Gs850G Electrical problems.

[threebtbird]

Hi, I have searched all of the forums and did not find anyone with the same problem as me or any kind of help. First off i havea 1980 Suzuki GS850G. It has been a great bike and endured a lot of riding. On my last ride last summer it started to act up and died as i was riding down the road. I pulled off to the side and it had no power at all. The battery and al that were fine. So i pushed it back off the road into a parking lot and checked the fuses and all that and they were fine. I then pused it closer to a car to try and get a jump start to see if that was the problem. Before i hooked it up i turned the key just to see what would happen and it had power and everything was working so it fired up just fine. I rode home and parked it for the winter and now spring is here and i really need to start riding again with gas prices being so high it will be my primary form of transportation for the summer. Well when i went to start it once again it has no power at all. The battery has 12.2 volts. I checked the fuses and they seem to be fine. The top 2 fuses have the same voltage and the bottom 3 are dead. I removed the headlight to check all of the electrical connections going to the ignition switch and they seem fine. The main wire going to the ignition has a 4 prong plug in there. One of which has the 12 volts. What i am wondering is are there any things that i could check to help me get this problem solved. I dont have any money to invest into the bike so if someone could help me get some wiring diagrams online that would be great also as i am lost as to what all the wires are for. And also if there is not an easy fix for this, like it needs a fusebox or an ignition switch, is there any way to hotwire around the problem area? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated i need it badly. Thank you.

[Bill C.]

wiring diagram

PM me with your address and I will copy my wiring diagrams and send it to you. Not sure what your problem is, maybe a loose plug some where. Hope this helps.

[SqDancerLynn1]

The 4 ign switch wires two of them should have 12 Volts

[MinnesotaTim]

I wish I had diagrams. I'd help you trace this. It sounds intriguing.

When you key on do you have headlight or instrument lights?
When you key on and hit the starter, are you getting any clicking from the starter solenoid?
Have you charged the battery? If its reading 12.2V at no load, I wonder if its drawing down below cranking voltage when the load hits it?
And you mentioned some blown fuses. Do you have an owner's manual? Do you know what those fuses are for? Fuses seldom, if ever, fail without cause.

- Tim

[bwringer]

Where y'at?

Tell us where you are -- there might be a GS-er nearby who's handy with a multimeter. We're a helpful bunch, and this sort of thing is really hard to diagnose by remote control.

This isn't one of those "they all do that" type problems, so it would take some detailed hands on troubleshooting.

Assuming you're not anywhere near Indianapolis, I might suggest running a good shot of WD-40 through the ignition switch. I've seen similar problems in other bikes caused by old gunk in the switch.

Your symptoms (intermittent last year, then nothing this year) do sort of point to a worsening corrosion problem in a connection somewhere, so the solution could be as simple, yet time-consuming, as checking and verifying every connection on the bike. Remove the battery first, and make sure you unbolt the fuse box and inspect the connections on the back side -- sometimes these tend to corrode. I'd also take a very close look at the ignition switch, and make sure the wiring connections are solid.

Also make sure your battery is really OK -- was it maintained on an automatic charger all winter?

[threebtbird]

Replies

Hey guys thanks for the replies. First off i am located in southwestern PA about 14 miles south of Uniontown. I will try the WD-40 in the ignition as it may be the problem and let you guys know in the morning. When i turn the key i get nothing at all. No turnsignals, headlight or anything. Just a completely dead bike . And i have a part of the manual, which does not inclued the fuse diagram. The person who owned it before me just threw it in the compartment in the back and it became water logged. I will remove the fuse box tonight and see if there is any corrosion behind it. Hopefully one of these things will fix the problem. If not i will have to run through the wiring diagrams. If 2 prongs out of the 4 going to the ignition are supposed to have 12 volts and im only getting 12 at one of them, that might be the problem and i will have to trace those wires. But i'll check all of these things and keep ya'll updated. Thanks again for the help, and feel free to keep throwing suggestions out there. I'll try it all. Ya never know with electronics. :?

[zeke1883]

Suzuki GS850 Just goes dead for no apparent reason

threebtbird: Did you ever get this problem figured out? My son has a 79 GS850 which has just started exhibiting the exact same problems you are describing here. The battery is a brand new maintenance free, and is completely up to charge. We were riding this just last week, and he pulled up to a stop sign and the bike went completely dead. Turned the key off then on, and headlamp came on very very very dimly, no gauge lights, no electric starter, nothing. We shut off the headlamp, and we started kicking it and suddenly it just fired up. Yesterday, he had the exact same problem again. After playing around kicking it for awhile, same thing, suddenly it came to life and he got home with it with no more trouble. I am thinking it is probably a ground problem of some type, but I really have no idea where or how to begin tracing this down.

Be interesting to hear what you discovered if anything.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!

Hi Mr. zeke1883,

Start by checking and cleaning every electrical connection and ground in the entire wiring harness, from the headlight bucket to the tail light. There are lots of places for corrosion and intermittent connections to hide.

Visit my little BikeCliff website, starting with the mega-welcome page, for lots of GS lovin'; diagrams, tutorials, manuals, etc.


Thank you for your indulgence

BassCliff

[argonsagas]

Hi, I have searched all of the forums and did not find anyone with the same problem as me or any kind of help. First off i havea 1980 Suzuki GS850G. It has been a great bike and endured a lot of riding. On my last ride last summer it started to act up and died as i was riding down the road. I pulled off to the side and it had no power at all. The battery and al that were fine. So i pushed it back off the road into a parking lot and checked the fuses and all that and they were fine. I then pused it closer to a car to try and get a jump start to see if that was the problem. Before i hooked it up i turned the key just to see what would happen and it had power and everything was working so it fired up just fine. I rode home and parked it for the winter and now spring is here and i really need to start riding again with gas prices being so high it will be my primary form of transportation for the summer. Well when i went to start it once again it has no power at all. The battery has 12.2 volts. I checked the fuses and they seem to be fine. The top 2 fuses have the same voltage and the bottom 3 are dead. I removed the headlight to check all of the electrical connections going to the ignition switch and they seem fine. The main wire going to the ignition has a 4 prong plug in there. One of which has the 12 volts. What i am wondering is are there any things that i could check to help me get this problem solved. I dont have any money to invest into the bike so if someone could help me get some wiring diagrams online that would be great also as i am lost as to what all the wires are for. And also if there is not an easy fix for this, like it needs a fusebox or an ignition switch, is there any way to hotwire around the problem area? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated i need it badly. Thank you.

If your fuses are showing dead you may very well have corrosion inside the fuse box.

The box itself comes off by removing two screws, and there should be a flat panel at the back which you can slide off. ...although you may have to pry it off.

Inside are several brass pieces that hide their corrosion easily, because you can't see in there, and that can cause intermittent contact.

It can also cause overheating and melt the fusebox, as it did mine.

Before you remove the pieces, take a photo of them, so you can be certain of the placement. A simple drawing will also do that job.


This could be the source of your problem, or one of the components, and it is an easy fix. Just clean them all up, reassemble and install .