How do YOU jump start an old GS?

[ptegsotic]

Used to be I got 8 to 10 years out of a Yuasa wet-cell battery, but since 2012 the longest a Yuasa lasted was 3 years. I've been using Motobatt AGM since 2016 and 2017 and those two are still in service.
However, recent purchasers of Motobatt have complained of them not being as good as they were, so there's that.

yea I purchased one of those 6-7 yrs ago ... but it took a dump within 18 months.
(maaay have been operator error ... but I's disappointed)

[chuck hahn]

I have had the selinoid loose ground before. Adding a ground from one of the mounting bolts direct to the battery negative resolved the no cranking situation

[OriginalOwner]

I’ve had an $40 AGM Might Max battery like that in the bike for 3 years. I’ll run it till it dies. I, too, used to replace my battery with a Walmart- add electrolyte at home battery about every year. I don’t thing there’s anything wrong with those batteries. made by Yuasa? Didn’t know that- interesting.

Difference is, I fixed my charging system. I would guess that is the root of your issues too. Plenty written here on the forum of how to test and fix your charging system. See Quick Test and Sorted links in my signature.

Link below to the Mighty Max that I bought because it was nearly the exact same size as the original. Realize that a battery even just a little taller that the original could give you problems installing the air filter box.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GEVTMZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Pay attention to the position of the POS and NEG posts. They may be reversed from the original orientation. I don’t recall. You may have to rearrange some things. Just be sure.

For what it’s worth, I keep the leads that connect to my Battery Tender Junior bolted to the battery posts. If I’m riding the bike regularly like March thru Nov, I don’t bother with the tender. In the winter I have it connected to a Christmas Light type timer 12 hours a day. Right or wrong, I don’t care. It works.

I'm going to certainly do the charging system tests, thanks.

I went ahead with the Mighty Max in my link even tho it was 12 AH instead of 14 AH - Mighty Max says its the right battery for my bike and the listed dimensions are just a tenth of an inch off from what I have in there now. It's Prime, so free returns no questions asked if it's somehow not right. It will be here sooner than the others / on Sat and I want to ride it this weekend.



Washed/dusted it and took some pics too:
image.png

[OriginalOwner]

I forgot how much of a PITA it is to post pics here. Sorry, I'll do some editing and get some better ones posted.
image.png

[Suzukian]

If you haven't done the fix for the charging system, that could be rearing it's ugly head.

The issue is that the Suzuki Regulator Rectifier only regulates one leg of the Stator, the other two legs swing up and down in voltage, the sends current back to the Stator and ends up burning the Stator out, and takes the Cr@ppy Regulator Rectifier out with it.

A company named "ElectroSports" makes a very well made replacement Stator, and a full, wave regulator Rectifier for all three legs of the Stator. This also creates 20% more available power, and none of the electricity is returned to the Stator. I wired three new slightly heavier gauge wires, the same gauge was what came off the Stator directly to the three tabs on the Regulator Rectifier, and wired the +/- tabs directly to the Battery. This removed around 6 feet of useless wiring from the harness. I haven't had charging issues for many years.

Go to the thread I post below and look at post Number # 9 This is the best post on the forum on which R/R to get. Nessism has it covered very thoroughly.

Link = https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...hrough-stators

[OriginalOwner]

If you haven't done the fix for the charging system, that could be rearing it's ugly head.

The issue is that the Suzuki Regulator Rectifier only regulates one leg of the Stator, the other two legs swing up and down in voltage, the sends current back to the Stator and ends up burning the Stator out, and takes the Cr@ppy Regulator Rectifier out with it.

A company named "ElectroSports" makes a very well made replacement Stator, and a full, wave regulator Rectifier for all three legs of the Stator. This also creates 20% more available power, and none of the electricity is returned to the Stator. I wired three new slightly heavier gauge wires, the same gauge was what came off the Stator directly to the three tabs on the Regulator Rectifier, and wired the +/- tabs directly to the Battery. This removed around 6 feet of useless wiring from the harness. I haven't had charging issues for many years.

Go to the thread I post below and look at post Number # 9 This is the best post on the forum on which R/R to get. Nessism has it covered very thoroughly.

Link = https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...hrough-stators

I checked it out and it's definitely something I have never done before. The expertise and knowledge of the users on this site is beyond amazing! Do you suggest doing this prophylactically before there's an issue?





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Meh, I had to reduce the quality to post it here and you don't get to see the true beauty of this beast.

[Suzukian]

As a prophylactic measure, definitely, as the issue is so well known. Make your sure read Nessism thread first though, or even contact him on it. He knows this issue in and out, which R/R to get, Stators. His help will get you where you need to be. His wealth of knowledge is amazing. He will also know your bike and any specific which may apply.

[Grimly]

Do you suggest doing this prophylactically before there's an issue?

Definitely. There are some who, through some miracle, have managed to keep their original Reg/Rec going, but they're in the minority. Suzuki used a cheap-ass way of regulating the output, and it puts a lot of stress on the components.
Fitting an SH-775 now will save you a lot of trouble.

[Suzukian]

Couldn't have said it better myself!

[93Bandit]

Definitely. There are some who, through some miracle, have managed to keep their original Reg/Rec going, but they're in the minority. Suzuki used a cheap-ass way of regulating the output, and it puts a lot of stress on the components.
Fitting an SH-775 now will save you a lot of trouble.

Up until a few years ago, my 850 was running the original stator and reg/rec. Bike ran fine, no electrical/charging issues. I went ahead and installed a SH775 as preventative measure.

[Baatfam]

Up until a few years ago, my 850 was running the original stator and reg/rec. Bike ran fine, no electrical/charging issues. I went ahead and installed a SH775 as preventative measure.

Same here with my 1100E. Went to the SH775 a couple years ago just because.

[roeme]

I usually jump start my old GS'es with the kickstart ...jokes' aside:

1. New Battery.
2. Get a "Smart" Charger that uses ΔV charging, and perhaps even has a trickle-charge phase. They're not cheap, but by now (a few years on the market) they're also no longer expensive.

I can echo what has been written in this thread with regards to "charge-to-100%, then off, then again to 100%, no trickle charge": I've put Bluetooth battery monitors on each of my bike, so I detect early when a battery voltage drops below 100% SoC. Then the charger gets put on, and after a while being on 100% I'll disconnect it again.

This way, I'm even still using a battery that has a weak cell (charger even complained about it one time).

In my experience - that experience applies to contemporary batteries -, the key to long living lead-acid batteries is not to not let their voltage fall too low. That includes charging them regularly if the bike often gets short trips that don't provide enough charge to offset the energy consumed for starting.