First GS 850G For Me

[jlyon40]

This is the first bike that I have ever purchased and owned. 1981 GS 850G, only 19,000 miles. Before this bike I had been riding my dads 1980 Gs850G and honestly I can't find anything wrong with this bike. It takes off like a rocket. The gentleman I bought it off of said that he got it serviced every year. The only thing that I could find wrong when I brought it home was that the battery was a little low on amperage so I had to get a new battery which wasn't that big of a deal. Honestly I believe that the guy I bought this from had no idea what it was. He was rich and he said that he had a Harley and he just bought this for his son to ride with him. I got this bike for $1,200 which I kinda think is a steal considering that the bike is in such great condition. And I am really happy to become a part of this awesome GS family. Since I bought the bike I have been all over this site, so I know a lot more about my bike than I did. Also if there's anybody in the South West New York area that wants to ride let me know.

 

[jlyon40]

Another Pic of the bike

Another Pic of the bike

Another pic of the bike

 

[storm 64]

Nice motorcycle! Sure looks like a sweetie Get to know the motorcycle a little bit, then with a few add on goodies it will be like brand new. (Brake lines, fork springs, regulator/rectifier, new tires....) It's easy to spend money on a GS☺

 

[dorkburger]

That bike sure gets around. Welcome and good luck with it.

 

[ddaniels]

Very nice find! Welcome to the site.

 

[jlyon40]

Hey I was thinking about replacing the rectifier because I don't want the stock one burning out. Do you know where and what rectifier I should get or what you would recommend?

 

[Burque73]

Hey I was thinking about replacing the rectifier because I don't want the stock one burning out. Do you know where and what rectifier I should get or what you would recommend?

Great looking bike there!

Poke around in the varius forums, in particular electrical. Read about the sh775 r/r find a good reputable seller on ebay and grab a used one for less than $50.

 

[Steve]

Hey I was thinking about replacing the rectifier because I don't want the stock one burning out. Do you know where and what rectifier I should get or what you would recommend?

Actually, it's not the rectifier (or its attached regulator) that burns out. What goes bad is the stator. One of the biggest causes of failure is poor connections in the charging circuit, then next cause of failure is because of the type of R/R (rectifier/regulator) that Suzuki installed.

The current favorite replacement is one for a Polaris RAZR ATV. I have heard that the price on new ones has skyrocketed over the last few months, but the good news is that there are many of those vehicles that are being parted out, for one reason or another, and used R/Rs are available relatively inexpensively on eBay.

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[jlyon40]

Ok Just to get your opinion on it, do you think that I should get a new R/R. The wiring on my bike looks very clean still and the bike has been garage kept it's entire life. Also my dad has an 80' gs850g and his has over 56,000 miles on it and he has never had a problem with the Charging system or the R/R.

 

[Steve]

Ok Just to get your opinion on it, do you think that I should get a new R/R.

One of our esteemed members has a very good piece of advice in his signature: "To measure is to know."

In other words, check your voltage to see if you have a problem. If it's still reading strong at all the points it should be, don't worry about it. On the other hand, a quick set of measurements might show the beginning signs of failure and you can head off some problems by replacing the R/R at home, instead of 300 miles away.

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[jlyon40]

Awesome thanks for the input I really appreciate it.

 

[ddaniels]

Even if everything checks out ok, I would go ahead and check all electrical connection points and clean and/or replace.