1983 Suzuki GS650L electrical/battery problem?

Cody252 · 09-21-2009, 01:16 AM

Alright. heres the story. This is my first bike. I found a add on craigslist for it. advertised $700 and i talked him down to $500. I got my friend to get his bike trailer and go up with me. the bike looked nice but it hasnt been riden for a year. The battery that was in the bike was gone for good/really dead. I told him that i wouldnt buy it unless i knew it ran. He hooked up a lawn mower battery to it and started it. It took a few times but it did actually start and it sounded nice. I thought $500 was a steal and i paid him blahblahblah, loaded it up and took it home. Next i had to run to walmart and buy a new battery, i matched up the battery model and got the right kind. went home, set it up and fully charged it. i put it in the bike.. nothing. the lights didnt light up or anything. no noise when i tried to start it. This is the step im stuck at. i talked to a guy and he said something about the ignition switch blowing easily on older bikes? does anyone know what it could be? im totally lost. fuses look fine.I toke the battery to autozone today and they tested it and said it was fully charged and ready to go so im almost positive its not the battery. Im missing something, i just dont understand.
Any help would be great. thank you!

Downeast Thunder · 09-21-2009, 07:49 AM

First off - You need to understand that old Japanese motorcycles are cheap to buy, but the parts and labor to repair and maintain them are certainly not! Many people seem to have a little difficulty facing this fact.
That being said: Since the bike started and ran when you bought it, and given that your new battery has been tested and known to be good, I suspect that you did not have a good connection when you tried the new battery. Try it again - perhaps you may have overlooked making the ground connection. Sounds like it must be something simple such as that. Always look for the simple things first when diagnosing a problem. Make sure the ends of your battery cables are clean,, and you have good, tight connections to your battery. Also make sure that your ground cable has a good ground connection to the frame at the other end of the cable. Start there and see if that solves the problem before going any further.

Cody252 · 09-21-2009, 11:08 PM

Well i messed with the wires and fuses and i found the problem. Either it is the wires or the actual fuses, i took them out and put them back in, and the gauges lit up, but the bike wouldnt start. Then i took them out and put them back in again and the gauges wouldn't light up, but the bike started. I changed the oil and put some premium gas in it. the bike worked but there was no turn signals, brake lights, lit up gauges. i rode it around a little bit and it rides decently for how old it is. I put some air in the tires.I messed with the fuses again and this time i was able to have the lights on AND the bike starting. The only thing that is not working now is the turn signals. Is there a fuse for the turn signals? there are 5 fuses all together.the bulbs look fine/almost new in the turn signals. anyone know what to do now? replace the fuses? any certain type of fuses i need? Thanks guys for the help! i really really appreciate it

67fire · 09-22-2009, 12:48 AM

Start with cleaning the ground from the rectifier that is under your left side cover (as you sit on the bike). Also the ground at the top rear of the engine.
Test your battery has a full charge before you try it again. (after, cleaning the grounds and battery connections).
You will also find volumes of information about the GS Suzuki charging system here:http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/
Any other questions that you could possibly have about your bike can be answered here:http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/index.php

Eric

Downeast Thunder · 09-22-2009, 07:40 AM

Since all of your electrics have worked at one time or another after removing and replacing the fuses, it would seem that the contacts on the fuses and in the fuse block are probably corroded and not making good connections. It's easy to clean the fuse contacts (although I wouldn't waste the time - I'd just replace the fuses as they are cheap enough) but the contacts in the fuse block are a bit tougher to clean. Electrical contact cleaner will help, but you will most likely have to mechanically clean the contact surfaces with a fine abrasive (very carefully). If they are really bad, you might consider renewing the fuse block.

tylernt · 09-22-2009, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downeast Thunder

you might consider renewing the fuse block.

It's a matter of course to replace any Yamaha fuse box of this age. Saves one from many a headache.

You can get a universal fuse box or just install inline fuse holders. Done.

Cody252 · 09-23-2009, 11:08 PM

there were some fuse/wiring jiggling needed but i got everything mechanical and electrical to work except one thing. The turn signals. Im at a lost now. Ive replaced all 5 fuses just in case. I tried tracing wires from the turn signals but i lose the wires. I tried taking the headlight off so i could follow the wires better but one of the screws are rusted on the headlight (how can i loosen the rust??). None of the turn signals work. The bulbs look fine/brand new. i dont get whats wrong. Can ANYONE help me with my issue here? Thanks in advance!

67fire · 09-23-2009, 11:41 PM

09-21-2009, 09:48 PM #4
67fire

Start with cleaning the ground from the rectifier that is under your left side cover (as you sit on the bike). Also the ground at the top rear of the engine.
Test your battery has a full charge before you try it again. (after, cleaning the grounds and battery connections).
You will also find volumes of information about the GS Suzuki charging system here:http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/
Any other questions that you could possibly have about your bike can be answered here:http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/index.php

Eric

slumlord · 09-25-2009, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cody252

there were some fuse/wiring jiggling needed but i got everything mechanical and electrical to work except one thing. The turn signals. Im at a lost now. Ive replaced all 5 fuses just in case. I tried tracing wires from the turn signals but i lose the wires. I tried taking the headlight off so i could follow the wires better but one of the screws are rusted on the headlight (how can i loosen the rust??). None of the turn signals work. The bulbs look fine/brand new. i dont get whats wrong. Can ANYONE help me with my issue here? Thanks in advance!

1. Find your turn signal blinker control that is probably under the seat. Since these controls are made to be inside a nice dry car,they fail more often on bikes.
2. Replace the blinker,but try to get a good one at a store where pro mechanics get their parts. NAPA comes to mind
3. Still does not work?Put some penetrating oil in the little slide switch that activates the signals.Slide it back and forth slowly 20 times.Go back and repeat step 3 after setting for a while
4. Still does not work?Do you have a battery charger that you can set to 2 amps or so? Let me know and we will take it from there
.

09-21-2009, 01:16 AM	#1
Cody252 Newbie Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 6	1983 Suzuki GS650L electrical/battery problem? Alright. heres the story. This is my first bike. I found a add on craigslist for it. advertised $700 and i talked him down to $500. I got my friend to get his bike trailer and go up with me. the bike looked nice but it hasnt been riden for a year. The battery that was in the bike was gone for good/really dead. I told him that i wouldnt buy it unless i knew it ran. He hooked up a lawn mower battery to it and started it. It took a few times but it did actually start and it sounded nice. I thought $500 was a steal and i paid him blahblahblah, loaded it up and took it home. Next i had to run to walmart and buy a new battery, i matched up the battery model and got the right kind. went home, set it up and fully charged it. i put it in the bike.. nothing. the lights didnt light up or anything. no noise when i tried to start it. This is the step im stuck at. i talked to a guy and he said something about the ignition switch blowing easily on older bikes? does anyone know what it could be? im totally lost. fuses look fine.I toke the battery to autozone today and they tested it and said it was fully charged and ready to go so im almost positive its not the battery. Im missing something, i just dont understand. Any help would be great. thank you!

09-21-2009, 07:49 AM	#2
Downeast Thunder Independent M/C Shop Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Downeast Maine Posts: 132	First off - You need to understand that old Japanese motorcycles are cheap to buy, but the parts and labor to repair and maintain them are certainly not! Many people seem to have a little difficulty facing this fact. That being said: Since the bike started and ran when you bought it, and given that your new battery has been tested and known to be good, I suspect that you did not have a good connection when you tried the new battery. Try it again - perhaps you may have overlooked making the ground connection. Sounds like it must be something simple such as that. Always look for the simple things first when diagnosing a problem. Make sure the ends of your battery cables are clean,, and you have good, tight connections to your battery. Also make sure that your ground cable has a good ground connection to the frame at the other end of the cable. Start there and see if that solves the problem before going any further. __________________ Feel The THUNDER Between Your Legs!

09-22-2009, 07:40 AM	#5
Downeast Thunder Independent M/C Shop Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Downeast Maine Posts: 132	Since all of your electrics have worked at one time or another after removing and replacing the fuses, it would seem that the contacts on the fuses and in the fuse block are probably corroded and not making good connections. It's easy to clean the fuse contacts (although I wouldn't waste the time - I'd just replace the fuses as they are cheap enough) but the contacts in the fuse block are a bit tougher to clean. Electrical contact cleaner will help, but you will most likely have to mechanically clean the contact surfaces with a fine abrasive (very carefully). If they are really bad, you might consider renewing the fuse block. __________________ Feel The THUNDER Between Your Legs!

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09-21-2009, 11:08 PM	#3
Cody252 Newbie Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 6	Well i messed with the wires and fuses and i found the problem. Either it is the wires or the actual fuses, i took them out and put them back in, and the gauges lit up, but the bike wouldnt start. Then i took them out and put them back in again and the gauges wouldn't light up, but the bike started. I changed the oil and put some premium gas in it. the bike worked but there was no turn signals, brake lights, lit up gauges. i rode it around a little bit and it rides decently for how old it is. I put some air in the tires.I messed with the fuses again and this time i was able to have the lights on AND the bike starting. The only thing that is not working now is the turn signals. Is there a fuse for the turn signals? there are 5 fuses all together.the bulbs look fine/almost new in the turn signals. anyone know what to do now? replace the fuses? any certain type of fuses i need? Thanks guys for the help! i really really appreciate it

09-22-2009, 12:48 AM	#4
67fire Banned Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Reno, Nevada Posts: 4,417	Start with cleaning the ground from the rectifier that is under your left side cover (as you sit on the bike). Also the ground at the top rear of the engine. Test your battery has a full charge before you try it again. (after, cleaning the grounds and battery connections). You will also find volumes of information about the GS Suzuki charging system here:http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/ Any other questions that you could possibly have about your bike can be answered here:http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/index.php Eric

09-23-2009, 11:08 PM	#7
Cody252 Newbie Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 6	there were some fuse/wiring jiggling needed but i got everything mechanical and electrical to work except one thing. The turn signals. Im at a lost now. Ive replaced all 5 fuses just in case. I tried tracing wires from the turn signals but i lose the wires. I tried taking the headlight off so i could follow the wires better but one of the screws are rusted on the headlight (how can i loosen the rust??). None of the turn signals work. The bulbs look fine/brand new. i dont get whats wrong. Can ANYONE help me with my issue here? Thanks in advance!

09-23-2009, 11:41 PM	#8
67fire Banned Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Reno, Nevada Posts: 4,417	09-21-2009, 09:48 PM #4 67fire Start with cleaning the ground from the rectifier that is under your left side cover (as you sit on the bike). Also the ground at the top rear of the engine. Test your battery has a full charge before you try it again. (after, cleaning the grounds and battery connections). You will also find volumes of information about the GS Suzuki charging system here:http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/ Any other questions that you could possibly have about your bike can be answered here:http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/index.php Eric