New Rectifier for 1981 Gs850G

[Guest]

I just purchased a 1981 GS850G and was thinking about getting a new rectifier because of the bad rep that the stock rectifiers have. Any opinions on what brand or which one I should get specifically? I only want the best for it. Thanks.

[Steve]

I just purchased a 1981 GS850G and was thinking about getting a new rectifier because of the bad rep that the stock rectifiers have. Any opinions on what brand or which one I should get specifically? I only want the best for it. Thanks.

See my reply in your other thread with the same question.

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[Burque73]

Thought I'd see if moving this from the other forum would work. Steve, I admire your completeness in replying to questions like this.

Actually, it's not the rectifier (or its attached regulator) that burns out. What goes bad is the stator. One of the biggest causes of failure is poor connections in the charging circuit, then next cause of failure is because of the type of R/R (rectifier/regulator) that Suzuki installed.

The current favorite replacement is one for a Polaris RAZR ATV. I have heard that the price on new ones has skyrocketed over the last few months, but the good news is that there are many of those vehicles that are being parted out, for one reason or another, and used R/Rs are available relatively inexpensively on eBay.

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If you can find a good used one, which I'm sure you can, please try to avoid a blunder that I made. There is a mounting plate used on the Polaris to hold the R/R in place. Some sellers on Ebay will ship it still attached to that plate and it is a bear to remove the two Torx head screws holding it on that plate. I may have purchased the only one like that but just in case I thought I'd mention it.

Ok Just to get your opinion on it, do you think that I should get a new R/R. The wiring on my bike looks very clean still and the bike has been garage kept it's entire life. Also my dad has an 80' gs850g and his has over 56,000 miles on it and he has never had a problem with the Charging system or the R/R.

Seems like a few can escape the electrical problems for some reason, but many are just approaching the inevitable overcharged battery from a failed R/R like mine or a burnt stator like so many others. I wonder if climate has something to do with that.

One of our esteemed members has a very good piece of advice in his signature: "To measure is to know."

In other words, check your voltage to see if you have a problem. If it's still reading strong at all the points it should be, don't worry about it. On the other hand, a quick set of measurements might show the beginning signs of failure and you can head off some problems by replacing the R/R at home, instead of 300 miles away.

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Wisdom!

Awesome thanks for the input I really appreciate it.

You're not alone here. I have greatly appreciated the GS gurus input and advice. Hats off to you guys for taking the time to help us all keep these great bikes on the road.