Suzukimatic - went around the BLOCK today! woohoo!

[dkruitz]

OK, it's been about a month since I've posted - we tracked down a spare transmission and torque converter for this bike since we'd heard these nasty sounding "klunks" after we'd gotten it running.... WELL.... it wasn't the trans. It was the battery! We put a fresh one on and all the trans sounding troubles went away - does that make ANY sense? At least we figured that out before we seriously got into it!

We re-adjusted the floats since we now have the specs for this model of carb from a factory manual, and it runs fairly well right now - we'll run it a few more minutes then check the plugs for indicators.

Next is the electrical - much of it doesn't work, but the high beam indicator light goes on - what to check next?

Thanks for all the support and encouragement!

Dan
(fixing my brother-in-laws new ride)
'82 GS450GA Suzukimatic shaft-drive
Photos: http://www.elginoutboard.com/jonsbike/

[Steve]

Next is the electrical - much of it doesn't work, but the high beam indicator light goes on - what to check next?

Congrats on the ride. \\/ Always nice to hear a success story.

Since you have a factory service manual, the electrics should not be too hard. Although the wiring diagram looks like a maze of wires, break it down into sections. The easiest way to section it out is to follow the wires from each fuse to see what all it powers. Not sure about your bike, but the larger bikes have 5 fuses. One is the main fuse that powers everything, one is for an accessory terminal that consists of two screws on the end of the fuse panel. Of the other three fuses, one does all the lights, another does all the signaling (this includes brakes, horn and turn signals) and the third only does the ignition.

First thing is to use a test light or a meter to determine that the fuses are, indeed, good. Sometimes they look good, but can be broken internally or have corroded contacts holding them in place. Next you can find the power source wire for the items that do not work to verify that power is getting that far. If not, trace the wire back toward the fuse to see where it's broken. If you have power at the device, make sure the ground connection is good. Many times it's the ground connection that is the problem.

Happy hunting. 8-[

.

[BassCliff]

Automatic love!

H Mr. dkruitz,

That's good news! Keep up the good work! I've never seen an automatic GS. I think you've got something a little special there, yes I do. :-D


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[dkruitz]

Thanks for the tips and the comments guys! I'll try to get updated photos - maybe even a brief video - if you can handle a camera phone video. :-)

[Calvin Blackmore]

Wow so a fresh battery and no more klunks.
Is there an electro-mechanical actuator in the transmission?

Glad to hear you got it working.

[duaneage]

I had a Hondamatic 400. I liked the concept but the bike was too small for me to ride comfortably. I'd like to try a Suzukimatic

[rphillips]

How about a 750 Hondamatic? Never rode one, but always wanted to !!!!

[duaneage]

Talked to a owner last year that has 2, including one with only 700 miles. Top speed is 100, not a bad runner. No tach at all.

I like the shaft drive of the suzuki but the wire spoke wheels are not my favorite. My Hondamatic was slow as all, top speed was 78. It was the only full size bike that was slower than my car

[dkruitz]

Not that I know of, it's fully mechanical other than the torque converter It's really strange the way it worked out.

The only thing I can think of is somehow the starter was getting engaged, BUT, the sound seemed to be coming right out of the heart of the trans area. I had swapped out the torque converter (and will put the original one back on at the first oil change) but it still made the klunking sound with the replacement. Torque converter replacement takes about half an hour which is pretty quick for most vehicles I'd guess. I have a full set of gears, shift mechanism, and output shaft so those will be good to hold onto for the future, since that's the brunt of what's different about this cycle.

The only other think electrical around the trans is the neutral sensor on top of the trans housing - could that have become some sort of electromagnet when the battery was off, and caused the issues?

Baffled, but happy.

Wow so a fresh battery and no more klunks.
Is there an electro-mechanical actuator in the transmission?

Glad to hear you got it working.