1 relay v 2 relay?

[posplayr]

If there I had a starting issue, I would use the relay mod off the starter button. That would give me 12v when the starter turns and 10.5v when running. I don’t think the wiring from battery to key switch to coils degrade to the point they become resistors. I have not tested the wiring new on a GS before but I have seen this before new on other motorcycles, ATVs, cars, and outboards. I’m not saying that coil power is 10.5v; I’m saying it could have been 10.5v from day one and that it maybe for a reason. Do you know where you are losing voltage and why? Maybe at the fuse, key switch, kill switch or at the end of the o/w wire with the red tube on it? I believe this o/w with red tube (on the wiring diagrams) is a resistor wire to reduce voltage. I haven’t had time to test this out yet but I will. My GS1100 shows it between the fuse and the kill switch. Some GS1000 with points show o/w wire with a red tube before the key switch plug.

When I did my GS1100ED rebuild I replaced everything electrical with OEM or NEW after market(OE harness, OE left and OE right hand controls, Electro sport Stator and R/R.) Within about a year I started having hard start problems to the point it required Starter fluid to start at all. I checked the voltage and it was 10.5V and so rather than fight it went coil relay mod to minimize connections and switches. No issue since.

With the coil relay mod and about 1 year later still starts nearly instantly.

With a 3 ohms coil it only takes about 0.7 ohms resistance to drop your 12.8 volts down to 10.5V at the coils. That is not a Hell of alot of resistance considering travelling through the fuse box twice and going through two switches forgetting about all the wire and connections back and forth 3 times in between.

[Graham]

When I did my GS1100ED rebuild I replaced everything electrical with OEM or NEW after market(OE harness, OE left and OE right hand controls, Electro sport Stator and R/R.) Within about a year I started having hard start problems to the point it required Starter fluid to start at all. I checked the voltage and it was 10.5V and so rather than fight it went coil relay mod to minimize connections and switches. No issue since.

With the coil relay mod and about 1 year later still starts nearly instantly.

With a 3 ohms coil it only takes about 0.7 ohms resistance to drop your 12.8 volts down to 10.5V at the coils. That is not a Hell of alot of resistance considering travelling through the fuse box twice and going through two switches forgetting about all the wire and connections back and forth 3 times in between.

I did say the relay mod did work. I’m saying there maybe a reason Suzuki didn’t do it to start with. That is a nice GS1100ED you got there. Mine is an old 1100GL with 27-year-old coils and wiring, and it starts every time too (just the other side of the coin). How long (miles) has anyone used the relay mod before replacing parts in their ignition system? Just food for thought.

[posplayr]

I did say the relay mod did work. I’m saying there maybe a reason Suzuki didn’t do it to start with. That is a nice GS1100ED you got there. Mine is an old 1100GL with 27-year-old coils and wiring, and it starts every time too (just the other side of the coin).

I'll admit I preemptively changed my igniton to coil relay mod after my 1166 kit install. Chef1366 also had an 1166 and chased his tail thinking he had carb/jetting problems on his when he finally solved it doing a coil relay mod. So it is not just start up it is also at high RPM.

How long (miles) has anyone used the relay mod before replacing parts in their ignition system? Just food for thought.

The coil relay mod has a pretty long history and was introduced here at GSR about 2 years ago from a Kawi guy I think. I did not think much of it at the time either, but when faced with the above I converted.

Note we are talking about retaining a full 12V not raising the voltage to 24V. I cant imagine that the Suzuki engineers sized the coils to take into account the degradation in voltage due to corrosion and if you put a fresh harness in the coils will burn up.

Thanks on the complements, I'm getting closer to finishing. Finishing off on jetting at the moment. Maybe next weekend to rejet and confirm with the Innovate O2 sensor.

[Graham]

posplayr

I’m going the other way on my GL, more of a commuter. I do like the relay mod off the starter button (like fords in the 60s). I don’t need a 27-year-old ignition taking 14v-15.5v at 5 or 6 thousand RPM, and I don’t need 12,000 rpm (did enough of that in my teens). I just need an old bike that runs day after day. I still think it is resistor wire and not degradation in voltage due to corrosion. I’ll test my bike as soon as I can.