This is the stuff that keeps me up at night....

[Guest]

.....just got the bike and am looking to figure this maze out.

Any ideas where to start?

(GS1100ESD in pic)

[8trackmind]

The factory wiring diagram would be a good place to start.

[bonanzadave]

The factory wiring diagram would be a good place to start.

And a meter, a can of electrical contact cleaner, a trash can for those wire nuts, and a good crimper with some quality terminals ( not the auto store BS ) or a solderig iron and some heat shrink.

Once the wires are straightened out you may find youll still need a new R/R

Check out Duaneage's Honda R/Rs.......

"I sell a Honda RR conversion kit for Suzuki bikes that is a favorite here on the GSR. They are 40.00 delivered. Includes new bolts, connectors and a wiring diagram to hook it up. This kit replaces the faulty Suzuki with the superior Honda RR for a fraction of the cost.

I ship next day everyday. PM me for details"

[tomo]

If you want to save a few bucks, you can pick up Honda Regulator/rectifiers at breakers or auto jumbles. I`ve got a couple that only cost me about $5.00 each. I know second hand electrical bits can be a risk, but the R/R is easy enough to check out with a multimeter. I`ve just done the conversion on my GS750 and its an easy job. The Honda units they fitted to CX500, CB750 etc have six wires, 3 yellow, a green, red/white and black. The 3 yellows connect in any order to the 3 wires from the alternator. The green goes to the battery negative (earth) terminal, the red/white to the battery posotive terminal, or to the starter solonoid. The black connects to the Suzuki orange (power) wire, suggest the easiest is the orange wire coming off the rear brake light switch. To check out the R/R, set your multimeter to the resistance function. Put the red (+) probe on a yellow wire, and the black (-) probe on the green. Then repeat for the other yellow wires.
Now put the red probe on the red/white, and the black probe on each of the yellow wires. In each case you should get continuity, ie no reading. Next repeat the process but reversing the probes. You should now get a resistance reading. If all checks out ok the R/R is fine.
I know this is a common enough conversion on GS550 & 750`s, so should be ok on the 1100, but I`m sure I`ll be corrected if I`m wrong. Best of luck sorting out the spaghetti !.

[lurch12_2000]

First, are you having problems with the charging system?
Yes, you'll need a multi-meter to test once you figure out what's what.
That R/R is not original and looks like a Honda replacement(which is better!) and a good start would be identifying the 3 yellow leads from your stator and go from there.
Again, it looks like the R/R has already been replaced and you did not indicate if you were having any problems yet.
No need to fix what ain't broken!

[BentRod]

oh man, I feel SO much better now. Thank you.

[beergood]

I remember when I first delved into my wiring. I don't know how much this will help you, but this approach really worked for me:

Get a copy of your wiring diagram and study it. Once you can recognize your main power and ground backbone, start looking at the individual groups as discreet systems (lights, flashers, charging, ignition, etc.). Then it becomes miles easier to ignore other systems while you suss out the one you are focusing on. Also, anything that you can disconnect without effecting overall system stability will help you trace problems. I would start with ignition, then charging, then lighting and whatnot. It also doesn't hurt to wire a couple of extra fuses in there while you are at it.

All the previous advice about testing tools and procedures are good, and I echo them. I just thought I'd give you some insight into my heuristic approach.

[maclariz]

Refer to the wiring diagram, work slowly, don't panic, replace rubbish connectors with decent crimp ones. Don't cut any wires out of your loom unless absolutely necessary (e.g. bodged work by previous owner).

Also, one useful convention, if power is coming from somewhere (e.g. from the alternator or from the battery) use a female connector. If for any reason it becomes unplugged (or you forget to plug it in, heaven forbid), then it won't immediately short your battery or alternator onto the frame (bad news either way!)

[beergood]

Also, one useful convention, if power is coming from somewhere (e.g. from the alternator or from the battery) use a female connector. If for any reason it becomes unplugged (or you forget to plug it in, heaven forbid), then it won't immediately short your battery or alternator onto the frame (bad news either way!)

These are the little nuggets of wisdom that make this forum great.

[Steve]

Well, the first thing is to get down to BASICS.

.....just got the bike and am looking to figure this maze out. Any ideas where to start?

Apparently, this little gem was overlooked, because it was never answered:

First, are you having problems with the charging system? ... No need to fix what ain't broken!

Are you looking to just tidy up the mess or are you having problems with the electrical system?

If you are just looking to tidy up, examine each splice (especially the ones with the wire nuts) to see where the wires lead and to determine what can be used to replace it. You might just need to splice in a wire, you might need a connector, or it might be better to group similar wires in a multi-pin connector block.

If you are having problems, there are suggestions above that work very well. Look at the wiring diagram and isolate the system that is giving you the problem. Fortunately, our bikes are rather basic and only have three basic systems on them.
One thing that might help is to label the fuses. Most of the newer ('80-and-up) bikes have a fuse panel with five fuses. The bottom (5th) fuse is a auxilliary tap. The 4th fuse is the MAIN fuse. The top fuse is for lights; headlight, tail light and instruments. The second fuse is for signals; turn signals, brakes, horn. The third fuse is for ignition. It just doesn't get much easier than that. Follow the diagram from the proper fuse to its various devices to see what might be causing the problem. Unplug that device and test again. If there are no problems, replace that device.


.

[bwringer]

I'd recommend a length of well-seasoned hardwood at least a yard long and two or three inches thick.

When you track down the perpetrator of that electrical crime, he's going to have an extremely dense skull, so you'll need to make sure you have a solid footing and follow through on your swing so he doesn't get up and do this to another motorcycle.

[MelodicMetalGod]

I'd recommend a length of well-seasoned hardwood at least a yard long and two or three inches thick.

When you track down the perpetrator of that electrical crime, he's going to have an extremely dense skull, so you'll need to make sure you have a solid footing and follow through on your swing so he doesn't get up and do this to another motorcycle.

Well said (and very funny). Thanks for the chuckle.

[duaneage]

I consider motorcycles to be like airplanes in at least one respect: They have to be completely reliable because you really trust your life with the machine. Wiring like that is an accident waiting to happen, but it's good to see your taking it on.

[maclariz]

These are the little nuggets of wisdom that make this forum great.

Credit where credit is due....

This came from the bloke who runs MC Motorcycles in Glasgow (bike breakers and parts suppliers). It's nice to have a guy in a bike shop who knows what he is talking about. Not like the numpty in another local shop who fixed a puncture for me and didn't put the back wheel on straight

[bwringer]

I consider motorcycles to be like airplanes in at least one respect: They have to be completely reliable because you really trust your life with the machine. Wiring like that is an accident waiting to happen, but it's good to see your taking it on.

Agreed. Failure in flight is simply not an option. :-D