1980 gs850g putting out 11.8 volts

[longgreensilverado]

Hello all. i have an electrical issue. I have a 1980 gs850g and after riding almost 200 miles straight thru tha addirondak mtns this past saturday to watch the world enduro the bike wouldn't start when we stopped for gas in hancock, ny. We pop started it and later rode over to the pit area and charged the battery for 2 hours. it started right up and ran great the whole way home to MA. I stopped for gas on the way home and it started right up again. I put a meter on it and read thru my manual and just decided to order a new stator, and regulator. Did i waste my money or should I have replaced which ever was bad?

[bonanzadave]

Did i waste my money or should I have replaced which ever was bad?

May have not been either. Check and clean all your connectors and fuse box. Look hard at the R/R connector. A little bit of corrosion will cause alot of electrical resistance which means heat that will melt the plastic connectors.

[Dave8338]

Going with Dave on this one. Clean first and test second...may not need the stator or R/R.

[longgreensilverado]

thanks guys. come to think of it. all (3) of those connectors are melted. i discovered that when i replaced the wiring harness last summer. I will cut and put new connectors on later on today.

[chef1366]

Solder those connections and use shrink wrap on them. Also run a ground from the ground of the R/R to the neative battery post. I also soldered this wire.
After charging your battery and getting under 12.5 replace the battery. See the stator papers for more info.

[longgreensilverado]

i cut the burnt connectors out and soldered in new ones with shrink tube and installed the new battery. the bike started right up and the volt meter instantly went up to nearly 15v, but when i shut the bike off and checked it again after running around town the meter only went up to 12.5 and still is teh same. I think i still have a bad connection. i attached the ground from the regulator to the frame with a new bolt and sanded the connection, but will connect to the battery.

[chef1366]

If your going up to almost 15 volts check it at 3000 rpm. If it goes any higher your R/R is shot.

[babcockdonald]

the bike started right up and the volt meter instantly went up to nearly 15v, but when i shut the bike off and checked it again after running around town the meter only went up to 12.5 and still is teh same.

What exactly do you mean by nearly 15v? It would be more helpful to say what the voltage rating was, say specifically 14.5 or 14.7 volts, and what the rpm level was when you measured it.

[tconroy]

I agree with chef.You probably need a new r/r.Check your battery and see if it nees any water.Overcharging will usually boil the water out of the battery.If you have a new one already I would put it on anyway.

[longgreensilverado]

well i made sure the battery is grounded properly, and the r/r is grounded to the battery, but at 5,000 rpm's i'm getting about 12.5+/- .3 volts and at idle around 12.5 . i checked the battery after sitting over nite ad it reads 12.5. otherwise the bike starts up very quickly and the lights don't dim at low rpm or get super bright at high rpm. the bottom line is I have a new stator and r/r I am going to put in over the weekend. I plan on selling the bike while it is good running condition.