Gs 250 restoring to riding condition

[1980Gs250]

Yeah I have noticed this. This things a whole lotta mess as far as electrics go sigh. When I got the bike none of the mentioned parts were working. The bike turned over and looked complete and only cost $200 so I took a chance. I knew it would need some work. I have been going through and cleaning connections and or replacing frayed wiring as I go. I just want to hear this thing run so maybe I'd have more motivation.

Troubleshooting electrics is all about being methodical. Look for the most likely cause, check it, then move onto the next. Was all of this working before? The first two things I would check are the fuses (and the wires going into the fuse box) and ground connections.

Don't forget the standard advice of cleaning _all_ connectors on the bike. After hooking the turn signals back up on my bike, I couldn't get them to flash either. After an hour of troubleshooting and getting nowhere, I just started cleaning all of the electrical connectors I could find and checking the lights every so often. Eventually they just started working. (Which was a big relief as I was convinced that I was going to have to buy a new turn signal control unit!)

[1980Gs250]

Where exactly is the fuse box? I have located the ignitor, coils, relays etc. but I am not seeing the fuse box.

[pete]

I suspect the 250 will be like the 450, just one main glass fuse under the left side cover with the R/R etc.

If it is, replace the whole shebang with an inline blade fuse and holder, very easy to do and 100 times more reliable.

[1980Gs250]

so just cut the wires to the glass fuse and splice in a blade fusebox? What size fuse would be appropriate?

[1980Gs250]

new pics

frontal pic

[1980Gs250]

this is the wiring mess im dealing with

[1980Gs250]

I am not seeing fuses anywhere either.

[mike_of_bbg]

I believe it is correct that you will only have a single fuse, between the R/R and the battery. Do you have a digital multimeter? What is your voltage at the battery? Do you have a battery charger (one that puts out NO MORE than 2 amps, maybe a 0.5A trickle charger)? There just may not be enough voltage there to get the headlamp to light. Battery might just be holding a surface charge and nothing more. Many motorcycle batteries just don't last, unfortunately.

You can jump from a car or another motorcycle (if you have room to attach cables without shorting them against anything), but unlike jumping another car you must not do it from a running vehicle!

[1980Gs250]

it appears the fuse block was removed as I see no sign of one anywhere on the bike. And I have basically taken it apart piece by piece to rewire and clean the frayed wiring. Nothing doesnt work that didnt work before so I dont guess I have hurt anything this way. I have a fresh battery for it. I have so far got the turn signals warning lights the horn and the starter to work by bridging it but thats it.

I believe it is correct that you will only have a single fuse, between the R/R and the battery. Do you have a digital multimeter? What is your voltage at the battery? Do you have a battery charger (one that puts out NO MORE than 2 amps, maybe a 0.5A trickle charger)? There just may not be enough voltage there to get the headlamp to light. Battery might just be holding a surface charge and nothing more. Many motorcycle batteries just don't last, unfortunately.

You can jump from a car or another motorcycle (if you have room to attach cables without shorting them against anything), but unlike jumping another car you must not do it from a running vehicle!

[1980Gs250]

I spent all the money I had on a new battery or I would have bought a new right side handle control with a working starter button. There are all kinds of wires that were just hanging about not attached to anything and I honestly am not sure where half of them go.

[1980Gs250]

The bike also appears to be leaking some oil out of the left side engine cover. Not a lot but making a mess over time it seems. Is this a replaceable gasket under this? I beleive thats where the stator is?

[eil]

Do you have any service manuals for your bike? On BassCliff's site there is this one: http://www.mtsac.edu/%7Ecliff/storag..._manual-82.pdf It's labelled as being for an '82 GS250T. I don't know for sure whether the 80 is identical to the 82, or whether the manual covers multiple years.

I took a peek at the manual and the first thing I noticed is that is has a very well-done electronics section. They break down each system and explain its operation and components in great detail. Sitting down and giving it a good study will probably help immensely.

The overall wiring diagram is on page 223 (8-6) but unfortunately it didn't scan very well and is hard to make out. But near as I can tell there is a single fuse. Page 241 (8-24) says it should be 15A. One end connects to the battery and the other end goes to the RR and ignition switch. There may not be a fuse block, it might just be an inline one with a holder. Probably on a red wire. If you can't find the fuse, consider adding one inline, you'll find the inline holder type at any auto parts store. They usually look like this:

[1980Gs250]

Oh my I traced it down and found whats left of the fuse holder tucked in behind the battery but it was not connected to anything and the wires that held it were just connected together.... first thing tommorrow i am gonna buy a blade type fuse holder and wire it in and go from there.

[pete]

I can see where they have spliced in some wire in place of the fuse holder...

See the bullet connector on the red wire to the left in your photo? That's where it should go I believe... looks very familiar from my bike...

The glass holder should clip in to those metal arms on the wiring plate beside the R/R.

Dodgy PO!

[1980Gs250]

Well I have no wired in a blade type fuse box and have it clipped into place correctly. I have a new right and left side controls on the way I found online at a salvage yard. hopefully they work better than the current ones. I do believe I need a new left hand side engine gasket. This is where the stator is located right? Should there be oil in that area?