'77 GS750 Electrical?

[tjhenry]

Ok, so i'm on a ride today to get a new mirror, and out of no where i downshift into 2nd, but it dies. it does not shift to 2nd to my knowledge, bike dies and i hold the clutch to avoid dying

1. the instrument panel does not light up at all, usually when i have the key in, it will light up

2. engine turns, i made sure that it wasn't siezed and used the kick starter, engine turns, will not start

3. tried to get it into neutral, but bike did not want to shift

4. had battery tested, and it tested good, removed fuse, and put end of the wire together and would not turn over, no electricity seems to be making it to the instrument panel

5. bypassed battery and starter turned over, but instrument panel would not light up and the engine would not turn over

6. yes, it has gas in it

what in the world is wrong with this thing?

[TheCafeKid]

Main fuse, or the fuse holder...my 77 750B did the same thing. It would make good connection part of the time, then other times let a wee bit of current thru, just enough to light a couple of lights here and there...then nothing again...Cut that glass fuse out of there, and wire in a blade type you can get from Autozone or the like..

[tjhenry]

Main fuse, or the fuse holder...my 77 750B did the same thing. It would make good connection part of the time, then other times let a wee bit of current thru, just enough to light a couple of lights here and there...then nothing again...Cut that glass fuse out of there, and wire in a blade type you can get from Autozone or the like..

let me ask, did you try bypassing it and would it start then? i'm going to have to get it towed, so i just want to make sure it's something i can do myself fairly easily, of course, that single fuse is really easy to get to

[rustybronco]

and out of no where i downshift into 2nd, but it dies. it does not shift to 2nd to my knowledge,

5. bypassed battery and starter turned over, but instrument panel would not light up and the engine would not turn over

Please explain what you mean so it can be understood.

does the engine turn over or not?
did you shift it into 2nd, or did it shift into 2nd on it's own?

first, do you have a voltmeter?

second, have you been able to get it into neutral, or even shift it into another gear?

[tjhenry]

Please explain what you mean so it can be understood.

does the engine turn over or not?
did you shift it into 2nd, or did it shift into 2nd on it's own?

first, do you have a voltmeter?

second, have you been able to get it into neutral, or even shift it into another gear?

i was in motion, and tried to downshift, and it ended up dying at this point, i have not been able to get it into neutral

the engine does not turn over unless i do it manually (move kickstarter, and i can hear the engine turn)

i died right in front of a harley shop, and they brought a voltmeter out and the battery was 12.## connections past the battery cables were at 0.0-0.13

[earlfor]

12 volts is a dead battery. The battery should read in the 12.8 to 13 volt range. Its highly likely that with the lights on and the ignition on, there was insufficient amperage in the battery to run the engine. A new or charged battery should solve that problem. However for the problem to happen in the first place, I suspect your wiring connections are corroded and/or your charging system is not working.

As for the shifting problem, its probable the clutch is not correctly adjusted.

Also, an over tightened drive chain in addition to a mis adjusted clutch can make it about impossible to shift the transmission while the bike is sitting still.

Earl

[tjhenry]

12 volts is a dead battery. The battery should read in the 12.8 to 13 volt range. Its highly likely that with the lights on and the ignition on, there was insufficient amperage in the battery to run the engine. A new or charged battery should solve that problem. However for the problem to happen in the first place, I suspect your wiring connections are corroded and/or your charging system is not working.

As for the shifting problem, its probable the clutch is not correctly adjusted.

Also, an over tightened drive chain in addition to a mis adjusted clutch can make it about impossible to shift the transmission while the bike is sitting still.

Earl

ok, i'll buy a battery charger tomorrow, but shouldn't the gear indicator at least be lit when the key is in the ignition position?

i bought a voltmeter, and i'll be checking wires tomorrow (go through the stator papers step by step), and may as well replace the fuse as mentioned above

can i get a picture of the blade fuse mod, just so i can see i'm doing it right?

[KitKat]

if the battery is dead the gear indicator would not be lit. Nothing would be working.

Start off with a new/ charged battery and see what happens

[Coady]

12 volts is heaps to get your dash lights etc on. Something's broken or heavily corroded as suggested.

Same thing happened to me and it was a broken connection at the the back of the ignition / key barrel. Whatever it is is between the battery and there.

[ryonker]

Main fuse, or the fuse holder...my 77 750B did the same thing. It would make good connection part of the time, then other times let a wee bit of current thru, just enough to light a couple of lights here and there...then nothing again...Cut that glass fuse out of there, and wire in a blade type you can get from Autozone or the like..

+1 on the fuse. Did you put a new one in? I always carry a handful of extra fuses. On my 78 (like your 77) it has one main fuse (no fuse box) and I think it is a 15amp.

Rick

[tjhenry]

gotcha, i'll replace the fuse and work from there, i'll keep you guys updated on this, as i think it's either going to be a quick fix, or going to take me a long time, as i'm not that good with wiring

[earlfor]

12 volts is heaps to get your dash lights etc on. Something's broken or heavily corroded as suggested.

Same thing happened to me and it was a broken connection at the the back of the ignition / key barrel. Whatever it is is between the battery and there.

Maybe, maybe not. 12 volts is worthless if you have no amperage.
Put 8 D cell flashlight batteries together and try starting your car with that 12 volts.

Earl