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Chasing my electrical problems on my GS450

what appeared to be 2 small brass bars
Click to expand...
That is what's left of the clutch safety switch. It's gone...

Originally the yellow/green stripe wire was" broken" along the way to the solenoid, with male and female bullet ends that connected to the clutch safety switch. find the two yellow/green stripe ends and connect them together or a previous owner has done this already....no more clutch safety unless you find a good replacement.

and yes I got clicks out of the solenoid! It clicks with key on or key off. So that means the solenoid is good .... and I have to look elsewhere.
Click to expand...
not exactly yet. That means the magnetic coil is ok unless you found that the "motor staying on problem" is also gone. Try the same with starter motor connected OR
To be really sure:
Do this with Key off so bike motor will not "run" but it will turn over. This will take any possibility of confused wiring out of the equation. Disconnect all bullet connectors to the yellow/green and Just use a short piece of wire from the big Battery terminal on the solenoid touched to the place where the yellow/green stripe wire is soldered on.(Or to the wire itself.) If the starter motor sticks On, you need a new solenoid...this kind of failure would be pretty rare but I would satisfy myself.

If it "works ok" and stops spinning motor when "untouched" then yes, it IS your wiring or your starter button.
 
Today my Suzuki gave me a little happiness!

Today my Suzuki gave me a little happiness!

Today I removed the starter solenoid and cleaned up around the 2 mounting bolts and remounted. I reattached all 4 wires. I checked the positive battery connector and found that IT was semi loose!!! So I bolted it down and also the neg terminal connector and attempted a start. The starter circuit performed flawlessly .... several times. Does having a semi loose battery connection explain any of the problems I have had to deal with?? Now, it appears all is well with the starting system, but time will tell.

I was eventually able to start the engine for the 1st time in about 7 months. It took a while to get fuel to the engine and would only idle at first. After warm up it would rev up but very slow to return to idle. Last summer the engine returned to idle quite quickly and predictably. I took it for a 2 mile ride and it ran very well with good power. I will take it for a longer ride tomorrow to see how it performs and try to gain confidence in the bike again. I know a hanging idle issue is in another sector of the GSR.

I took a picture of the underside of the clutch handle .... for confirmation the safety switch has been removed by previous owner?

clutch1.jpg
 
when the starter stays on check for power on the yellow / green wire... if there is power there then your start button or that circuit is the problem, if no power on the yellow / green wire then the solenoid is sticking ... it's that simple...
 
dennco2 said:
......I took a picture of the underside of the clutch handle .... for confirmation the safety switch has been removed by previous owner?

View attachment 54202
Click to expand...


No, the clutch safety switch is still there. Follow the wires into the headlight bucket to see if the ends are connected into the loom, or have been disconnected there and the loom wires joined together to cut the switch out.

clutch safety switch.jpg
 
Does having a semi loose battery connection explain any of the problems I have had to deal with?
Click to expand...
nope. I see you do have at least part of the clutch safety switch. I think you've already had it apart
I also pulled the connection right under the clutch lever to clean what appeared to be 2 small brass bars
Click to expand...
Did you manage to lose the tiny spring and copper "U" inside there? oh well.
 
Gorminrider said:
nope. I see you do have at least part of the clutch safety switch. I think you've already had it apart Did you manage to lose the tiny spring and copper "U" inside there? oh well.
Click to expand...

Yes, I carefully removed the 2 mounting screws and am pretty sure I didn't lose any parts ... but I can now start the engine without pulling the clutch handle so something is probably amiss in the headlight bucket. (However I did not see the spring and copper U you mention?) I will look in the bucket this weekend and report back.

Meanwhile I have been riding the bike! My choke doesn't work until I tighten the cable again ... but after it warms up it runs nicely. The rebuilt carbs are functioning very well now and returning to idle as they should. Very smooth at 65 mph. Did a 30 mile ride yesterday and all was well.
 
So, I looked back to my #1 post ... to see what problems I was having back then. Having a semi-loose positive side battery connection .... caused flickering of my dash lights or for them to go out suddenly .... and when I hit a bump the positive terminal would brush up against the metal battery box and cause a direct short .... and who knows what else. The small mounting bolts allow you to screw them on with a phillips screwdriver OR a socket wrench. From now on I am using a socket wrench to get a better leverage for tightness.

Then the low beam headlight burned out ... on my old original sealed beam bulb headlight so I wanted to fix that with a replaceable H4 halogen Suzuki bucket and reflector lens ... which required changing out the wiring, etc. etc. That rats nest of wiring and plugs require a lot of organization or it wont go back together with the reflector. So most of this has been a nice learning experience for me and I do appreciate the effort of Gorminrider and a few others for their great suggestions. The GS450 is running very well right now and I have a bright light for night time operation if need be. The valves have been shimmed and the carbs are adjusted well. The bike also cleaned up pretty well after lots of scrubbing and polishing. A little more work is still needed, but I'm riding it.

.sell6.jpg
 
to fix that with a replaceable H4 halogen Suzuki bucket and reflector lens
Click to expand...
Yes do that! I've had very poor luck with replacing any sealed beams. They die quick. If possible it might help to get one that specifically suits a farm vehicle or PU..something that offers the highest hours/longevity on the specs..and FYI check the "hours lifetime expected" on a replacement bulb's packaging....the more primitive (dimmer) they are the longer they last until you make a leap to LEDS perhaps.

In a pinch, it is sometimes possible to use a sealed beam 's reflector by removing the burned out bulb, trimming a new H4 and haywiring it in there. BUT trying this (what have you got to lose, after all) , be careful to note the original bulb's orientation so you get Hi/Low beams correct with the new H4 you are putting in. Also, the depth of the bulb is important...I'm mentioning this because reflectors are getting harder to find...
That's all I will say except "safety first" not too funky -you don't want to be without a headlight!
 
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Gorminrider said:
Yes do that! I've had very poor luck with replacing any sealed beams. They die quick. If possible it might help to get one that specifically suits a farm vehicle or PU..something that offers the highest hours/longevity on the specs..and FYI check the "hours lifetime expected" on a replacement bulb's packaging....the more primitive (dimmer) they are the longer they last until you make a leap to LEDS perhaps.

In a pinch, it is sometimes possible to use a sealed beam 's reflector by removing the burned out bulb, trimming a new H4 and haywiring it in there. BUT trying this (what have you got to lose, after all) , be careful to note the original bulb's orientation so you get Hi/Low beams correct with the new H4 you are putting in. Also, the depth of the bulb is important...I'm mentioning this because reflectors are getting harder to find...
That's all I will say except "safety first" not too funky -you don't want to be without a headlight!
Click to expand...

My almost new stock Suzuki headlight bucket and reflector with replaceable lens project has been completed with a Silverlight H4 bulb. I found a nice deal on Ebay for a NO rust Suzuki headlight complete unit and swapped it out with the old one. I got the brightest H4 bulb I could get, so the lifespan might be compromised. I have 2 spare bulbs. Much better lighting now!
 
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