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not charging...

  • Thread starter Thread starter t-money
  • Start date Start date
T

t-money

Guest
Okay I didn't see it on the first page here.
Please help..
I have a 1980 Gs 1000.. Doesn't seem to be charging.
Does anyone know what the voltage should be while it's running?

And do any of you experts know of a common problem on these?

Please help I wanna ride more than just around the block...
 
Read the stator papers the at gs resources site, under garage. Here is quote from them to test your charging. There is much more info there to help you diagnose your problem.
Step 0 - testing the complete circuit

If the battery is known to be good AND fully charged, the testing may begin. The stuff hereunder assumes that you have a basic knowledge of electricity, up to the point that you know that electricity can be dangerous, and up to the point that you understand the difference between amperage and voltage, and AC and DC. If you don't, please, for the sake of your health and the health of your bike, back off and get some help.
What we need, apart from some general tools such as screwdrivers and spanners, is a general purpose multimeter, which is able to measure AC as well as DC.
We'll start with everything, including the engine, switched off. Select DC Volts on the multimeter, if it's not an auto-ranging meter be sure to select an appropriate range (up to 20 V on most devices), and determine the potential difference between the plus and minus poles of the battery. If the battery is OK and fully charged, this should be something in the proximity of 13 Volts
Now we start the engine and have it idle. Be sure to leave lights and everything off. On idle, not too much will happen, since the stator simply isn't revolving fast enough to generate enough current. Depending on the bike, you may see it rise a little, to something like 13,5 V or so.
Now we rev it up to a reasonable speed, say, something like 4000 RPM. Now you should see full charge, somewhere in the range of 13,9 and 14,5 Volt.
Rev it up a little more, and check whether it stays at that level, or whether it starts to drop significantly at higher rev ranges -- it shouldn't.
If this is all OK, your charging circuit is in working order. If you've got a draining battery problem, it's somewhere else. If this is NOT OK, there's a problem somewhere in between (including) the stator and the battery. You may read this page to understand what's going on and proceed to step 1 (described below).
Please remember at this point: a battery that is not fully charged OR charged, but bad, will probably ruin your test. If you are not sure about the battery condition, get a battery that is KNOWN to be good, charge it fully and repeat the test.
 
Funny how people can find GSR using a search engine or similar, but can't be bothered to search once they get here.;)
 
t-money said:
Okay I didn't see it on the first page here.
Please help..
I have a 1980 Gs 1000.. Doesn't seem to be charging.
Does anyone know what the voltage should be while it's running?

And do any of you experts know of a common problem on these?

Please help I wanna ride more than just around the block...
Click to expand...

Common problem with charging system?
- Stator.
- Regulator/Rectifyer.
- Connections between stator and R/R.
- Ground connection to R/R (Which is ground connection to battery box).

.


http://members.dslextreme.com/users/storagecliff/images/electrical_odd-n-ends.html#A20
Notice that it was written by Nessman.



In the Garage (on GSR home page, not forumn, but GSR home page).
http://www.thegsresources.com/gs_garage.htm
Look about halfway down for Stator Papers.
Stator Papers also elsewhare on BassCliff site.

.
 
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t-money said:
Thanx BCap for USeful info.

I really appreciate it.
As for the other sarcastic comments...
Well i was pretty clear and asked nicely for help in a hurry.
If i had hours of time to kill..sure..id search the archives study the manual..maybe take a course on gs charging systems.
Jist thought id ask someone who mite have similar experience.
I did search and nothing specific without reading 26 pages of posts..so sorry i inconvenienced you guys.

At least now i learned that no posts are allowed if it has ever neen mentioned before...hmm..i guess that is almost every post on here.

Thanks for the welcome.
And BCAP..its nice to know that there are at least..a few..compassionate internet users left.
Click to expand...


Charging system problems are the most common of all that get posted here. Instead of expecting others to spoon feed you, learn to use the search function and endear yourself to the regulars here that put a lot of effort into helping people that are actually trying.

As Cliff stated... "Use the "Advanced Search" and "Titles Only", search for the word "charging" and you will find all you could ever want to know about charging issues."
 
My only issue with your post is what would have been so pressing that you couldn't spend the time looking? Even with my bike being the daily driver right now, I know my issues have been seen before and if I need to get the answer it might just be faster for me to go looking for it. These guys do know a lot of things about fixing your bike but most of these questions are asked up to ten times a day. Why should anyone repeat themselves that often when you can take just a few minutes and search for it? Not to mention the fact that not everyone is always on the system so you might just have to wait for several hours/days to find the answer. Yet had you searched you might find it within a few minutes and be back on the road again.

Like Ed said, you can't expect to be spoonfed your entire life...you have to work for things.

What does your multimeter tell you now?
 
Hi,

It's too bad the search results links don't stay active for very long.

I've had charging issues, as have most all GS owners. How didi I fix it? I cleaned every electrical connection on the entire wiring harness including the fuse box, blinker stalks, grounds, battery terminals, etc. I tested the components in my charging system. I replaced the stator. I replaced the regulator/rectifier. It's all documented on my website. Click a few times, read a few pages, it's all there for you.

I was not being sarcastic. I was trying to teach you. Your "mega-welcome" contains almost all of the information you need to service all of the usual problems with these bikes. It's in one of your other threads. Give it a read.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
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Sorry

Sorry

Sorry If i started on the wrong foot. :oops::oops:

Let me please apologize for my quick re action lastnite.

I did search.I could not find anything that seemed to give me solid meat and potatoe answers.
It looked like a lot of people posting "clever 1 liners".

Now that I am at a computer it is a little easier to sort thru to find what I'm looking for.


My meter says anywhere from 12.65 to 12.88 while shes running-about the same as when the battery is out of the bike.
Now, keep in mind I wasnt revving to high, maybe about 3k rpm.


A "friend" told me that hi 12s sounds normal..but that doesnt seem right.I'd expect a little more when she's running and suposedly "charging" the battery.


I was reccomended this place by a freind..and you guys seem to have all the answers..hopefully we can starte fresh, and I can hang out here.
;)

Thanks
T
 
Your bike is not charging. It should read near 14 volts at 3000 rpm.

Cliff's web site has tons of into on how to check your stator, R/R, etc. Find the Stator Papers and follow the routine. It's pretty easy stuff and there is tons of info available to guide you.

Good luck.
 
In all fairness to Tmoney, I have used the search feature many times with mixed results. When I first joined I had no idea where those dang stator papers were, til I discovered quite accidently, that they were not on THIS website. Which begs the question. Why is there no link to either bikecliffs or gs resources from this site ?
 
Hi,

bccap said:
In all fairness to Tmoney, I have used the search feature many times with mixed results. When I first joined I had no idea where those dang stator papers were, til I discovered quite accidently, that they were not on THIS website. Which begs the question. Why is there no link to either bikecliffs or gs resources from this site ?
Click to expand...

There is a link near the bottom of this page to the GSResources Homepage, of which the forum is a subsidiary (this forum is part of the GS Resources website). If you take the time to read the information at the top of the GSR forum before you login, you will see links to my website and other useful information.

Plus, the first section of my "mega-welcome" to new users reads:

-----------------------------

Dear fellow GS rider,

Let it be known that on this day you are cordially and formally welcomed to the GSR Forum as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Further let it be known that your good standing can be improved with pictures (not you, your bike)!
icon_biggrin.gif


Perhaps you've already seen these, but I like to remind all the new members. In addition to the CV Carb Rebuild Series (by John Bloemer), the Mikuni BS(CV) Carburetor Rebuild Tutorial (by Ed Ness), the VM Carb Rebuild Guide (by Paul Musser), I recommend visiting the In The Garage section via the GSR Homepage and check out the Stator Papers. There's also a lot of great information in the Old Q&A section. I have some documentation on my little BikeCliff website to help get you familiar with doing routine maintenance tasks (note that it is 850G-specific but many tasks are common to all GS bikes). Other "user contributed" informational sites include those of Mr. bwringer, Mr. tfb and Mr. robertbarr. And if your bike uses shims for valve adjustments, send an email to Mr. Steve requesting a copy of his Excel spreadsheet that helps you keep track of clearances, shim sizes and other service work.

-------------------

It's all right there. All you have to do is click and read. Can it be any simpler?

As Will Rogers used to say, "It's amazing what you can observe, just by watching."


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
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My apologies, expecting to see it under the section QUICK LINKS was totally absurd. But that is an example of what I am talking about. A link to your website should be under quick links. I would never have thought of looking under information. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the info I've received from you and others, but I have seen Noob's and myself included insulted for not knowing instantly where to look or asking a question. Gawd help the member who doesn't strip and dip. When I was looking for answers to my charging problems I was curtly referred to the stator papers several times. They were what I was using and simply sent me in an endless circle. I finally replaced my rr and smooth sailing from there. The other day I did a search for subscriptions in an effort to make a contribution. No success. There should be a permanent thread on the home forum for exactly that. Would have asked but ?
 
bccap said:
My apologies, expecting to see it under the section QUICK LINKS was totally absurd. But that is an example of what I am talking about. A link to your website should be under quick links. I would never have thought of looking under information. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the info I've received from you and others, but I have seen Noob's and myself included insulted for not knowing instantly where to look or asking a question. Gawd help the member who doesn't strip and dip. When I was looking for answers to my charging problems I was curtly referred to the stator papers several times. They were what I was using and simply sent me in an endless circle. I finally replaced my rr and smooth sailing from there. The other day I did a search for subscriptions in an effort to make a contribution. No success. There should be a permanent thread on the home forum for exactly that. Would have asked but ?
Click to expand...

Basscliff's page is not a formal part of the forum per se just a nicety that he created for all of us to refer to when troubleshooting most of the common stuff. And, if people look closely, they'll find links to the stator papers off of his site (Stator Replacement thread has link).

Everything on this forum, his site, and the main GS Resources is there to find IF people just TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK. Even I'm guilty of not searching fully before asking (look at last night's petcock post) but I also knew it was out there and found it much later.

Why should people expect to get everything without working for it first? It's not a matter of knowing instantly where to look it's a matter of trying first. In fact, even Frank's welcome message says to make use of the search feature as much as possible.

Now, what issue are you having with the subscriptions? Have you tried to select thread tools and then subscribe to this thread?
 
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Hi Mr. bccap,

There is a difference between a forum and a website.

The "Quick Links" is a forum feature. If you want links pertinent to motorcycles then click Links on the GSR homepage.

You received your "mega-welcome" in THIS THREAD right after you joined. Did you read it? Did you click on the links? Did you bookmark it? Did you bookmark my website?

My website is totally separate from The GS Resources, not affiliated in any way. I maintain my site just because I love these old bikes and I love helping new owners. The administrator here has been kind enough to include a link or two to my website for convenience. But we can't re-invent the wheel every time a new member comes along. The documentation and learning resources are in place. We can't do much more than show others where they are and encourage them to study up on these classic bikes. Sure, the forum is for questions. But if the questions have already been answered in a PDF file, why should someone waste time typing it up again? We are trying to save time for everyone, i.e. you don't have to wait for an answer and I don't have to re-type pages of instructions, over and over, again and again.

When I got my bike I read every page of the GS Resources, I clicked on every link, I researched, I Googled, I bought a manual and used it, I did my homework, then I started working on my bike. When I had a question the members here either gave me the information I needed or pointed me toward documentation that would help me understand the concepts and procedures necessary to troubleshoot and repair. It's usually important to know the "why it works" so that you can figure out the "how to fix it".

The other day I did a search for subscriptions in an effort to make a contribution. No success. There should be a permanent thread on the home forum for exactly that. Would have asked but ?
Click to expand...
On the GSR Homepage there is a "Support the site" link in the left margin. At the top of the "GS Motorcycle Discussion Area" section there is a sticky for a thread entitled "Please help support this site".

Will there be anything else?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
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To quote from the movie Extract....."Its so simple guys....it's just so simple!"
 
1_v8_merc said:
To quote from the movie Extract....."Its so simple guys....it's just so simple!"
Click to expand...
It was all simple till Basscliff started explaining "forum" , "website", "quick links" and I reached for the comfort of a beer. Good thing that I stumbled on Basscliff's site before I made it here or I would still be interpreting my Clymer's manual.
 
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