I'm new to this forum, street bike riding and the GS500 line of bikes. I just bought an old 90 GS500E from a tweeker that utterly abused this poor machine and allowed his roomates to ride hard and put her away wet....  When I bought it, the clutch lever was replaced by a standard after market lever. The ignition switch wires were cut in order to be hot wired and the bike was just generally neglected.

I re-attached the ignition switch wires and installed a new battery. When I turn the key I get no power to anything. I've started the restoration process but would like to at least get it running to see what level of tear down will be needed. I get power from the starter relay to the ign switch (red wire) but no power out when the key is turned on. I'm thinking that when the key is in the on position I should get power to the orange wire but that's not happening. I'm in the process of examining the entire wiring system (given the condition of the bike) looking for and repairing bad grounds when I found a loose wire behind the headlamp that looks like it went to the clutch switch. I also found two wires (one black/w and one brown) with female end connectors that were not connected.

I have disassembled, cleaned and repaired the starter switch, on/off kill switch, starter relay and then metered the ignition switch. When the ign-sw is on the gray and brown wires connect. (I haven't traced those yet to see what circuit they control) but I was sure that when I placed an ohm meter across the red and orange wires I would get a closed circuit but I don't so I'm wondwering if maybe the sw is bad?

I read some posts on the clutch switch and will follow up on that if someone can tell me how they are wired in to the circuit but even then wouldn't I at least get power to the headlight or tail light when the ign sw is on? I don't have a manual but will order one from here if they are reasonably priced. Hopefully someone can help me here while I wait for the manual to be delivered. In the meantime I'm going to continue with the teardown, cleaning and troubleshooting. Thanks for any info. I've really enjoyed reading the posts here and I'm sure to run into some other perplexing situations with this bike..

The best place to start might be with a wiring diagram.  This one comes from the Haynes manual.  (Shameless plug.  :mrgreen: )

Meanwhile, you're right: a bad clutch switch won't prevent the lights from coming on.  See this post for info on the fuse.

Quote from: Jdart11................................
I read some posts on the clutch switch and will follow up on that if someone can tell me how they are wired in to the circuit .......................

Maybe this will help

YUP... These diagrams are just what I need for the electrical chaos I'm working with at the moment. BTW the fuse is okay. THANKS VERY MUCH!  :kiss: (don't take that the wrong way -  :lol: )

Couple Questions: #1 - When I removed the ign sw for cleaning, (external) wire repair and testing I noticed that the casing appeared to be sealed or rivited together.  Based on the diagrams it appears that when the sw is on the gray / brown wires connect and the red / orange wires connect. This being the case means that my red and orange connection inside the sw is not being made and needs repair. Does anyone know how to get inside the sw?

and

#2 - The bikes prolonged exposure to the elements here in Oregon have left it rusty, oxidized and faded. Any suggestions for the DIY GS500-newbie who has experience in mechanics, electronics, airbrush / painting, construction, etc.  and a master at improvising?

I bought the bike for $300 and although it was not running when I took possesion last week, I did see and hear it running the week before. I decided to buy it before the current owner completely destroyed it and make it a nice summer (ice cream season) DIY project.

I appreciate all the help, insight and sound advice that seems to permeate this forum and look forward to petitioning for help from those of you who have much more experience with GS500 than I do. I'm sure that I'll be back with plenty of goo and brain-dead question!

Thanks for the help!!

so, it sounds like you will need to atleast sand and paint, as far as the motor, the gs is pretty bullet proof so as long as he didn't run it out of oil it should still be ok, once you get it to whare you can turn it over comp check it, and change the oil, then just new tires, fork seals if it needs them, spark plugs, the normal wear and tear items.   then go have fun.

Wanted to thank those who offered their insight and knowledge to help me solve this problem and give an update.

After reviewing the Haynes wiring diagram it confirmed my suspected ign sw problem. BTW, the sw is not riveted as I initially thought but rather screwed together with a drop of solder on the screw head to keep one from gaining access. Well I got that puppy open and was able to locate the connection problem and fix it with a bit of sanding, cleaning and contact polishing. Reassemble and what-do-ya-know? Works like a flippin charm! I applied a small amount of graphite to the key cylinder and now everything works as smooth as a baby's ass.

I'll be doing some more work on the old GS lady today and I hope to get her running. Thanks again for all your input.!!