1980 GS450 Battery

[ninja407]

Hi all,

Quick question and long story. My 1980 GS450L, 28K miles, all stock as far as I know, had trouble running in the rain yesterday. I'm almost positive the intake boots need to be replaced as it runs on half choke in good weather. But while trying to limp home in the rain, my battery died, due to continuously restarting my bike every few blocks. Originally, I was going to buy a portable jumper to hopefully just get my bike 5 miles home, but now I am going to replace the battery, since the previous owner said it was "a couple years old." My bike is currently parked on the street in Washington Heights, NYC and I couldn't find this info elsewhere on the site so here's my quick question:

What is the battery size and dimensions for a 1980 GS450L?


Thanks for any help on this.

[Wyldesoul]

It's a 10LA-2 battery.

That is actually all you need to know, as the sizes are standardized.

[Wyldesoul]

In addendum to that post:

Just go to Wal-Mart, Meijers, Sears, Advance, Autozone, (insert store of choice) and look for a 10LA-2 battery. They all are the same, functionally.

But I will say do definitely go to a physical store and buy it, that way you can easily deal with the warranty, as it is illegal to mail a battery once it has been filled. (They never tell you that with batteries purchased online. Yeah, you can have a warranty, but it is illegal to get it to them, so if you don't live near their physical store, you're SOL)

[ninja407]

Thanks

Great, Thanks for the info and advice. I was planning on a brick and mortar just because of the time factor.

[apopleptic]

In addendum to that post:

Just go to Wal-Mart, Meijers, Sears, Advance, Autozone, (insert store of choice) and look for a 10LA-2 battery. They all are the same, functionally.

But I will say do definitely go to a physical store and buy it, that way you can easily deal with the warranty, as it is illegal to mail a battery once it has been filled. (They never tell you that with batteries purchased online. Yeah, you can have a warranty, but it is illegal to get it to them, so if you don't live near their physical store, you're SOL)

Do you know if the mail thing also applies to Gel of AGM batteries?

http://www.amazon.com/BikeMaster-TruGel-Batteries-BATTERY-MG10L-A2/dp/B0038HQS4Y

I've seen these as low as $63 delivered and was seriously tempted to buy it.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. Ninja407,

It sounds like you need a proper carb cleaning, air intake repair, and charging system testing/servicing. You'll find most of what you need to get started in the links below.

Let me dump a TON of 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. This is what NOT to do: Top 10 Newbie Mistakes. 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. I will put you on my prayer list.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Wyldesoul]

Do you know if the mail thing also applies to Gel of AGM batteries?

It does not apply to them as far as I am aware, as they are completely sealed and non-spillable.

Or it could be that they are still illegal for most people to mail, but you can if you package it right and label it right... Who knows. I do know, however, that non sealed batteries are very illegal to mail.

[terrylee]

Don't buy one from Wal-mart, I have bought two from them and they lasted no time at all and their warranty is 30 days. terrylee

[Trevor76]

Hi, I'm gonna threadjack here but it's related to OP's original topic...

I bought my '80 GS450 with this battery installed:







According to the seller it's a new battery (as in less than a year old and the bike was mainly sidelined with electrical problems during that time).

The issue is that I have had it on the Battery Tender for about twelve hours total and it is still not showing a full charge (green light).

It is showing a steady red light, not flashing (flashing indicates a charging error).

I have an AGM battery in the Honda, it never took anywhere near that long to charge even from being near dead. But maybe that's the difference between AGM and acid batteries? I don't know too much about batteries.

So, is this within the realm of "normal"? keep waiting?

Also, there is no vent tube on the battery, it didn't come with one.
Can I stick any rubber hose that will fit on there? I have some unused fuel line as well as some PVC line left over from a manometer project.

[ninja407]

Long story cont'd

So I was able to find a battery in the bronx. Filled it with acid, let it sit, then charged it for 10-12 hours. This morning I ride the bus to where my bike is sitting in the city. Pull the old battery out. I started connecting the battery, but lost track of/forgot about the red positive cable in the frame. Then I connected the other wire that comes off the positive terminal. Then alot of smoke, smell; I caused an obvious short. I was afraid it was in one of the random(to me) electrical boxes on the panel on the left side. I disconnected the battery and swore alot. After snooping around I saw that the short burnt out two wires, both black w/ white stripe. One was connected to the bracket on the right hand side, and the other connected to the top of the tr.igniter box on the left hand side. They both lead to a 3 to 1 splice wire in the wiring nest under the seat, which was so fun to untangle. I was able make replacement wires from some crimp on connections and 20 gauge wire( a little thicker than what was used) from radio shack. I spliced these into the now bare copper wire, just above the 3-1 splice that I was able to leave be.

Battery works great, engine started right up and idled ok with the choke. I was able to make it home w/o stalling. Although I had to play around with the throttle alot, as well as the choke, at red lights. The bike would also bog down and come close to sputtering out while accelerating from a stop. Well thanks for reading. I guess its time to start a thread in the carb section now

[ninja407]

Some pictures

First attempt at photos. Sorry I dont have any of the finished product.

[pete]

Mate well done! I started reading that post and thought I was going to read that the ignitor was toast or something, glad to hear you were able to ride instead

Definitely sounds like carb work required though!

[ninja407]

Yeah, I think what happened was the positive cable touched the frame, causing a complete circuit through the frame and those two wires(ground wires?), luckily it stuck to those two wires.

[ninja407]

I think if it doesn't take a a charge after 24 hours on a trickle charger that it is pretty much dead. I recall that was about the limit on my marine batteries. After 24 hours on a trickle, the red light was still on. The battery would work, but its life was severely limited.

[pete]

Not sure on the life myself, but I would think that's a fair call. 24 hours on trickle charge is plenty of time to get a charge into it!