79 GS850 electical start issue/charing issue

[blazinnate]

hi all, i recently purchased a 79 gs850, and its been a bit of a problem child. after i got my brake problems all figured out, i started having charging problems. i bought a cheap battery, only to find out it was bad, and then found out the stator was bad, so i changed it. since then i bought a good yuasa gel battery and its been running great. this morning getting ready for work it fired right up. when i was getting ready to go home, again, it fired up. while letting it warm up a bit, it died, so i went to start it again, and it would turn over once or twice and then nothing. i kicked it and got it home, but since then it won't start via starter. anyone have any ideas of what i should check out? thanks in advance!

[Nessism]

That sucks man. Hope you get it figured out.

[posplayr]

That sucks man. Hope you get it figured out.

Man that really bites the big one; wonder what it could b?

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. blazinnate,

What the guys are trying to say is that this is one of the most common problems with these 30 year old bikes. Even a cursory search of the forums should reveal tons of information on the subject. I'm on my phone right now so I'll be back with your "mega-welcome".

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. blazinnate,

First a few links to help you understand and repair your charging system:

The Stator Papers

GS Charging System Health+Quick Test

More On The Stator Papers

Fusebox Cleanup

Cleaning Your Wiring Harness

Stator Test

Stator Replacement

Regulator/Rectifier Replacement


Anyway, let me dump even more 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

[blazinnate]

Thanks for the help BassCliff! My cousin told me the rotor and regulator are common problems on these bikes, tomorrow i'm going to do a little checking on stuff to see if i can figure out whats going on. The stator SHOULD be good, it was just changed a few weeks ago. I'll find out more when i put a tester on it, but so far it seems to be charging. I've ridden it around quite a bit in the past few days, and have had no problems besides having to kick start it, thats why i'm wondering if the starter could be out instead of having a problem with the charging system. I'll go through all the info you posted though and see what i can find, thanks again. and i'll try to get pictures of the bike tomorrow to post!

Edit: Another reason i was thinking it wasn't the charging system, is like i said, when i was getting ready to go home, the bike started right up via starter. When i was letting it idle to warm up, it died, like it does most times(pretty sure i need to sync the carbs). I tried starting it again, and there was nothing, its not like it was running out of juice, it just wouldn't crank. Before i changed the stator and battery, it would crank over like normal, and then of course as the battery lost juice, it would start to slow down until it wouldn't crank at all.

[SqDancerLynn1]

I hope they put the right stator on it.. My 79GS850 has the 12 pole stator If they put a later 16 pole stator
it will not work. !!

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Ms. SqDancerLynn1 is correct. Earlier bikes with kick starters had 12 pole stators. Newer bikes have 18 pole stators. It is possible to put an 18 pole stator in an older bike but you must also install a newer rotor with the proper number of magnets. The "Quick Test" will tell you if you are charging and The Stator Papers will give you in-depth theory and troubleshooting.

If you suspect the starter then check the connections, brushes, commutator, etc. It may need a rebuild. Test the solenoid. Does it click? Does the starter spin slowly? See the electrical section of my website for troubleshooting tips.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff