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79 GS550E bought last week in Wisconsin got new battery and rode 1000 mi thru plenty of rain to Louisiana no problems then 10 mi from home splashed thru big puddle riding slow and died ... turns over, will idle a few secs but wont run. Newbie here, not sure where to start, something must be wet ... I'm thinking a blow dryer but need advice, thanks.

Could be a lot of things, including coincidence, but I would check to see where the rectifier is located and see if that took a blast of water. Also have a look at the CDI. Wiring that old probably isn't as shielded as it once was.

Check spark plug wire boots too. Pull a wire off and check the head of the park plug for water and check inside the boot for moisture. If you use a blow drier, be careful not to melt anything.

One other thing. Maybe you sucked some water in through the air cleaner.

unless it has been changed the 79 gs550e has contact breaker ignition.
there is a small cover on the right side of engine that says Suzuki on it.remove cover and blow points off with hairdryer.my 77 would do the same thing in a big rain.i would also have to remove the gas tank and blow the water out of the ignition coils.you can stop the points from getting wet by sealing the cover plate with silicone sealant.while you are in there see if the points need adjusting.gap should be--.012--.016 inch.

Thanks for the suggestions on the 79 GS550... will get to work on bike tomorrow. I'll check the points and plug wires and air filter even though they didn't sputter during days of riding thru rain. I'm leaning toward Dr. Bob's wet coils theory because the problem was caused by a big splash up under the tank. This raises another question from this rookie ... about removing the tank. I see there's a bolt to release the rear and a pair of pivots up front, so I'm assuming I can just lift the tank off once unbolted. But what about the fuel line and any other connections... can anybody walk me thru it to prevent any rude surprises? There's a couple of gallons of gas in the tank... do I need to drain it first? Again, muchas gracias for the schooling.

no need to drain tank if fuel shutoff valve is working ok.it is vacuum operated there is a hose going to one of the carburetors that supplies the vacuum take this line off the valve.place the valve on any position except prime and take the fuel line off from the valve.a small amoumt of fuel might run out of valve then stop.if it keeps running you will have to drain it.to do so put a long piece of hose on the valve turn the valve to prime and drain it into a can.be careful removing tank if it has a lot of fuel in it.dont drop it.sounds silly but gas will slosh to one end and catch you by surprise if you aint expecting it.p.s the gs550 Suzuki is the best motorcycle ever created.