TOPIC:

Kawasaki Ignition Switch Wiring

Here's my partial interpretation of the wiring diagram for the 1981 KZ1000-K1 LTD.
And comes without warranty.

Red/white from bat+ terminal goes to 30 amp fuse.
White from the 30 amp fuse carries bat+ to ignition switch.

Switch ON connects white to white/black (feeds bat+ from white to white/black).

White/black (now carrying bat+ because switch is ON) goes to 10 amp fuse.
Brown from the 10 amp fuse carries bat+ to ignition switch.

Switch ON connects brown to yellow/red (feeds bat+ from brown to Yellow/Red

Yellow/Red from ignition switch feeds bat+ to OFF-RUN-OFF switch. When in RUN position, red wire feeds both ignition coils and also feeds the igniter (red into connector and Yellow/Red out of connector into igniter).


Kawasaki Key Code Series


170-174
175-195
176K-250K
251K-325K
3101-3150
3201-3250
326K-400K
401-470
701-720
706-710
751-795
8001-9000
801-845
901-925
A00-A99
B8001-B9000
E8001-E9000
G1-G35
KZ5001-KZ6000
N1-N35
RVS101-RVS499
Z5001-Z6000

Thanks for the info!

What do the key codes mean? Are all keys from the same series similar or something? My 753 would fall into the 751-795 series.

There are several used ignition switches on eBay without a key. Can I tell what key I need from the code stamped on the ignition switch?

RonKZ650 wrote: Assuming it's the switch, you can get another Kawasaki ignition switch and disassemble the parts and use your old key cylinder with the new switch...

Well, I guess I shouldn't have "assumed". After digging through a bunch of parts I found 2 other switches and both do the same thing! I don't think it's the switch although I haven't personally tested the other 2 used ones. I just find it hard to believe that they all have the same problem.

So if not the switch, what could it be then? It's the wiring somewhere but does anyone have a clue where I would start to look?? Key works fine to turn on and off everything unless the engine is running...then it won't shut off with the key (but does with the kill switch).

Posssibly, a wire or two has rubbed through the insulation,energizing circuits not meant to be "On", I'd look inside the headlight housing and any place where the main harness flexes.

Try this method of electrical troubleshooting:

The Dreaded Shorting/Intermittent Electrical Problem!

Here is the most basic method I know(Taken from www.kzrider.com by member Patton)

1. Charge your battery and have it load tested if you can. The floating ball hydrometer can be used to check the specific gravity of the charged cells in the battery.

2. Disconnect the Black lead from the (-) Battery terminal... or Red from the (+) Battery terminal, it does not matter which one. Just 1, not both!

3. Connect one of the following test setups in series with the Battery terminal and lead:
3.1 A 12 V light bulb,
3.2 A 12 V test light,
3.3 A 12 V test buzzer or,
3.4 A 12 V horn... you get the idea.

4. With the Ignition Switch OFF, go through your harness and wiggle the wires while looking/listening for the test setup to go on/start buzzing.

5.With the Ignition Switch ON, repeat the test except this time the looking/listening for the test setup to go off/stop buzzing.

6. Be prepared to open the Ignition switch and check/test for solder joint failure and or circuit board micro breaks (don't ask how I know this ).

7. Be prepared to pull the wires out of the Head Light to test for failures at or near the grommet.

8. Be prepared to open the harness at or near the Steering Neck for failures. This is where wires tend to exhibit fatigue due to repetitive movement.

9. Be prepared to open the left and right switch gear to search for rust and or broken parts. CAUTION: watch out for flying springs, ball bearings and stuff. Do indoors on White sheet (again don't ask ).

10. Be prepared to follow the heavy gauge wire from the Starter Solenoid (Relay) to the starter for bare wire exposure. Especially near bends and grommets.

11. If you can reproduce the fault symptom your are pretty much home free. Be prepare to find and repair/replace any internal wire breaks, insulation break downs, exposed wires, rubber grommet failures, etc. Often, shrink tubing will solve the problem temporarily until something better can be done.

12. I use a very good electrical contact cleaner/preservative called De-oxit made by Caig Labs in San Diego Ca. Their website is www.deoxit.com It can be purchased at Radio Shack and any other electronic supply store. I use it on all of my motorcycle’s electrical connectors , in my home entertainment center’s stereo patch cords and cordless phones charging cradles.

MFolks...and Patton...thanks for the great testing procedure. I guess I'll be digging into the wiring some time soon...

On a related note, I was able to take Ron's idea about switching the key cylinders and now have a working / matching ignition switch and seat lock for my 650 (another project)!

79MKII wrote:

DoubleDub wrote: Have you tried some spray contact cleaner inside the lock mechanism? Maybe there is gunk built up in there that needs to be cleaned out.

Not yet, but that's a good idea. I'll give it a try. I also want to figure out the wiring so I can test the switch and see exactly what is wrong. Those switches so a whole lot more that just turn on and off one circuit. Looks like the brown wire might control the +12v to the coil? I'll have to dig into it soon.

If needed ---



Good Fortune!

OK, got some more info. I FINALLY dug into the wiring a bit more today. First off, I realized that even with the key off, or the ignition switch completely disconnected for that matter, the motorcycle will start and run if I kickstart it. Could have been stolen at any time! oops!

That made me think that power must be going to the Dyna III ingition and coils at all times. When I tested the ylw/red lead that powers the coils (and ignition), it switches on and off as normal with the key and / or kill switch. I then left the test light connected to the ylw/red wire and kicked the motor....the test light flickers even with the ignition off. Somehow, any time the engine is turning over, power is getting to the ylw/red wire that feeds the coils (comes out of harness under tank). Even with the ignition completely disconnected (power and both coil feeds) the symptoms are the same (I thought the power might be feeding back through the ignition). BUT...with the kill switch off, the power does NOT feed through when kicked.

Has to be something with the stator and/or regulator that's supplying the power....but somehow tied into the kill switch....very strange.

Any ideas??

My understanding of the charging system has the three yellow wires supplying the A.C. to the rectifier/regulator which then converts the A.C. to D.C. running the bikes electrical system.

Alternator Testing For the Older 4’s(Z1’s,Kz 900’s, Kz1000’s,Kz1100’s and GPz1100’s).

To check to see if the alternator is working you need to follow these simple steps:

1. Fully charge the battery as this will be the power source during this test.

2. Disconnect the Regulator/Rectifier at the plug that has the six wires in it.

3. Start the engine and let it warm to operating temperature.

4. If you're worried about overheating, position a large fan for cooling the engine.

5. After the engine has reached operating temperature, have a helper assist you, and using a multi-meter, read the output at the three yellow wires (or the alternator output wires)at the disconnected connector.

6. Raise the engine speed to 4000 rpm, and see what the three YELLOW wire combinations(or any alternator output wires) are(1-3, 2-3 & 1-2). The output will be around 50 Volts A.C.(Alternating Current). BE CAREFUL, AS THERE IS A SHOCK HAZARD HERE!!

7. If any of the combinations are low or non-existent, the stator(wire windings) are bad and must be replaced.
Some of the older Z1’s and KZ900’s were reported to be phase sensitive, so check the wire colors carefully.

8. Using an OHMETER, Check the three wire combinations again, looking for a reading of 0.36 - 0.54 OHMS. If the readings are above or below, the stator may be bad and need replacement. Also check from any of the three YELLOW wires to ground, this will show if arcing took place.

9. Before ordering a new stator, check the connections from the stator as there are electrical "Bullet" connectors that may be damaged or dirty.
Inspect the wiring for signs of shorting or overheating too. www.z1enterprises.com sells replacement rubber grommets for the alternator output wiring, they get hard and could leak oil after a while.

10. Check the wiring coming out of the grommet as there have been situations where the wires were damaged causing a short(I.E. twisted together with insulation damage).

11. The sprocket cover will have to be removed to access the electrical connectors coming from the alternator, the left foot peg assembly and shifting lever will have to come off also.


Alternator Stator Replacement On the Older 4’s
Source for replacement Stators

A. www.electrosport.com (They have a trouble shooting page)
B. www.customrewind.com
C. www.rmstator.com
D. www.ricksmotorsportselectrics.com
E. www.regulatorrectifier.com

1. If by testing either by checking the output voltage from the stator or by using and ohmmeter for resistance and the stator is determined to be bad, replacing the stator is not a difficult job.

2. The motorcycle owner should have on hand a replacement alternator gasket as it will tear on removal and leak if reused.

3. Put the bike on the center stand if possible and lean it to the right to minimize the oil volume that could come out when the alternator cover is removed.

4. Have selection of Metric wrenches and sockets along with Metric Allen keys to be able to accomplish this repair. ¼" and 3/8" ratchets and extensions may be needed along with Allen bits.

5. Remove the gear shift lever, the sprocket cover and possibly the left foot peg assembly.

6. A catch pan for what little oil will be lost should be positioned under the alternator on the left side. Newspapers will soak up any oil lost or some kitty litter will do as an absorbent.

7. Remove the alternator cover fasteners, some bikes use a socket head cap screw(Allen type) and others use the Phillips head type, the #3 screwdriver bit fits best for those. Use a small dish or can to collect the removed fasteners from the parts to prevent loss/damage.

8. The alternator stator is secured to the inside of the cover usually with three Allen headed bolts, Some bikes may have Torx style fasteners, Remove them and disconnect the three yellow wires that have bullet connectors on them from the bundled wires inside the sprocket cover.

9. If your bike has some color other than yellow for the alternator output wires, make note of what goes where as the older Kawasaki’s were phase sensitive in regard to the regulator/rectifiers.

10. When installing the replacement stator, clock or position the output wires and grommet so they fit into the small port under the alternator cover without being pinched or damaged.

11. Tighten the three Allen or Torx fasteners, securing the replacement stator to the cover. I like using the BLUE Loctite # 242 for hardware that can be removed with hand tools.

12. Remove the old gasket from the mating surfaces of the alternator cover and engine case by scraping with a piece of sharpened plastic like Lexan or Plexi-glass as these will not gouge the soft Aluminum Cases. Avoid using a metal gasket scraper for this.

13. Position the alternator cover, checking for pinched wiring and install the fasteners with a little silver anti-seize on the threads, tightening to the correct torque.

14. Connect up the output wires to the mating female bullet connectors and while you’re in there, check the routing of the wire bundle that runs through there.

15. Inspect for signs of heat damage to the wire insulation and vibration damage too.

16. The side stand switch, neutral switch, and oil pressure switch wiring are all bundled with the alternator output wiring running above and behind the engine output sprocket. This bundle runs in a channel as it goes up toward the various electrical connections.

17. The regulator/rectifier plug on the 80’s bikes usually has six wires in it:

A. One (1)WHITE with RED stripe, this is the bikes main power wire usually 12 gauge in size.

B. One(1) smaller Brown wire, probably 18 gauge or so, the voltage sense wire for the regulator/rectifier, helps keeping it from overcharging the battery.

C. One(1) BLACK with YELLOW stripe wire, part of the ground circuits, maybe 16 gauge in size.

D. Three(3) YELLOW wires, maybe 14 gauge in size, the alternator output wires going to the regulator/rectifier which converts the Alternating Current(A.C.) to Direct Current(D.C.) using rectification, producing the power to run the motorcycle and charge the battery.

18. Reinstall the sprocket cover, again checking for pinched wires before tightening. Install the shifter on it’s splined shaft checking for proper location, and the left side foot peg assembly.

19. Except for the minor oil spill and reluctant fasteners, it’s not a very difficult job to do.

Wow MFolks, thanks for all the information! Before reading your post, I went and checked the ylw/red wire with the voltage regulator disconnected. The wire does not have power when kicked as long as the voltage regulator is disconnected.

Some additional background - 2 or 3 years ago the battery wasn't charging properly. I tested everything and found that the voltage regulator was bad. After getting ripped off on flea-bay with a used one that didn't work, I bought a new aftermarket regulator. I carefully spliced and soldered the stock connector onto the new regulator, and the charging problem was fixed. Before I changed the regulator, the voltage at the battery would go lower as the RPM's increased...after the new regulator, it charges as it should.

Anyway, I think the stator is OK but I'm guessing the regulator has gone bad or there is a short somewhere. I will check the stator output again to be sure and also check for stator shorts. I don't remember the bike having this problem right after the new regulator was installed but maybe it did??

Anybody got a good used regulator for sale? This one has an external rectifier, not integrated as the newer ones do. Here's some pictures of the work, I'll have to double check to make sure the connections were made correctly.

Who did you buy the new regulator/rectifier from? I think this happened before to someone on the forum here recently. He found the new unit was wired internally wrong, putting voltage where it should'nt be.

MFolks wrote: Who did you buy the new regulator/rectifier from? I think this happened before to someone on the forum here recently. He found the new unit was wired internally wrong, putting voltage where it should'nt be.

I don't remember for sure, but I think it was Dennis Kirk. If I can find an old one to try, at least it will tell me if the regulator is the problem. I can't remember if I have an old one around or not....the 2 I had were bad and I cut one of them up to use the connector with the new regulator. There might still be another one somewhere.

Boy would I be interested to hear from the member that had a problem with his.