No ground

[Mercaholic]

I get an intermittent lack of ground in my entire electical system that is driving me nuts. The bike will start and light up but after a short 5 min run, all the lights go out and not even the ignition lights will turn on. The previous owner did a real job of wire cutting and splicing that I am struggling with.

So the question is - how do I go about sourcing the cause of the problem.....or do I need to trace and test each wire for continuity from front to back or is there an inherent source for the problem connection?

[bonanzadave]

If youre sure its a ground problem Id start with a new battery ground cable. Eliminate the easy stuff first. After that a good electrical diagram is a must. Splices are only as good as the guy who did them. Most automotive style splices suck. Give your fuse block a good going over. New fuses and a can of electrical contact cleaner are cheap insurance.

ps: What Bike are you working on ?

[mortation]

Are you popping the main fuse when this happens? Or does everything just go dark? When does it come back?

[JayH]

What year and model GS are you working on?

[Mercaholic]

Year

It's an '83 model