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Rebuilding gauges

mrhedges

mrhedges

Forum Mentor
Past Site Supporter
Sorry if this has been asked a bunch, I tried to use the search function and didn't find what I'm looking for. I smashed the original gauges on my motorcycle back when I first got the bike 2 years ago (newbie mistake didn't put up the kickstand) They worked still but with broken glass I figured they would rust out. so i pulled them and replaced them with a cheap set off ebay (used from a GS1100L) While on my most recent motorcycle trip the speedo stopped working

I took apart my original set and realized they aren't that messed up and the whole cluster seemed much simpler then I thought. I posted about it on here actually and got some replacement parts from a nice gentleman from Florida for a good price. I have the unit half assembled and now I have questions

1. Some of the bulbs looked burned out and even when the unit worked they were a bit dim, should i get replacements? where? autoparts stores? should I just get LEDs? I saw some posts on here and some of the regulars whose opinions I highly value seemed against replacing them with LEDS. I figure while I have the unit apart I should replace all the bulbs either way

2. for various reason I think I'm going to have to rewire parts of it, I have the wiring diagram my question is how to attach a new wire connectors? I'm taking this project on mostly because I like the original unit (better then an aftermarket one) and I'd like to learn the proper way to rewire motorcycles. So I guess my question what do I need to attach new connectors?

3. Is there any other maintenance I should do while the unit is apart?
 
LEDs in the instrument cluster are a bit hit-and-miss. Try out some of the cheap ones first to see how you get on with them and replace them with better ones for the long term. Reason I suggest that is some LEDs are too focused but others are broader in their output and illuminate the dials nicely.
I've got some cheapies in mine, but now that I know what works I'll be replacing them with better ones.
 
The bulbs are number 158, two for six bucks at most auto parts places! At that price I'm living without a high beam indicator, my bet is they're cheaper on line.
 
194 bulbs are more common, a bit brighter, and the same form factor as 158.

I got tired of getting bent over at the parts stores for bulbs and ordered several boxes of ten or 20 of a few different types online a while back.


As mentioned earlier, LED bulbs are a little hit or miss in instruments. It's a very tight fit, so some LEDs stick out a little further than regular bulbs. The second issue is that white LEDs are not actually full spectrum, so the orangish/reddish filtering in the instruments can leave things a good bit dimmer than you might expect. And some LEDs are a little too focused, so the light doesn't diffuse properly. Unless you're super determined to use LEDs and willing to spend the cash to experiment, many have concluded it's not worth the trouble.
 
all the 194 and 158 bulbs that are coming up on google searches have a glass base, while mine has a metal base?
 
I guess they're different on our continent? When replacing the bulbs in my instrument cluster I searched for 'BA9s', not 194/158. Socket- vs. Wedge-Base?
 
I think the later GSs had wedge-base bulbs. Mine certainly has BA9s.

<edit>
Actually, thinking back, I'm not 100% sure. I know that both of them (79 and 80) have BA9s, but it's quite possible that the 80 bike was retro-fitted with an earlier gauge set because of crash damage before I bought it.
This occurred to me because I went into a Zuk dealer years ago and bought what should have been the right bulbs for it - he gave me a handful of wedge-caps, which were wrong for my bike. So, it's perfectly possible that the change to wedge-caps happened in the 1980 model year.
It's also perfectly possible that Suzuki carried on using up stocks of older instrument clusters for a year or two until they ran out of them.
 
Last edited:
All of my 77-80 GS guages have the BA9S type bulbs. I once researched here for a friend and had him order some of the 158 or 194 etc bulbs recommended, only to find that they absolutely were the wrong style! Live and learn.
 
But what beam angle, 32?, or 90?? Or both? The 32? is a very focused beam for the indicator lights. I'm assuming the 90? beam might work better for the back lighting?
 
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