I'm in trouble with this one

[wymple]

All my GS bikes were Dyna ignition. This one is stock. 1983 GS1100. Ran (it did) when parked, It sat for 2-3 years. I had the carbs rebuilt, lined the tank, new battery. I have juice to the coils and no spark. Just from sitting? There is also a hot wire with a ring stakon near the battery with apparently no place to go. It is hot with the switch on. The only thing it will reach is the hot battery post, but trying to put it there makes it hot without the switch on, lighting up the dash. It is black with a yellow stripe. That yellow could be an aged coloring. Any quick ideas? I hate people who just leave things sit for years and then just think they can charge a battery and ride away.

[tom203]

Is this a gs1100E with a mechanical advancer and an ignitor like this pic?

https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/suzuki/motorcycle/1983/gs1100e/signal-generator

[wymple]

I don't know about the mechanical advancer, that ignitor is found by the battery, tho.

[wymple]

Update: I started pulling things apart in the fusebox area, and found the fusebox has a both a + and a- port at the bottom of it. Both had screws in them but no wires. Nothing anywhere looking like a ground wire, strangely, so I made one. Now everything works, still don't know what the + side is for. That black wire I mentioned that is hot with the switch on has turned into 2 of them. I found another just like it tucked in there. They both come out of the harness right by the solenoid area, and reach nothing. Both have circular stakons. I blew a fuse grounding one of them accidentally, and the blown fuse just says "power source". I also eliminated the sidestand safety switch, tied the wires together back at the harness, and now the light won't go out. The bike starts and runs fine whether they are tied together or not. Strange stuff.

[Steve]

Update: I started pulling things apart in the fusebox area, and found the fusebox has a both a + and a- port at the bottom of it. Both had screws in them but no wires. Nothing anywhere looking like a ground wire, strangely, so I made one. Now everything works, still don't know what the + side is for.

The + and - terminals are for an accessory that you might want to add. Please make note that the + terminal is hot all the time, it is NOT switched by the key.

I also eliminated the sidestand safety switch, tied the wires together back at the harness, and now the light won't go out. The bike starts and runs fine whether they are tied together or not. Strange stuff.

You will need to learn how things work before you start disconnecting blindly. The switch on the sidestand is not much of a "safety" switch. It only turns on the light on the instrument panel. It has NOTHING to do with the starter.
There are two ways to turn the light off:
1. Re-install and re-connect the sidestand switch.
2. Remove the bulb in the instrument panel.

Just out of curiosity, why did you disconnect the sidestand switch?

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[wymple]

I was under the impression that the bike would kill if you left the sidestand down while dropping it in gear, and I also thought that was normal as it's done on other bikes. On anything this old that isn't pristine, I am a minimalist at heart anyway. I don't like gear shift indicators & such. If I don't know what gear I'm in I shouldn't be on a bike.

[Steve]

Nope.

The closest thing that Suzuki had to a "safety" interlock was that you had to pull the clutch lever to engage the electric starter.

Yes, other bikes had the sidestand tied in with the ignition. My Goldwing will kill the ignition if the stand is down and the transmission is not in Neutral.

With the stand UP, if the transmission is Neutral, you can use the starter freely. In any other gear position, you must pull the clutch.

To engage Reverse, the engine must be running, the side stand must be up, the transmission must be in Neutral, then you need to pull the lever to engage the mechanism. You actually start moving when you push the starter button.

Yep, LOTS of interlocks on the Wing, but none on a GS that use the side stand.

Be sure to check your sidestand visually when you are ready to ride.

.