TOPIC:

I did print your guide and will be giving it a read. Thanks again for the sage advice. 

Charging the battery from 90% to 100% had no effect. 

I do have a voltage/ohm meter, but I admit I do not know how to use it well. Luckily my son is much more talented when it comes to electrical. 

I have also printed Wookie’s guide and will use it along with the Factory Service Manual when it arrives. 

Welcome from another Canuck.  My guess based on your description is that you have a weak battery.  When you ran the bike a couple of short rides you ran the battery down to the point where it didn't have enough juice to turn the starter over.  Try using booster cables and another 12 volt battery...a fresh one if possible.  And be aware that even a fully charged bad battery may not be good enough to turn the starter over.

OK, I will try boosting it and report back!

Where are you in Canukistan?  I’m in Calgary. 

Injected wrote:

Welcome.

I am not electrical expert but one of the best tools I every bought was a cheap battery load tester at Canadian Tire. Without something like that you will be guessing on the state of your used battery. The wiring on these old bikes depend on a good ground so make sure grounding strap is tight.

If the bike has been sitting for a while there could be some junk that made its way from the tank to the float bowls. If it does not have a inline fuel filter I would get one right away, one with a cleanable screen.

 

What Injected said.  Load test the battery.

An old or internally-damaged battery can show 12+ volts on a volt meter or charger, but be incapable of producing enough current (amps) to accomplish work.  In this case, spin the starter.  Starters require high amperage.  Once the bike is running, test the charging system per Wookie's troubleshooting guide to confirm the charging system is working properly.

Welcome to our little interwebs corner of Motorcycle Madness.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

Guys!

It was just the battery!

Thanks everyone for your help!  I’m elated it’s nothing more than a new battery!

See page 4 of the below thread for an explanation of why an apparently good battery fails under load

www.kzrider.com/forum/3-carburetor/61935...ject?start=36#891270

Anyone know what this little red switch on the left handlebar is?

 

I'm just outside of Kamloops on Hwy 1.  So not too far from Calgary.

Glad to hear it was only the battery, as I suspected.

Lenster wrote:

Anyone know what this little red switch on the left handlebar is?

 

If it´s not the horn switch, it should be the pass light (high beam) switch.

It’s not the horn, that’s the big red one at the bottom. High/Low beam is the big grey one on the left. 

Toggling the switch while the bike was running had no apparent effect on the lights. 

If it's not a spring-loaded momentary switch, next best guess would be 4-way flashers.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE