Maybe it's just me

[wymple]

But I think Suzuki had the worst wiring of the big four. When I work on vintage Yamahas, Hondas, I can usually pull the connectors apart rather easily. Suzukis always seem to be semi fried and fused to the point where you just end up breaking them. My highly qualified mechanic/dealer agrees with me.

[LAB3]

Every brand of motorcycle has it's quirks. If you want to talk about crap electrical systems, dig into a vintage triumph some time!

[Gorminrider]

I dunno if it's just you, but I've found connectors to be ok with care...bullet connectors anyways, though they need a bit of a twist before pulling apart...the clear casing over the connectors is still flexible and even the wire insulation is still good without brittleness. But some particular "multi connectors" near the headlight seem to glue themselves at their casings.

Might be your climate.

[Grimly]

Might be your climate.

For sure, bikes used in places that use road salt suffer from earlier bad connections, especially up front.

[OldVet66]

But I think Suzuki had the worst wiring of the big four. When I work on vintage Yamahas, Hondas, I can usually pull the connectors apart rather easily. Suzukis always seem to be semi fried and fused to the point where you just end up breaking them. My highly qualified mechanic/dealer agrees with me.

As an owner of a '78 GS1000E I agree with you 100%. They had the worst electrical systems of the group. However they are easily fixed with a modern Series R/R and replacement of bad terminals and fried stators. The stator loop through the headlight also has to be eliminated. Then they make some of the most reliable bikes of the lot. I'll take it's bearing system over all the others. My bike is basically stock except for stage 3 jetting and 4-1 exhaust and pods. If I'm not paying attention it's over redline in a heartbeat with a nice kick in the ass at 6,500RPM. I have caught myself at 10 grand and climbing. Not too shabby for a 41 year old 8 valve bike. The stator connectors were especially famous for burning. Both my '78 and my '79 parts bike with the separate Rectifier and Regulator had those terminals burnt. It was designed to disconnect one of the three phase legs to reduce charging output if the headlight was turned off so it wouldn't burn the stator. It didn't matter, the extra resistance in the headlight loop helped burn the stators anyway. The integrated R/R in 1980 didn't make much difference. All of the Shunt R/R's were antiquated junk compared to the Series R/R that shuts itself off when charging isn't needed. The Honda Shunt R/R was a tougher unit but still antiquated and prone to burning stators.

[bwringer]

It's not just you; the other big four brands did have far better electrical design, materials, and build. Still do, actually.

Suzuki sure got a lot of other things right, but I have no idea why they can't raise their electron herding game.

Hell, modern Suzukis still suffer from many of the exact same issues. EZ-roach stators, crappy open connectors, undersized connectors, etc. I think they did finally give up bullet connectors. I don't think there are any lurking in my V-Strom, anyway.


Also, the materials quality on old Honda motorcycles was off-the-chain insane; back in the '70s and '80s these things were built like spaceships in comparison to anything else on the planet. For example, I've worked on Hondas from the '70s recently still wearing their original fuel and vacuum lines. Wires, bolts, welds, levers, etc. are all a distinct cut WAY above the others.

The gap is a lot narrower these days; other vehicle makes have caught up to a degree, and Honda got a lot more cost-conscious in the last few decades and stopped being quite so obsessive, especially after Soichiro died.

Same for Honda and Toyota cars; the parts and materials quality and craftsmanship back in the '70s and '80s was completely nuts compared to what we were used to. The Honda Civic and Accord caused serious panic in Detroit back in the day.

[Brendan W]

Every brand of motorcycle has it's quirks. If you want to talk about crap electrical systems, dig into a vintage triumph some time!

I'm sure I recall having to dig myself out of a Triumph 350.
Suppose it depends on where you are standing