GS 650G - running fine then died and won't start

[radbrad]

Thanks for checking out my post!

I have an 82 GS 650G that seemed to be running very well, I had it in the shop recently to get the forks redone and also got a new set of spark plugs. Also, it has plenty of good oil and gas in it. I was stopped in traffic and it simply shut off, and now I can't get it restarted.

I could hear it click when I try to turn it on and all the lights come on when the key is in the "on" position like normal. I couldn't get the engine to turn over at all, just a click and then a not so loud whining noise. An hour later I tried again and I did get it to start to turn over, but I couldn't get it to do that on second or third attempt.

I checked the fuses under the seat and they all look fine.

Since the lights and everything come on, I didn't think it could be the battery. I was told it had a new battery when I bought the bike. How could I explain how it stalled out like that if it was only the battery... I really don't know.

I thought it might be a malfunction in the kill switch, but it won't click at all when I press the starter butting when that is engaged so it doesn't seem like it could be that.

I'm sorry if it seems like I don't know much about these things, this is my first bike and I've only had it a month or so. Anybody's suggestions or comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks

Brad

[chef1366]

Sounds like a bad ground from the battery.

[BassCliff]

Hee Haw Howdy!

Hi Mr. radbrad,

Yes, sounds like you haven't gone over the entire wiring harness, from head light bucket to tail light, to clean and tighten every connection. Wiring on these old bikes gets finickey. Here is more useful information in your mega-welcome!

Let it be known that on this day you are cordially and formally welcomed to the GSR Forum as a Junior Member in good standing with all the rights and privileges thereof. Further let it be known that your good standing can be improved with pictures (not you, your bike)!

Perhaps you've already seen these, but I like to remind all the new members. In addition to the carb rebuild series, I recommend visiting the In The Garage section via the GSR Homepage and check out the Stator Papers. There's also a lot of great information in the Old Q&A section. I have some documentation on my little BikeCliff website to help get you familiar with doing routine maintenance tasks (note that it is 850G-specific but many tasks are common to all GS bikes). Other "user contributed" informational sites include those of Mr. bwringer, Mr. tfb and Mr. robertbarr. And if your bike uses shims for valve adjustments, send an email to Mr. Steve requesting a copy of his Excel spreadsheet that helps you keep track of clearances, shim sizes and other service work.

These are some edited quotes from one of our dear beloved gurus, Mr. bwringer, with ideas on basic needs (depending on initial condition), parts, and accessories.
***********Quoted from Mr. bwringer************
Every GS850 (and most other models) has (or had) a set of well-known issues that MUST be addressed before you have a solid baseline for further troubleshooting. It's a vintage bike, and it's quite common (as in, every single GS850 I have had contact with) that there are multiple problems that have crept up and slowly gotten worse over the years. It's not like a newer vehicle, where there's generally one problem at a time.

These common issues are:

1. Intake O-rings (install NEW OEM or Viton only - common nitrile O-rings will quickly deteriorate from heat)
2. Intake Boots (install NEW -- these cannot be repaired)
3. Valve clearances (more important than most people think)
4. Carb/airbox boots
5. Airbox sealing
6. Air filter sealing
7. Petcock (install a NEW one)
8. On '79 models, install new points or Dyna electronic ignition (or at least verify that the old points are working correctly)
9. On all models, it's fairly common to have problems with the spark plug caps. These are $3 or $4 each, and often worth replacing if you're keeping the stock coils/wires.
10. Stock exhaust with NO leaks or holes -- good seals at the head and at the junctions underneath.
***********************************
Carburetor maintenance:

Replace the intake boot o-rings, and possibly the intake boots. Here's the procedure:

http://bwringer.com/gs/intakeorings.html

Here's an overview of what happens with this particular problem:

http://cycleorings.com/intake.html

You'll also want to examine the boots between the carbs and the airbox. There's a good chance these are OK, but check them over.
And finally, if things still aren't exactly right, you'll want to order a set of o-rings for BS carbs from the GS owner's best friend, Robert Barr:

http://cycleorings.com

Once you receive these rare rings of delight, then you'll want to thoroughly clean and rebuild your carburetors. Here are step-by-step instructions that make this simple:

http://thegsresources.com/gs_carbrebuild.htm

***************************************
OEM Parts/Online Fiches:

I would definitely double and triple the recommendations to use Cycle Recycle II and Z1 Enterprises as much as possible. These guys are priceless resources. Z1 tends to have slightly better prices, CRC2 has a wider range of goodies available. If you're near Indy and can bring in an old part to match, CRC2 has a vast inventory of used parts.
http://denniskirk.com - Put in your bike model and see what they have.
http://oldbikebarn.com - seems to be slowly regaining a decent reputation, but it's still caveat emptor. They don't have anything you can't get elsewhere at a better price anyway.
http://www.babbittsonline.com/ - Decent parts prices. Spendy shipping. Don't give you part numbers at all. Useful cross-reference if you obtain a part number elsewhere. Efficient service.
http://bikebandit.com - Fastest. Middlin' prices. Uses their own parts numbering system to obfuscate price comparisons -- can be very confusing for large orders. Cheapest shipping, so total cost usually isn't too bad.
http://flatoutmotorcycles.com - Slow. Cheapest parts prices, crazy shipping costs. Don't expect progress updates or much communication. Real Suzuki part numbers.
http://alpha-sports.com - Exorbitant parts prices. Different type of fiche interface that's quite useful at times, especially with superceded part numbers. Real parts numbers. Shipping cost and speed unknown due to insane, unholy pricing.

Stainless Bolts, Viton o-rings, metric taps, dies, assorted hard-to-find supplies and materials, etc:

http://mcmaster.com - Fast, cheap shipping, good prices. No order minimum, but many items like bolts come in packs of 25 or 50. Excellent resource.
http://motorcycleseatcovers.com - Great quality, perfect fit (on original seat foam), and available for pretty much every bike ever made. Avoid the textured vinyl -- it's perforated.
http://newenough.com - You DO have riding gear, don't you? Great clearances, always outstanding prices and impeccable service.
***************End Quote**********************
Additional parts/info links:

GSR Forum member Mr. duaneage has great used upgraded Honda regulator/rectifiers for our bikes. Send him a PM.
New electrical parts:
http://stores.ebay.com/RMSTATOR or http://www.rmstator.com/

http://www.ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/index.php

http://www.electrosport.com/

For valve cover and breather cover gaskets, I recommend Real Gaskets (reusable silicon):

http://www.realgaskets.com

Carolina Cycle

http://www.carolinacycle.com

Ron Ayers Motorsports

http://www.ronayers.com

MR Cycles

http://www.mrcycles.com

Moto Grid

http://www.motogrid.com

Salvage/Used

http://www.ricepaddymotorcycles.com

http://www.ozpowersports.com/

If all else fails, try this:

http://www.used-motorcycle-parts.org/

Used bike buying checklists:

http://www.amadirectlink.com/roadride/Riderresc/checklist.asp

http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html

Lots of good info/pictures here:

http://www.suzukicycles.org

http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Motorcycle_Wiki

http://www.bikepics.com
Basic motorcycle maintenance/repair:
http://www.dansmc.com/mc_repaircourse.htm
Online Clymer manuals:
http://search.ebscohost.com/ Click on "Small Engine Repair" then "Motorcycles". User=library, password=library. Note: This link may not work if you are on a school campus.

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed of your progress. There's lots of good folk with good experience here.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
(The unofficial GSR greeter)

Click here to return to BikeCliff's website.

[radbrad]

replaced battery, now it works

I replaced the battery and now this bike seems to be working fine. The guy I bought this bike from about a month ago said that had a new battery, and it looked pretty new when I removed it. The battery might be losing it's charge too quickly in my bike, maybe the alternator is bad? I will keep checking the voltage of this new battery to try to see what is happening

Brad

[IluvmyGS]

I am glad you fix the problem. Mine is the same problem and I did replace battery and it is awesome now, if the battery does not have enough voltage, it does not provide enough voltage to coil to generate good spark and it can't make the bike run.

[SqDancerLynn1]

You need to buy a cheap digital multimeter. You can get one for $5 at Harbor freight, just don't drop it. Go thru the stator papers and check the charging circuit

[radbrad]

still won't hold charge

I charged a brand new battery to 13 volts, put it in today and rode around for 20 minutes at rpms above 2200, in which time I had to start the bike twice - now that voltage is down to 12.52, this is definitely abnormal right?

[new_gser]

Use a voltmeter and check the battery when the bike is idling. You should have at least 13 volts, then check when revving to 4000rpm's, you should have at least 14 volts. If you don't, then your charging system is not working properly. Could be a bad ground, bad stator etc. Check the Stator Papers posted on this site.

[radbrad]

idles at 12 volts, throttle has barely any effect

I checked the voltage on the battery at idle and giving it over 4000 rpms, it is barely at 12.1 or 12.2 at 4000 rpms and at about 12 even idle. Definitely a problem with the charging system. I have a lot to learn if I'm going to correctly test all the connections, but I have the shop manual and I'm trying to figure it all out, I think it is either a bad stator or bad rectifier because the connections look pretty clean, I have't volt tested them yet.

Thanks

[radbrad]

take this lesson away

I apologize for not checking all the resources on the gs resources website and forum before making my original post. Since I've looked at the stator papers, all of my questions have pretty much been answered!

There is hopefully one thing anyone reading this could learn though, if you didn't already know, and that is that if there is a problem with the charging system, your bike could stall while idling if the battery voltage gets too low. That is what happened to me, it started up and then died in traffic and wouldn't start again after that, and that's what threw me off... I thought if it's running it shouldn't need the battery to keep running, but it does, maybe due to the fact that I cannot turn my lights off and the battery is used to power the headlight, neutral light and turn signals.

A Harley guy dropped by the parking lot I pushed my bike into that day while I was putting in a new battery. I had told him the bike quit on me in traffic and he said it couldn't be the battery then, I would have agreed with him but the new battery fixed the problem (of course, till it died later too because of not being charged by the bike).

Thanks everyone, I am having such a great time reading the posts on this site and learning about my GS, I truly appreciate all your help.

- Brad