Electrex Regulator & Rectifier question.

[GS750GUY]

I noticed one day when signing on that a pop up for "Electrex" electrical parts suddenly appeared announcing that the primary problem with GS electrical problems is fualty regulators and rectifiers. After a subtle scare job they then proceeded to instruct you to their site for further information.
Does the regualator and rectifier need to be points of concern for my 78 GS750 that only has 11,000 miles on it?

What are the symptoms of these items being faulty?

What experiences have you other GS'rs had in this area?

The ad sounded like if you own a GS you were headed for these kinds of problems.

Thanks!

Harold (GS750Guy)

I value your input.

[MichaelHoward]

Harold,
Sooner or later they will go out.These bikes were notorious for weak electrics. Mine has not caused me any problems yet, I only have 5k original miles on my 1100E, but have a new set waiting for just that day.

Ricks brand are just as good and cheaper.

[dpep]

See if you find this helpful.

http://www.thegsresources.com/gs_watchout.htm

I must say that I have never had any popups when accessing this site. Electrex used to be a sponsor of GS Resources but that was several years ago. We have been member supported for some time.

Can you describe exactly when it is you get this message?

[Road_Clam]

I noticed one day when signing on that a pop up for "Electrex" electrical parts suddenly appeared announcing that the primary problem with GS electrical problems is fualty regulators and rectifiers. After a subtle scare job they then proceeded to instruct you to their site for further information.
Does the regualator and rectifier need to be points of concern for my 78 GS750 that only has 11,000 miles on it?

What are the symptoms of these items being faulty?

What experiences have you other GS'rs had in this area?

The ad sounded like if you own a GS you were headed for these kinds of problems.

Thanks!

Harold (GS750Guy)

I value your input.

There is some truth to this statement, BUT the issues do not stem from "faulty" R/R.( FYI the regulator and rectifier are the same component). As I understand the issue stems from a poorly engineered grounding system for all the GS's. This poor ground forces the R/R to "search" for a good ground, which heavily loads the R/R, which in turn loads the stator, which causes the stator to operate at an excessively high temperature, which prematurely cooks both components. I have both Electrex stator, and R/R, and I have a modified extensive ground wire network, and I am all set. My R/R only gets warm to the touch.

[steve-lloyd]

I noticed one day when signing on that a pop up for "Electrex" electrical parts suddenly appeared announcing that the primary problem with GS electrical problems is fualty regulators and rectifiers. After a subtle scare job they then proceeded to instruct you to their site for further information.
Does the regualator and rectifier need to be points of concern for my 78 GS750 that only has 11,000 miles on it?

What are the symptoms of these items being faulty?

What experiences have you other GS'rs had in this area?

The ad sounded like if you own a GS you were headed for these kinds of problems.

Thanks!

Harold (GS750Guy)

I value your input.

There is no doubt this is the GS weak spot. Having said that, I have had 5 Suzukis and not one of them has had this problem.
If you are worried, fit a used Honda item, these hardly ever fail and are an easy replacement.
There is plenty of info on the site on how to do this.

[robertbarr]

I think failure is pretty hard to predict, as long as the harness connections are in reasonable shape. My '79 GS850's charging system still worked fine after 54,000 miles when I sold it. My '82's R/R went south at about 24,000. Go figure.

[tkent02]

Never had a problem with my four GSes....

Including the '77 GS550 that had well over 100,000 miles on it.
I think it's more likely to fail if you live in a rusty place, and if you don't keep all the grounds in good shape. Probably if the P.O. hacked up all the wiring for whatever reason it may have a grounding problem that may cause these failures too.

[tfb]

Every GS/GSX Suzuki I've owned (3 so far) has had these problems. In each case, I had to fix the daft wiring arrangement whereby the wire from one phase is routed via the headlamp switch on the rhs handlebar switchgear.

One view is that it is this arrangement, combined with riding around with your headlight off, that leads to the RR and the stator cooking themselves.

So if you have a GS that has been re-wired so that all 3 wires from the stator go directly to the RR, then it's conceivable that you will have no more problems. Certainly all my GS's have never given any more trouble after I fixed them... fingers crossed. 8-[

[edbot]

Harold, just to clarify a point, Road Clam has a newer bike and his R/R is probably one component. If your 78 750 is stock the regulator is on the bottom of the battery box and the rectifier is on the left side of the battery box. If you decide to replace them you can do so with a combined unit.

[GS750GUY]

Electrical question

Thanks guys for your response.

What are the symptoms of these things failing. Does the bike just shut down?

I need to disassemble my battery box and its attached components anyway so I can paint it. When I do I will make sure all connections (especially ground connections) are good and clean and well connected. And then basically not worry about it.

Harold

[robertbarr]

What are the symptoms of these things failing. Does the bike just shut down?

Harold

Well, it can have some effect on the leg muscles & cardiovascular improvement. This of course resulting from walking back from wherever you were.

What happens is that your charging system quits putting out, of course. Sooner or later your headlight & accessories draw the battery down until you don't have enough power for the ignition, at which point you become a pedestrian.

For people making short trips, the starter motor is what discharges the battery.

[Road_Clam]

Thanks guys for your response.

What are the symptoms of these things failing. Does the bike just shut down?

I need to disassemble my battery box and its attached components anyway so I can paint it. When I do I will make sure all connections (especially ground connections) are good and clean and well connected. And then basically not worry about it.

Harold

I've had a few charging issues over the years, and usually during the course of the day your bike will crank over slower and slower, and another tell tale sign is your directionals won't cycle (or cycle VERY slowly). If your out at night, your headlight goes noticably dim.

[GS750GUY]

thanks

Thanks guys. It's good to know what early symptoms to watch for.
Harold