Chasing my electrical problems on my GS450

[dennco2]

nope. I see you do have at least part of the clutch safety switch. I think you've already had it apart Did you manage to lose the tiny spring and copper "U" inside there? oh well.

Yes, I carefully removed the 2 mounting screws and am pretty sure I didn't lose any parts ... but I can now start the engine without pulling the clutch handle so something is probably amiss in the headlight bucket. (However I did not see the spring and copper U you mention?) I will look in the bucket this weekend and report back.

Meanwhile I have been riding the bike! My choke doesn't work until I tighten the cable again ... but after it warms up it runs nicely. The rebuilt carbs are functioning very well now and returning to idle as they should. Very smooth at 65 mph. Did a 30 mile ride yesterday and all was well.

[dennco2]

So, I looked back to my #1 post ... to see what problems I was having back then. Having a semi-loose positive side battery connection .... caused flickering of my dash lights or for them to go out suddenly .... and when I hit a bump the positive terminal would brush up against the metal battery box and cause a direct short .... and who knows what else. The small mounting bolts allow you to screw them on with a phillips screwdriver OR a socket wrench. From now on I am using a socket wrench to get a better leverage for tightness.

Then the low beam headlight burned out ... on my old original sealed beam bulb headlight so I wanted to fix that with a replaceable H4 halogen Suzuki bucket and reflector lens ... which required changing out the wiring, etc. etc. That rats nest of wiring and plugs require a lot of organization or it wont go back together with the reflector. So most of this has been a nice learning experience for me and I do appreciate the effort of Gorminrider and a few others for their great suggestions. The GS450 is running very well right now and I have a bright light for night time operation if need be. The valves have been shimmed and the carbs are adjusted well. The bike also cleaned up pretty well after lots of scrubbing and polishing. A little more work is still needed, but I'm riding it.

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[Gorminrider]

to fix that with a replaceable H4 halogen Suzuki bucket and reflector lens

Yes do that! I've had very poor luck with replacing any sealed beams. They die quick. If possible it might help to get one that specifically suits a farm vehicle or PU..something that offers the highest hours/longevity on the specs..and FYI check the "hours lifetime expected" on a replacement bulb's packaging....the more primitive (dimmer) they are the longer they last until you make a leap to LEDS perhaps.

In a pinch, it is sometimes possible to use a sealed beam 's reflector by removing the burned out bulb, trimming a new H4 and haywiring it in there. BUT trying this (what have you got to lose, after all) , be careful to note the original bulb's orientation so you get Hi/Low beams correct with the new H4 you are putting in. Also, the depth of the bulb is important...I'm mentioning this because reflectors are getting harder to find...
That's all I will say except "safety first" not too funky -you don't want to be without a headlight!

[dennco2]

Yes do that! I've had very poor luck with replacing any sealed beams. They die quick. If possible it might help to get one that specifically suits a farm vehicle or PU..something that offers the highest hours/longevity on the specs..and FYI check the "hours lifetime expected" on a replacement bulb's packaging....the more primitive (dimmer) they are the longer they last until you make a leap to LEDS perhaps.

In a pinch, it is sometimes possible to use a sealed beam 's reflector by removing the burned out bulb, trimming a new H4 and haywiring it in there. BUT trying this (what have you got to lose, after all) , be careful to note the original bulb's orientation so you get Hi/Low beams correct with the new H4 you are putting in. Also, the depth of the bulb is important...I'm mentioning this because reflectors are getting harder to find...
That's all I will say except "safety first" not too funky -you don't want to be without a headlight!

My almost new stock Suzuki headlight bucket and reflector with replaceable lens project has been completed with a Silverlight H4 bulb. I found a nice deal on Ebay for a NO rust Suzuki headlight complete unit and swapped it out with the old one. I got the brightest H4 bulb I could get, so the lifespan might be compromised. I have 2 spare bulbs. Much better lighting now!