Most likely to get you stranded.....

[Devilwinner]

On our older rides ,even as well maintained as most of us keep ours, what in your opinions are the most common things that will go wrong , burnout, malfunction etc. that will get you stranded miles from home . You senior members and others with years under your belts ,fill us in . I think it would be interesting abd perhaps get some of us to replace things that we may not have thought of.. Thanks

[Billy Ricks]

On our older rides ,even as well maintained as most of us keep ours, what in your opinions are the most common things that will go wrong , burnout, malfunction etc. that will get you stranded miles from home . You senior members and others with years under your belts ,fill us in . I think it would be interesting abd perhaps get some of us to replace things that we may not have thought of.. Thanks

Easy one, the charging system or the occasional flat tire.

[Llamaguy]

what ever is wrong with my bike, bad part is I don't know what it is yet so I can't fix it!

[bwringer]

I'm not sure I understand the question -- I haven't seen a GS break down yet after three Brown County rallies (15 - 20 bikes) and last year's North Carolina rally (>40 bikes).


The only weaknesses particular to the GS (and many older bikes) involve the well-known charging system issues.

Shafties that haven't had the proper grease on the rear drive splines can experience this failure unexpectedly, but that's a once-in-the-bike's-lifetime failure.

Neglect is the biggest killer of old motorcycles -- letting it sit for a month or two without proper storage procedures is much worse than riding it 10 or 12,000 miles.

[J_C]

Does that weakness still exist when the rec/reg and stator are replaced with ricks or electrosport aftermarket items? I was wondering if the wiring plays any roll in this, or if those two items are pretty much solely to blame

[Billy Ricks]

Does that weakness still exist when the rec/reg and stator are replaced with ricks or electrosport aftermarket items? I was wondering if the wiring plays any roll in this, or if those two items are pretty much solely to blame

Can't answer that but the charging issues can be kept to a minimum by adding a ground wire to the R/R. Run it from one of the mounting bolts on the R/R directly to the negative terminal on the battery. You can also add a CPU fan to the heatsink to blow air across it. Make sure all wiring connections are clean and making good contact.

[bwringer]

The replacement electrical bits will also fry quickly if you don't run the ground wire and if you don't clean all the connections. Corrosion in the electrical connectors is a universal problem for any 20-30 year old vehicle, not just Suzukis.

The stock stators actually aren't a problem -- it's just that the crappy regulator/rectifier goes kablooey and fries the stator. Corroded and overheated connections where the stator plugs into the wiring harness are also universal. Most of us solder these, but upgrading to a more stable and protected set of connectors would also work just fine.

[jimcor]

A broken clutch or throttle cable will probably be just a test of ingenuity rather than leave you stranded since you're a resourceful individual and your friends have nicknamed you Mcgyver.

You carry a good set of pliers and wire cutters and both license plate bolts are good quality and have two washers that can be used as a cable end in a pinch. Or you have picked up an emergency cable end and always carry it, or you have a spare clutch/throttle cable taped to the original for long trips.

[chef1366]

No gas stations in the middle of BFE.

[jimcor]

No gas stations in the middle of BFE.

Ah, you must have the infamous '80 petcock with no reserve position...

[chef1366]

What gave me up:-)

[Pharkmeh]

what ever is wrong with my bike, bad part is I don't know what it is yet so I can't fix it!

LOL - your not on your own there m88-[

No gas stations in the middle of BFE.

my lights went on the blink once riding at night....

...and the one time I could fix it (a plastic fuse cap under the seat) the Gas Stations as you call them carried all manner of coffee, snacks, groceries etc etc - but nothing that even resembled a tool like pliers or cutters or the fuse I needed....


good tip here - keep at least basic tools on your bike - even if you don't know how too use them.... chances are someone will\\/

luckily I was able to strip the wire with my keys and reconnect it directly just to get me home - that would also be as much home repair as I am capable of just yet

[jimcor]

What gave me up:-)

BTDT. Ending up knocking on a guy's door and asking to buy his lawnmower gas. Got it for free, guy was glad to (pick one) a. help a motorcyclist b. get me outta there. 8-[

[chef1366]

90,500 miles without top end work? Impressive. I can't keep my hands off mine. My wife thinks it's the other woman:-)

[KEITH KRAUSE]

The electrical system is the most trouble, especially on a bike with a poor design built in. People neglect the electrical system because they don't understand it or know how to work on it. Many don't even think about how important clean, solid connections are. Electrical problems are famous for "sneaking" up on you.