turn signals with running lights indicate a 1991 in the USA. We also had painted front fenders from 1980 on.
 
Steve said:
One of the first things to check would be all the connections in the wiring harness to make sure they are clean and tight. There is one connection that can (should) be bypassed. Does your bike have a switch on the left handgrip for the headlights? If so, one of the three stator wires also goes through that switch (using a second set of contacts) to be turned off when the light is off. If you don't have a headlight switch, the wire from the stator is still diverted into the main wiring harness, then makes a u-turn under the fuel tank and goes back to the regulator. You can bypass that needless run by connecting all three stator wires directly to the three inputs on the regulator (R/R).

Certificates of Title are notoriously inaccurate, at times. Depending on where you live (by the way, where is it?), the title might show actual production date, it might show the actual model year, it might show the purchase date. In your case, it appears to be the "first sold" date. Looking at the picture, that is typical of what was available in the US only in '80 and '81. The rectangular turn signals showed up here for the '81 model year. Starting in '82, the bike looked completely different and the engine made a jump to 1100cc. I have no idea how long the 1000G might have continued in your area.

See my comments above, but I will add that production for a given model year typically goes through about July.
Starting in August or September, you will see models produced for the next year.
That means that your bike was likely a carry-over and not sold. Look on the VIN tag on the steering neck. It will have the serial number, along with a letter in its lower-right corner. If the letter is T, it's a 1980 bike. If the letter is X, it's an '81. Z is for '82, D is for '83. Other things that happened about that time (in the US): if the serial number is about 11 digits, the bike is 1980 or earlier. Starting with the '81 model year, all manufacturers were required to have a standardized 17-digit serial number. In the upper-right corner of the VIN plate, you will see the production date.

.
.
Click to expand...

Ah, thanks. That was a LOT of useful information, that I actually didnt know.
At the moment I do not have access to the motorcycle, and as far I can tell from the pictures
of it, there is a HI LO switch on the left hand, and an ON OFF switch on the right.
So I guess I will come back to this thread when I "let the horses" out in the autumn field again :)
To be continued.
Tron
 
SVSooke said:
The last line might be a clue.Norge is what we know as Norway.If I'm wrong please enlighten us Tron
Click to expand...

It says:
Registered first time: 1982
Regstered first time in Norway: 1982-06-18

THe first line on top is the frame number of the bike: GS100G109359
Tron
 
trondster said:
It says:
Registered first time: 1982
Regstered first time in Norway: 1982-06-18

THe first line on top is the frame number of the bike: GS100G109359
Tron
Click to expand...
OK,I'll ask it more straight forward.Where are you?
 
trondster said:
..., there is a HI LO switch on the left hand, and an ON OFF switch on the right.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that picture. The HI LO on the left is the same that we got here, but the LIGHTS switch on the right hand grip is different. We only had the ON OFF ("kill") switch and the starter button. If you look at a wiring diagram for that switch, you will see two sets of contacts. One of them will switch battery power (12-14 volts) to the headlight, the other one will disconnect one of the stator wires when the lights are OFF. Bypass that part as I described above.

Your title shows that it was first registered in Norway in '83, but it appears to have been made for the '81 model year. When you get access to the bike, look on the steering stem, right behind the headlight, to see what is on the plate there.

.
 
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