[Kino]

Hi my gl500 was running strong ...a few days ago ans as usual I was on my way to work I got on my gl500 and turned the key on and pressed power on button the bike usually fires up on right away but this time it did not happen so I figured it's probably due to the cold weather so I tried firing on my bike again however this time power shot down completely I was running late for work so I drove my car to work...my 1st impression was that the main fuse was probably blown, my second thought the battery ....when I got back home I went str8 to see what was wrong I checked battery voltage it was reading 12 78 fuse was okay and so was the relay solenoid and power push button as well....I then checked the wires to see if anything was loose or what not and I didn't find anything wrong my frustration of not been able to find the problem was getting the best of me and decided to leave it for the next day ...I work 8 hours and have a 10 month baby so my time is consuming I only get to work on my bikes for an hour or two due to time changes here in California anyhow the next day when I git back home from work I went and checked everything again and this time I noticed that the main cable going to the positive of the battery was broken apart with sulfate ..I was very relieved and excited to know I finally had found the problem I quickly connected everything back up and turn the key to on position and push the power on with negative results....I've check all cables including all connectors pulling up every single wire to see if they are sulfated or to broken apart and I'm not getting any power still.does any one had this problem before any help and suggestions will be highly embrace thank you .... heres some pictures of my gl500 just thought i share this pictures with you guys

 

[Gerard]

Had a battery failure not to long ago still read 12 volts with no load but wouldn'd start the bike . Worked prefectly fine till it made a load pop noise when i went to start after getting gas.

 

[CXPHREAK]

I had one go on me a while back. Bike started fine and I went to the shops. When I came out the battery was struggling to light the idiot lights and no crank at all. The bike was CDI so push started and rode home.

Like Gerard, the battery still showed full voltage until placed under load where it crashed to zero.

Try another battery or a jump start.

 

[Gerard]

Good looking bike

 

[bahn88]

Is the battery still a flooded/wet variety..
If so think bout upgrading to a good AGM...
Itll protect your work from boil over/corrosion generally...
Nice build/pics....

 

[lukaspriest]

What a beautiful and unique looking machine!

 

[Kino]

Thanks

 

[Randall-in-Mpls]

I'm interested to learn about the swing arm mod.

 

[Sidecar Bob]

I had similar symptoms in my GL1100 last summer. It started fine several times while running errands but when I came out of one store it wouldn't. The voltmeter showed good voltage until I pushed the Start button but then really low but everything else worked so it had to be the starter motor itself. I enlisted a couple of passersby to push and it started easily in a few feet so I went straight home.
When I took the starter motor apart I found that the bearing on the brush end of the shaft was seized in the bearing and the shaft were galled. Luckily I had a couple of non working starters I could cobble up a working one from until the replacement I ordered arrived.

 

[Kino]

I have an antigravity battery in my gl500....however I did tried using a different battery with negative results...I then used a Circuit Tester Pen Test Probe Light Tool I clamped it 1st on the negative Probe of the battery touching every single hot wire ti see if I has a short and didn't find anything wrong I then switched it and I found a very interesting thing while touching all grounds I decided to touch positive cables and the Circuit Tester Pen light turned on ???? That's crazy right you would think it would only turned on touching grounds but no it turned on when I touched red and black cable also ??? I also noticed another think I touched the battery power cable Goin to the reley solenoid which and it turned on as well when touching positive with positive but when I touched the cable coming from stater motor to reley solenoid from positive pole to stater motor cable I'm getting nothing... not even when i put my clamp
to negative of the battery to the stater motor going to reley solenoid?????? Any idea what can it be??? I'm driving. My self crazy for not been able to find the problem again .....hopefully some one can help me out thank you

 

[Kino]

I used a bmw 1150r rear suspension....the bmw is drive shaft driven like the cx gl500s you have to modify the drive shaft and build more support of the rear
Of the frame.......

 

[Randall-in-Mpls]

Do you understand how circuits work? If your test light is clamped to the negative terminal, it will only light up if you touch something with an uninterrupted path to the positive terminal.

 

[Kino]

I understand a little just the basics....my thing is this if I have one clamped to positive and if I touched a positive wire with the other one shouldn't that light stay off ???? Because as I said I 1st clamped it to the negative terminal of the battery while touching positive wires and it would light up when I would touched the red and then turned switch on black turns into hot now correct? I.then touched Grey brown and it would light up....I then touched both poles on the reley solenoid first the one from battery to reley solenoid and it light up I then moved to the motor going to solenoid and it would not light up even though the one coming from battery hot power .....I'm confused would you mind explaining how circuit works??? Or what am u missing....could it be my stater motor is the problem to my solution?????

 

[Randall-in-Mpls]

As mentioned before, you don't have a "stater" motor. The stator is part of the alternator.
It is possible that your starter motor could be at fault. Verify that you have power to the starter's positive pole when the start button is depressed.

 

[Gerard]

Common problem with the Starters the bracket that holds the brushes fails to ground properly .

 

[reclinedrelic]

Kino judging by the look of your bike I'm guessing that it no longer has the stock wiring harness. It might help problem solving if you gave us details of the modifications to the wiring of the bike.

 

[D-Fresh]

Love the way those red wheels look on the bike. That single sided swingarm is very trick looking too.

 

[Del]

Had a battery failure not to long ago still read 12 volts with no load but wouldn'd start the bike . Worked prefectly fine till it made a load pop noise when i went to start after getting gas.

If nothing has ever been done with the starter it could easily be that it needs an overhaul. Grounding of the brush plate is often a problem due to corrosion on the 3 contact points. Brushes may be worn out or stuck in their slide. Also check the battery cable connection at the starter. Remove the cable from the starter terminal and thoroughly wire brush the connection.

 

[Garbanzo]

Hola, mi gl500 estaba funcionando bien... hace unos días y, como de costumbre, iba de camino al trabajo. Me subí a mi gl500, encendí la llave y presioné el botón de encendido. La bicicleta generalmente se enciende de inmediato, pero esta vez. no sucedió, así que pensé que probablemente se debía al clima frío, así que intenté dispararle a mi bicicleta nuevamente, sin embargo, esta vez se cortó por completo. Llegaba tarde al trabajo, así que conduje mi automóvil al trabajo ... mi primera impresión fue que el probablemente se quemó el fusible principal, mi segundo pensamiento fue la batería... cuando regresé a casa, fui a str8 para ver qué estaba mal. Verifiqué el voltaje de la batería, estaba leyendo 12 78, el fusible estaba bien, al igual que el solenoide del relé y el botón de encendido. también... Luego revisé los cables para ver si algo estaba suelto o qué no y no lo hiceNo encontré nada malo, mi frustración de no poder encontrar el problema estaba sacando lo mejor de mí y decidí dejarlo para el día siguiente ... Trabajo 8 horas y tengo un bebé de 10 meses, por lo que mi tiempo consume solo obtengo para trabajar en mis bicicletas durante una o dos horas debido a los cambios de hora aquí en California, de todos modos, al día siguiente, cuando llegué a casa del trabajo, fui y revisé todo nuevamente y esta vez noté que el cable principal iba al positivo de la batería se rompió con sulfato... Me sentí muy aliviado y emocionado de saber que finalmente había encontrado el problema. Rápidamente volví a conectar todo, giré la llave a la posición de encendido y encendí la alimentación con resultados negativos... He comprobado todos los cables, incluidos todos los conectores, tirando de cada cable para ver si están sulfatados o rotos y todavía no recibo energía.¿alguien tuvo este problema antes de recibir ayuda y sugerencias? Muchas gracias... aquí hay algunas fotos de mi gl500, solo pensé en compartir estas fotos con ustedes. View attachment 218509
View attachment 218511
View attachment 218510

Hola saludos desde Costa Rica Centroamérica, casi podría asegurarte, si el ramal eléctrico está bien y hay voltaje llegando al arrancador, que tu problema es de carbones. Una prueba que puede hacer es golpear levemente el arrancador y luego probar dar arranque, al golpear ellos hacen contacto con el enducido y genera fuerza.
Si te da arranque deve sustituirlos de inmediato ya que esta medida es solo prueba, no es correctiva, espero tu respuesta.

"Hello, greetings from Costa Rica, Central America, I could almost assure you, if the electrical branch is fine and there is voltage reaching the starter, that your problem is carbon. One test you can do is lightly tap the starter and then try to crank, when tapped they make contact with the armature and generate force.

If it starts you should replace them immediately since this measure is only a test, it is not corrective, I await your response." Google translate.

 

[Kino]

It has been raining here in California this past few days I mean raining day and night...I haven't been able to work on my gl500 luckily I was able to properly installed rea San v3.5 hall unit on my other cx500 which now that one fires on on the first try....but back to the gl500 in regards to your suggestion I did tested the stater the way told to.do it and I'm getting nothing when touching th3 stater pole the one that runs from motor to reley solenoid but when I touched the other pole of the solenoid it reads 12.75 ...I thought i had found the problem thinking that it was my reley solenoid so I replaced it with a new reley solenoid an a 30amp.fuse I don't have a 20amp on my.gl500 due to adding led lights on the front and rear....when I put the key and turned the switch on I was getting the same problem I'm getting zero power Again....as I said before when I touched the positive pole on the reley solenoid the one from.battety to reley is reading 12.75 when I touched the other side of the pole on the same reley solenoid I'm getting no.power at all.ive checked the cables numerous times and a seems to be connected good I'm guessing I have to remove the stater motor perhaps??????