1978 GS1000 + blown main fuse + cylinder three misfiring =

[jskellington]

. . . and bare wire at the connectors on the back.

Fuse 2.jpg

The plastic surrounding the main fuse clips no longer provides a solid base for the clips, so I'm gonna replace the fusebox with a generic box using blade fuses, unless someone talks me out of it.

Also overdue (and good advice, thanks) is an inspection of the ignition switch contacts.

[jskellington]

I tried to insert the back-of-the-fusebox photo inline, but upon review I see it won't open when clicked, unlike the attached thumbnail in the previous post. Is there some trick to getting the photo inline with the text?

[jskellington]

Big T, I think this is for you: I disassembled and cleaned up the ignition switch contact plate and contacts, but in the process sent a couple of springs and a ball bearing flying into my un-laboratory like garage. Fortunately, I was able to find all three bits. I can deduce where the ball bearing sits, but I am unsure about the two springs that go beneath the A and B contact clips. There are two smaller springs that sit in wells just above the letter B and the letter A, and these stayed in place. Do the larger two springs go around the smaller springs?

[salty_monk]

That fuse box looks like a healthier version of mine... I would at least melt the connections & maybe add a bit more solder, clean the front contacts up, new fuses & then fill the back with epoxy before putting the cover back on. Mines been trouble free since I did that..

[Big T]

Nope

The two springs go in the holes on the side and the ballbearing s go in on top of the springs.

Squeezing both bearings while you reinsert the plate can be a bit tricky

The ball bearings provide the detent

[jskellington]

Hey, thanks Big T. It seems I only partially understood how the thing worked. What a beautifully simple electromechanical switch! I suppose it's all microcircuitry in modern bikes. Glad I removed the headlight and finally noticed the birthdate of my GS stamped on the steering head. 12/1977. A newborn baby in 1978, and a virile 42-year-old today. I bow to Suzuki.

Dan, to your point, I should keep the vintage glass tubes in their proper setting. Not like I'm going to be splashing through any creeks en route to Tierra del Fuego anytime soon. I haven't held a soldering iron since I was in 8th grade, building a radio or taking one apart.

Final thought, probably not original: it's easier to take stuff apart than put it together.

[salty_monk]

Mine is May 1978... The same month & year as me!

[jskellington]

I bought a keyless GS1000 ignition switch ($18.19 including shipment!) on eBay, mostly to replace the ball bearing that shot away into my messy garage during the ham-handed dissassembly five days ago. It arrived yesterday.

Shortly after I'd cannibalized the eBay switch and buttoned everything up, and in precise accordance with Murphy's Law, I discovered the missing bearing . . .