Where should I start ????

[Hacked850]

I just bought a 82 850 in excellent condition and all stock with 21,000 miles.I'm building a RTW sidecar rig with it so I need to make it as reliable as possible.Right now it is charging at around 12.6-7V @ idle and around 14.10-25V @ 4,000 rpm's.I intend to replace the stator and RR and check and replace all the wiring BUT I'm on a budget and I need to ride the bike everyday to work ( I have a pickup so it can be down for a couple of days at a time).Where should I start??,I have the funds right now to get started so I was thinking about a RR first and then a stator.ANY and ALL help would be appreciated..

[Steve]

Personally, I would start with a valve adjustment and a determination of whether you have any carb issues.

If itwas a daily rider before you got it, you might get by with a quick clean and o-ring replacement.

It appears to be charging, why do you want to change stuff?

.

[Nessism]

Steve is captain obvious tonight. Basic maintenance it good!

And fix the charging system wiring before you go replacing parts. Most likely that's all it needs.

[Steve]

Steve is captain obvious tonight. ...

Looking for that promotion to Major, if you don't mind, sir.

.

[Hacked850]

It just had a valve adjust about 100 miles ago.When you say fix the wiring what exactly are talking about.I have heard about totaly rewiring the bike and useing relays,but I'm a noob with the electrical system although I'm very mechanical and learn pretty fast.I was told by the P.O that he had cleaned the carbs not so long ago BUT If my fuel gauge is correct I'm getting about 20-25MPG so a carb cleaning and freshen up might be in order.The reason I was wondering about changing the stator and RR is that the first thing I read on here after I bought it was how bad the electrical systems are and that I should read the stator papers ( which I did ).Also my DL1000 had the same issues ( stator/RR) and I was hoping to head of any issues with the GS.This is my 9th GS ( 4-850's,2-750's,2-450's and 1-700) and I have never had any electrical issues with any of them..

[Steve]

Do you KNOW that it had a valve adjustment or are you trusting the Previous Owner?

Remember, he's also the one that said the carbs were clean.

Of course, clean carbs can get lousy mileage, too, so it's really time to just start from scratch so that you KNOW the condition of the various systems. It doesn't take much to re-o-ring the carbs. Like I said earlier, if the bike has been a daily driver for a while, you might not have to worry about a full "strip and dip" cleaning, just a basic "clean and refresh", then make sure the floats are at the correct height.

As far as the wiring, there is no need to totally rewire the bike and use relays, just start at the front (in the headlight bucket) open up EVERY connector, spray some contact cleaner in there, work it around to clean the contact surfaces, put some dielectric grease in there to preserve those clean surfaces, then put the connector back together. Continue doing this all the way to the tail light, getting EVERY connector on the way. Also make sure you remove your ground wires, clean the contact surfaces and put them back together. The goal is CLEAN CONNECTIONS EVERYWHERE.

It does not matter what condition the bike is in when you get it, it's still an unknown, so check things out, make it KNOWN.

EDIT: you should be getting close to double that fuel mileage. With my fully-dressed 850 (see pic in my sig), I get 40-43 regularly. My wife's bike (another pic in sig) gets 40-45 in town, closer to 50 on the road, has had a high of 58 mpg. Son's 850 (yet another pic) varies wildly, but you have to understand that there are two enthusiastic youngsters twisting the throttle at times. It does get about 45 mph when ridden sanely.


.

[keman]

All the wonderful (crap) bullet connectors need to be pulled apart and at minimum cleaned. Also, find every ground contact and pull those apart and clean them. I used a bit of dielectric grease on all the new contacts and ground points too. I have replaced almost all of my connectors with newer blade style connectors. (every time I work on the bike I seem to find more, I think they are breeding in there)

Sometimes what looks like a charging issue is really just bad connectors. 12+ at idle, and 14+ at 4k is all good. Only thing you may need there is to check that there is a wire from the R/R ground all the way to the battery Neg. Some bikes have it, some don't. If not, add it.

As stated above, go through your basics first. I don't think you need to replace your stator or R/R.

Seems Steve and I were typing at the same time... JYNX!

[Nessism]

Stator should wire directly into the R/R, bypassing the factory wiring. R/R needs better grounds - split and go direct to battery and frame. R/R power out can go to fuse box but you need to check for voltage drop (Jim Posplyer has info on what to do). If you don't want to fuss too much though you can take the power out direct to the battery as long as you add a fuse in-line.

As for the carbs, the stock O-rings are almost sure to be hard and brittle so it's best to change them. Also, the intake boot O-rings need to be changed too (this is even more important than the carb O-rings).

Good luck

[Steve]

Seems Steve and I were typing at the same time... JYNX!

That's MR. Jinks, if you don't mind.

[Hacked850]

As far as the valve adjust go's,the PO was a member here and he told me that another LOCAL memeber came over to his place " awhile back" and did a valve adjust and checked the carbs ( not sure what that means).I checked the MPG today and I'm getting 32.6.Now my commute is 40 miles round trip,60% is freeway and the other is under 40mph and lots of lights,also I have been idling alot.Is the fuel tank 5.8 gallons???.I have decided to put it in the shed in 2 weeks and go thru it from front to back.I will go thru the wiring and clean and grease all the connections and check and clean all the grounds.I will also change the plugs and air cleaner and check wheel bearings and such.I also will be putting on new front brake lines ( steel braided) and EBC pads and flush the 30 year old fluid.Everytime I ride it puts a HUGE smile on my face,it runs so good and smooth and brings back some good memories !!

[Nessism]

Cleaning the factory connections and grounds is not good enough to assure a reliable charging system.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Just go down the lists in your "mega-welcome". See the related material on my website for more information.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Hacked850]

So I said I was thinking about a total rewire at some point and people said that isn't neccesary,I should just clean and check the factory wiring.Now I hear that just cleaning is not good enough !!!.So what is the "do it now" just to get a start on the axle to axle check of the bike??.I would LOVE to be able to put the bike on a lift in a big shop with unlimited budget and time and go thru the whole bike end to end,but I have a 12' X12' shop and I need to try to ride it to work as much as possible.So I'm hoping to do a little at a time,keep improving the problem area's and at the end have a reliable,fun bike that will take me around the world.

[Nessism]

So I said I was thinking about a total rewire at some point and people said that isn't neccesary,I should just clean and check the factory wiring.Now I hear that just cleaning is not good enough !!!.So what is the "do it now" just to get a start on the axle to axle check of the bike??.I would LOVE to be able to put the bike on a lift in a big shop with unlimited budget and time and go thru the whole bike end to end,but I have a 12' X12' shop and I need to try to ride it to work as much as possible.So I'm hoping to do a little at a time,keep improving the problem area's and at the end have a reliable,fun bike that will take me around the world.

I spelled out what you should do to the charging system wiring already. There is no reason for a "total rewire", just follow some basic instructions.

[BigD_83]

clarification of charging numbers

Right now it is charging at around 12.6-7V @ idle and around 14.10-25V @ 4,000 rpm's.

Please indulge me: for your charging numbers, did you mean:

12.6 - 12.7 V (NOT 7 V) at idle and
14.0 - 14.25 V (i.e. NOT 25V) at 4000 rpm?

Just checking