Reading forum is hard on my mind!!!!!!! Plus, a coil relay mod question!

[81GS1000L]

Hi All....
First, let me say that since picking up my first Suzuki, ok, my first ever bike in November, all i have been able to do is look at it in my garage and wait for spring. Plus, of course, read the forum. You guys and gals rock with all your knowledge and help. I at some point hope to respond as well instead of asking questions...ahhhh...some day...lol.
So, the first mod i have done (with the help of basecliff's page and duanages part) was the replacement of the r/r which involved the routing of the new ground wire to the neg. terminal, and something to do with the brake light. Still not sure why that was done...but i am not an electrical engineer so i do as im told.
Now, i have read about the coil relay modification! I have searched the forums and from what ive read, it seems like a good idea as well. But am curious about a few things....is this mod applicable to my 81GS1000L? Or is it just for other years? And with what ive done with the wiring mods in the r/r replacement, does this duplicate any of the coil mods? As you can see I am eager to make the bike free and clear of electrical gremlins so am open to any help or suggestions.
thx in advance
Rick

[Nessism]

The coil relay mod is of greatest benifit after your wiring harness has aged and it not delivering full voltage to the coils. It's best to measure voltage before stressing your mind regarding whether or not this mod is needed.

The R/R wiring is completely different and unrelated.

[Steve]

... the first mod i have done (with the help of basecliff's page and duanages part) was the replacement of the r/r which involved the routing of the new ground wire to the neg. terminal, and something to do with the brake light. Still not sure why that was done...but i am not an electrical engineer so i do as im told.

Hopefully you did NOT connect it to the brake light, but to the TAIL light.
That wire will 'sense' what the voltage is actually being put to the bike and adjust the regulator accordingly. If you connect to the BRAKE wire, it will only sense when the brake lights are on, and that's not good. You need to have it connected to something that is 'live' whenever the key is turned on and the engine is running.

Now, i have read about the coil relay modification! I have searched the forums and from what ive read, it seems like a good idea as well. But am curious about a few things....is this mod applicable to my 81GS1000L? Or is it just for other years? And with what ive done with the wiring mods in the r/r replacement, does this duplicate any of the coil mods? As you can see I am eager to make the bike free and clear of electrical gremlins so am open to any help or suggestions.

Yes, it's a good idea.
Yes, it might apply to your bike.
No, it does not duplicate anything you have done with the r/r.
But, as Nessism mentioned, you need to first determine whether it is necessary. You will likely have to remove the gas tank to get to the coil connections, but you need to measure the voltage at the orange/white wire while the engine is running. It won't have to run very long to determine this, so you don't even have to worry about connecting temporary lines from the (removed) fuel tank to the carbs. When you get that voltage, compare that to the battery voltage under the same circumstances. If it's much more than one volt difference, you might want to consider the mod. If it's less than one volt difference, just put your tank back on and go for a ride.

I have not done the coil mod on my wife's '82 850L because the difference was less than 1/2 volt. However, another mod that I did do was one to turn the headlight off when the starter button is pushed. That sends all the current that the starter is not using through the ignition system, instead of also powering the headlight. That was worth a couple of volts at the coils while trying to start the bike.

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[81GS1000L]

Hey Fellas...that is awesome info. Really appreciate that. And yes, i worded incorrectly. The wire was done to the tail light and not the brake light. I do like that idea of the headlight switch....
Rick

[Steve]

I just looked on BassCliff's site, and the links to bwringer's and matchless' sites, and did not see a write-up on the headlight cut-out mod. I guess I'll have to write one up.

If you understand the wiring on your bike, it's not a hard mod. Just a little harder than the coil mod, in my opinion.
Find the connector that leads from the fuse panel to the rest of the bike. Locate the terminal in that connector that is for the headlight. Remove it from the connector or cut it, but leave enough wire to connect to in a later step. Install the same type of relay that you use for the coil or horn mods, but this one has to have FIVE terminals, and one of them has to be labelled 87a. Connect the wire you just removed from the connector to terminal 30 on the relay. Connect a new wire from terminal 87a to the blank space (or cut wire) near the connector. You should be able to test to see that you still have normal operation of the headlight now. For the cut-out to operate, connect a ground wire to terminal 85 or 86, connect the other terminal to the large starter terminal on the solenoid. When the starter is engaged, it will also trip the relay, cutting power to the headlight. When the starter is released, the relay will relax, sending power to the headlight again. One nice feature of this mod is that it's fail-safe. If the relay fails, you still have lights.

I will get up what I can in the way of better wording and toss in some pictures and send it to BassCliff for posting on his 'little' site.

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[willie]

Steve, yer timing on installing the headlight off relay couldn't come at a better time. I mistakenly bought the necessary relay (for the headlight mod) when I was doing the coil relay mod. I couldn't take it back (lost the recpt and it being an electrical item) so I bought a different one that was what I should've gotten the 1st time. I wondered what I was going to do with the one I had left over. Now I can put it to good use. Thanks bud!
Willie in TN

[bonanzadave]

Hopefully you did NOT connect it to the brake light, but to the TAIL light.

Mine is on the brake light wire.......The supply wire to the brake light switch.

[Steve]

I mistakenly bought the necessary relay (for the headlight mod) when I was doing the coil relay mod. I couldn't take it back (lost the recpt and it being an electrical item) so I bought a different one that was what I should've gotten the 1st time.

You can use a relay with an 87a terminal for your coil mod. You have to split the wires coming from the 87 terminal only, and just pretend the 87a does not exist.

Mine is on the brake light wire.......The supply wire to the brake light switch.

As long as it's in the supply line and not between the switch and the brake light, you will be OK.
By the way, that same supply line provides power for the turn signals and horn.

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