1999 GS500E Ignition coil not working on one side!!! Please help

[jspit21]

Hi everyone, I have a 1999 GS500E that I purchased used about 5 months ago. I have been trying to get and running and have been doing a lot to diagnose it. The problem that I found was I am getting no spark to the right spark plug. At first I thought it could be the Coil or the spark plug wire but determined that was not the case by switching the coil that I thought was bad(right side) over to the left side. Using the same coil and spark plug I was getting spark. This leads me to believe its an electrical issue within the harness. What would be my next steps to look at? Getting a new harness? can I buy just those connection pieces separate? I would hate to have to remove the whole harness just for 1 connection being bad. Could it be the CDI as well? Thank you for looking at this post, hope to hear from y'all!!!

[The Buddha]

Crank trigger - under the round cover on by your right foot. Famous for crapping out when hot. Spray cold air on it and witness it work ... then die as it warms up.
Cool.
Buddha.

[jspit21]

Hmmm... any way you can explain more in depth on why that would effect one side of the bike and not the other?

[jspit21]

If you could link a part number or send a link of what it looks like. I have been looking on ebay and cant find much.

Thanks,
Jacob.

[The Buddha]

Open that round cover by your foot - I think it takes a 7mm socket.
There is 2 square cheese cube sized things.
One of those is gone to heaven.
Spray cold air and see if it will come back to earth before returning to heaven.

Cool.
Buddha.

[Bluesmudge]

Allow me to try and translate The Buddha speak:

Other common ways to refer to a "crank trigger": Ignition pickup, or pulse generator, or signal generator. Those search terms may get you farther on eBay.

I have one of the newer GS500s with a single pickup so I'm not much help, but I'm assuming the dual pickups on the older models had one pickup for each spark plug? That would explain why you are getting spark on one side and not the other. When they go bad they are notoriously hard to diagnose because they often work and test as ok when cold but stop working once the bike warms up.

If the regulator/rectifier or CDI went bad you would lose spark to both plugs.

This is what you are looking for. A replacement comes with both pickups and the plate. The part should be relatively cheap when purchased used off ebay. I don't know what Suzuki charges for a new one. Easy and quick to replace (it has a plastic quick disconnect from the wiring harness somewhere under the seat or tank; just follow the wire starting at the pickups as shown in the photo).

[jspit21]

Thanks Buddha and Bluesmudge! I will see if this is the fix. Its hard to find ones for the gs500 do you think i could use a gs450 or gs600 signal generator. if not the part new is like 200 dollars. I'll post an update if this was the fix!

[Bluesmudge]

GS450 signal generator may work. The bottom end of the GS450 is nearly identical to the GS500 so some of the electrics may have carried over as well. You could try cross referencing the part numbers from a Suzuki parts fiche to see if they match. If it does work, report back. Its always good to know what parts are interchangeable.

I didn't know there was a GS600 (I know there was a 550 and 750) but if its a 4 cylinder GS I doubt the pickup would fit your GS500.

[The Buddha]

I am near certain the 4 cyl like GS1000, or any of its derivatives will likely fit and if it does fit near certain it would work - if you found a bike from the 70's with these parts not dead.
Also it has to be a TCI based bike, not a CDI based, a GS1000 motor was TCI though so identical except for the 2 extra cyls.
Its gonna be 10+ yrs old on the youngest of GS'es and the 2 pickup version is 20+ old, I'd not worry about a used part, those likely will be even older and will likely die again shortly. Heat cycles is what kills them. Maybe old with low miles done in long trips not short rides - but still its a wear item.

Cool.
Buddha.