Help a girl out

[RedHeadOhio]

Hello everybody.

Gee am I glad I found this place.

I am an aspiring "bike builder" and I have a request. I have a 1981 GS 550 L that I have been working on. I tore the bike apart last year. I took a couple of welding classes and I have made the frame my own. I lowered the seat level 2 inches. I am making a no frills bike.

I am stuck and could use some help from someone who really knows these bikes well. i have NO SKILLS on anything electrical. I need someone to maybe make me a diagram of wiring. I have the manual for the bike BUT. I just want a headlight, tail/brake light, on/off switch and the starter button. No speedmeter, dashboard lights, gas gauge or gear lights.

I need to know where to start. The wires on the bike are old and I will be making a new bunch up myself.

Could someone get me started? From the beginning? motor wires go here, this goes here ETC.??

Thanks guys

[mvalenti]

http://www.bikernet.com/garage/PageViewer.asp?PageID=138

or

http://www.btinternet.com/~jhpart/wdb1ed.gif

[RedHeadOhio]

Thank you for the fast reply. I am still confused.

[ramrod400]

I wish you all the luck , this is probably a hands on task, hard to explain all the steps to take but I hope someone does cause I would like to see and read responses.Most the time forum will just tell you where to get parts like wire,connector.I hear its just a wire at a time or find new harness.Then again Ive read its not that hard to do.If you have not done a search might try?

[RedHeadOhio]

Thanks Ram. I guess I just need to know how to get started, Right now I have the wires coming out of the motor. That is my starting point. Im not sure what parts are what. I know the battery. Does my bike have a rectifier? fuse box? I gues I dont know what my parts look like.

I assume one of the wires from the motor goes to the battery? Then where?

[1100E]

I nearly burned down my house one year after putting up the Christmas lights, I doubt I'd be much help... Good luck, sounds like a big project!!

[bwringer]

Like someone said earlier, this is pretty hard to do by remote control... perhaps you can post some photos of what you have? Then we could tell you what's what.

Here's a start at wires coming from the engine:

Big fat black wire -- might still be attached to a bolt on the outside of the engine ==> negative terminal of battery

Big fat black wire attached to the starter ==> one large terminal on solenoid

Big fat red wire attached to the other large terminal on the solenoid ==> postive terminal of the battery.

Three wires coming from under the cover on the left side of engine (might be snaked through the starter cavity or through the sprocket cover) ==> these are the stator wires, and they go to the regulator/rectifier.

Bundle of six or seven wires coming from a round widget on the left, underneath the engine ==> gear position sensor. You don't need these to do what you want. You do need to leave the sensor in place to plug the hole, but you can cut the wires off once you're sure.

Wires coming from under the round cover at the bottom front right of engine ==> ignition unit. You need these.

[rideOn]

i'm fixing to do a similar thing to my bullet. i figure i will look at the wiring diagram and locate the things i want to keep. the documentation for this bike is terrible, as i found swapping out factory turn signals for new. so, i will verify the voltages at the 'alleged' wire the schematic indicates.

once i locate the signals i want to keep, i will label them and cut out all the other wires out. WARNING: if you do this, you are committed. I plan to re-wire everything that i'm keeping at that point. the factory wiring is crap, so i'll use 14 ga. and i can p/up multi-terminal connectors at radio shack, auto supply and other places. i will eventually fo this to my gs because connectors are crumbling and wires are crudding up. probably not a difficult job you're talking about, just take your time.

[Steve]

Could someone get me started?

I sent you a PM about 8 hours ago.

Answer that and maybe we can arrange something.

.

[mighty13d]

I'm sure there is someone in your area who would be willing to help you work on it in person. This stuff is not really something that can be explained easily online. Sure it can be done, but it would take 2 days to type up detailed instructions on what to keep and what to chuck and what to run here, etc

[mcloud]

Hi ReadHead and welcome,

I would recommend getting a Hayne's or Clymer manual, specially if you're going to do more than just usual maintenance.
This way you can relate to the answers from people here with the book in front of you.
The bike's original wiring schematic is detailed, and the book is filled with pictures to help you identify all the parts.
You can also download infos from Basscliff's wonderful and magnificient website.

And post pics with your questions.

Have fun and keep us up to date on your achievements!

[mvalenti]

I nearly burned down my house one year after putting up the Christmas lights, I doubt I'd be much help... Good luck, sounds like a big project!!

LOL reminds me when I got our last snowblower, used it maybe 2 times before... Wife wanted to "learn how" to use it, I said stay away, she has a disease, where things around her fall apart... And she is fairly clumsey... So that night I go out to clear the driveway, near the light pole, surrounded by bushes with purdy christmas lights, glowing under the 5 inches of powdery snow... how close can I go? The bushes shake lights flicker! KILL the power... CHIT, was she watching? whew... no.... reach down to start to untangle.. zzzzzap! ouch still plugged in... curse curse... she asked why the lights were not on, I said I think the kids broke em, jumping in the bushes...

[old_chopper]

I have a 80 GS550L engine in a chopper frame and have done what you are wanting to do. It's not that big of a task. When I get home I will try to make you a bare bones schematic and scan it to send to you.

[RedHeadOhio]

Thats what I'm after Ole Chopper. That will help a girl out for sure.

Thank you VERY much...

[posplayr]

http://www.bikernet.com/garage/PageV...asp?PageID=138

or

http://www.btinternet.com/~jhpart/wdb1ed.gif

The Frank Kaisler, patent pending, wire junction tool. Send $99.99 to P.O. Box 666, Hollywood, Calif. Send only rolls of quarters.

Thats cool; I need to make one of them.