She won't charge herself

[Supernaut]

I have an '81 GS 850 that I'm trying to fix up and get running. Running, up until last week was no trouble as long as I didn't drain the battery. There is apparently no charge from the generator. I simply don't have any experience dealing with that sort of issue and I'm seeking guidance as to how to go about it.

Is there some way to repair the generator or a likely bad connection?

Or would I be better to try and get one from a wrecking yard? Though I'm not sure how easy it would be to get one as the 850's don't seem too common.

Thank you for any help.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. Supernaut,

Oh boy, have I got some links for you:

The Stator Papers (This contains extensive operational background and troubleshooting flowchart.)

More On The Stator Papers (Amended troubleshooting flowchart.)

GS Charging System Health+Quick Test (The "common ground" theory and other helpful tips.)

Below are pictoral guides for these procedures, supplemental to your service manual:

Stator Test

Stator Replacement

Regulator/Rectifier Replacement

Fusebox Cleanup


You'll also want to check and clean EVERY electrical connection and ground on the entire wiring harness. Don't forget to clean the fuse box, ignition switch connections, solenoid connections, everything. (All of the electrics have 30 years of corrosion which must be removed. Corrosion, even the stuff you can't see, adds extra resistance and heat. This is deadly to charging systems.) Remove the fuel tank, seat, and side covers to get at all of the connectors. Then take the ground wire from the regulator/rectifier unit and connect it directly to the negative terminal of the battery. Also connect the three output wires from the stator directly to the input wires of the r/r unit. This will all become clear as you read the above documentation.

Anyway, let me dump a TON if information on you and share some GS850G lovin'.

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.

If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...



Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[jbs80106]

If you're hand with a voltmeter, follow stator papers to find out where the problem lies. 1 of 3 places:

1) bad stator

2) bad Regulator/Rectifier

3) bad wiring or battery

Okay, so that's 4 things.

Start with a fully charged battery and fire her up. Rev's up to 3k or more and you should see greater than 14 volts at the battery. If not, something in the charging system isn't working.

You can either, continue to trouble shoot or knock $200 off your asking price for a new Stator and Reg/Rect.

Replace them yourself and you can likely add $500 to the sales price. (selling something not actually working will cost you more than fixing it properly and then selling).

Sources:
You can buy new stators and reg/rects, or try your luck on Ebay for 'working' ones. Check out the prices first though so you don't over spend on used ones!

It's not hard. You either have voltage where you need it or you don't. If all was well last year and now not so much, I'd order new/used stator and new reg/rect as they are the likely culprits.

[Supernaut]

Thank you for the resources. While I can't get the bike running to check for running voltage, I'll have to poke around the resources and see what else I can do with it.

This seems like a great community and the help is appreciated.

[Redman]

...
...
Or would I be better to try and get one from a wrecking yard? ...
....

I can not add much more than what has been stated above by others.

But, just to point out something, the charging system is not one unit (like it is on modern cars). There is a stator (which is an AC generator) and there is an Rectifyer/Regulator.

If you find any GS (80 or after) at wrecking yard the stator and the R/R will be about the same. THe difference between the years and the models will only be in the type of electrical connectors (which are uaslly cut off and the wires connected some-other-way anyway).

Would be good if you had a volt-ohm muilti meter.

.... and a battery charger so can charge the battery to get the bike started to check the charging system.
.

[Supernaut]

Thank you for the links. I have time to start working on this problem today and have been reading extensively. There is one nagging issue that is bothering me with all these tests. That is the fact that I can't get it to run as brought up in my other related thread here.

Not being able to run at all makes a lot of these electrical tests difficult to perform. It makes it a little difficult to decide where to start first.

[allojohn]

Charge the battery and get it running. If it won't run with a charged battery you must follow Cliff's instructions. Don't look for a quick fix or short cuts as you will end up doing all these things eventually anyway. Good luck!

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Everything starts with clean carbs, a sealed air intake system, and well adjusted valves. Clean all of the electrical connections and grounds on the entire bike.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[SqDancerLynn1]

If you go to the junk yard for a regulator? don't buy Suzuki Get one off a Honda