Ok, where to start with this post?
An introduction is in order! I'm not new to being on forums as I've spent a significant amount of time reading through posts on the Chevy C-10 forums (not an active poster myself however.) As the subject says I am a new rider, as in just bought my bike last right at 9 PM and haven't even gotten to register it yet.
Anyways, I picked up the bike yesterday (2007 GS500F) took it on a test ride and it was a beauty, rode the bike home afterwards and to my girlfriends and then out to friends later that night which was a total of 15 miles. All day today I was at work and hadn't rode the bike since I parked it last night. Finally got home and went to get on it and less then a mile down the street the bike died. I had turned to fuel selector to prime the night before thinking it was "off" so I looked down and turned it back to ON. Thinking I ran the lines dry. The bike started several times but refused to enter a gear and actually run. I continued trying to start it until I got a sound that sounded like a dead battery. Backed it up a light incline nearby and managed to get a rolling clutch start so I started riding back home, halfway there I stopped in neutral for a moment and it was slowly losing power and getting ready to stall so I took off while I could. When I was turning onto my street I went to engine brake and the bike died again. Clutch started it and barely at that (full throttle and it still bogged for a moment) then pulling into my driveway I went to engine brake again and it died.
Checked the battery and it read 11.something volts at first. we charged it for roughly 5 minutes and got the bike to start for just a moment before it died again. Checked the cells on the battery and filled them with water (Slightly low not much). We then let it charge for 20 minutes and started it. It cranked with I believe 12.3? volts and was idling at 12.07 volts, at roughly 4000 rpm the volts peaked at 12.7. (Looked normalish to me from general car knowledge however I do not know with bikes) . Just out of curiosity though I disconnected the negative (Again from experience with cars) and the bike did in fact begin to stall out and choked and backfired when it was given gas. I let the bike sit on the charger for roughly 2 hours (maybe less) at 2 amps. Haven't started it or tried to ride it since taking it off the charger.
The lady I bought the bike from did say it sat for a while and that she had the tank and carbs cleaned recently to sell it. I heard that rectifiers can sometimes go bad after sitting for a while, that they will run fine shortly but burn out quickly?
My question is if this could in fact be a bad rectifier, possibly a stator or even just a bttery? Or if there are other possibilities I might be missing?
Checked the rectifier based off of instructions I found digging through treads last night. Seems to be in decent order?
All reading came back as either OL or around .45, normal i think?
The battery is currently at the local vatozone getting a charge. The guy said it had 12 volts but no charge on it so waiting to see what happens there.
P.S. These security questions to post are slightly ridiculous, I've been putting in answers the would seem to me as correct and keep getting back. Have to resubmit numerous times until it gives me answers I KNOW are correct. Cheat sheet? lol
check AC stator output at 5k rpm and DC ~14V at the battery
Just got done getting the battery tested and it came back bad, I have a new sitting with the electrolytes in it waiting to be put on the charger.
I'm going to laugh at myself if it was only a battery this whole time. Call it noobie paranoia.
Will keep posted and do multimeter checks again once battery is charged and in the bike.
Those security questions are only for your first couple posts, no worries.
To my knowledge, the GS500 R/R isn't really a known issue.... on older Suzuki bikes it certainly is though. Batteries on the other hand, do fail rather quickly with just a little neglect. Especially after sitting for any decent length of time.
And welcome to the site man!
Update:
Changed the battery and all seems to be fine, 12.5 volts at idle. 13.4 at 3k rpm. We'll see how it holds over the next few days and if there is any drain. Till then the multimeter is my best friend.
Went to get the bike registered however and apparently while turn signals are not required you do HAVE to have a working high beam indicator... What a ridiculous requirement... Looks like I'll be changing some bulbs in the morning. If anybody could link to an article about changing the dash lights that would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks all
No need to link you to any bulb swap threads, it's a piece of piss, remove two bolts holding dash onto top yoke(10mm nuts).
Remove speedo cable from back(just unscrews)
Lift dash and behind the indication lights you will feel wires going into a rubber bung, wiggle the rubber bung out,that's the bulb holders.
There T10 bulbs, if you go for LED replacements leave the indicator bulb stock as LED bulbs only work one way, the indicators work by passing voltage each way(example left to right for one indicator and right to left on other)
Once you've replaced the bulbs simply push bulb holder back in and bolt everything back on
Lol, well Mr. inspector, you say I don't need turn signals? Let alone a turn signal indicator? Fine... I'll just move the bulb from that connector to the high beam one. Problem ******* solved!
All goes well in the morning and I'll be street legal before noon!
Might want to check the local laws. Here in PA, you aren't required to have turn signals (they think hand signals are just fine I suppose....) but if you DO have them, they have to work. Might be similar down in Texas.
Quote from: Big Rich on August 17, 2015, 11:17:36 PM
Might want to check the local laws. Here in PA, you aren't required to have turn signals (they think hand signals are just fine I suppose....) but if you DO have them, they have to work. Might be similar down in Texas.
VA is the same way.
They used to make you use SAE signals too; now they don't really care. I was so confused as to why I had to remove my turn signals to pass inspection with my 1st bike. :cookoo:
That's our government at its finest for you. :dunno_black:
Apparently in Texas they don't care at all whether you have turn signals or not... or the indicator for that matter.
Bike is running though and I put about 100 mile on it today just cruising around north Fort Worth... been dreaming about riding for years and I finally am!
Guess this is a close to this thread, again thanks all for the help. Look forward to posting and reading more on here and I'll post a introductory post of the bike and my plans for it soon in a new thread!