TOPIC:

With running the Dyna S it will pull more power from the system that the factory kawasaki unit. It has more dwell or charge time for the coils. Loudhvx has some very good write-ups on this. But still with this you should have enough output from your charging system to make up the difference if all is correct. Somewhere when under load you are loosing current through some degraded wires. How is the wiring from the stator winding to the R/R?
Another member had this same issue, had replaced a couple of stators and R/R trying to pin down the problem. Seems like he had a wiring issue that was hard to find. His would charge at high RPM but not lower R's. While Kawasaki states the Max Rated output at 4500RPM, I've found that the system makes full output right above Idle. As the system makes full power and shunts the extra power back to ground.
Try back probing the stator output 3 phase wires while they are connected to the R/R and engine running. See if you can find a low output leg out of the three. If you have access to a Oscilloscope you could check the wave form/ voltage of each leg to find any weakness.

fordtruck wrote: I unplugged the white voltage output wire from the regulator and checked its voltage. It doesn't read anything on my meter most of the time. Every few seconds it will flash 19.8 volts.

This is the part that is puzzling. Do this same test with the brown wire disconnected. If the voltage does not come up and stay up, then the reg/rec is bad or the ground wire to the battery is faulty. Or maybe the meter is faulty?

Just to make sure... you are using the battery's negative post as the reference for the voltage readings, correct?

Also, are you using solid core wires with non-resistor plugs and non-resistor caps? It's possible the RF interference is messing with your meter. I have an analog meter for this type of issue. You can get them cheap.


I have not heard of the Dyna S load problem on any KZ except KZ650's from 1978 to maybe 1980. (And on other makes, notably Honda 550's.)

I will check the wiring and also backprobe the connector while running and see what I get.

Loudhvx, disregard the part about the white output wire reading. Dumb me had the meter set on the 20 VDC scale. The wire is putting out between 20 and 22 volts. That is why it wasn't reading on my meter. I am using the negative battery post as reference point.

I am also using non-supressor wires and plugs. I've been sitting my meter on a stool a foot or so away from the bike. I've seen it go screwy if i sit it on the bike. I've also tried two digital VOM's with identical readings.

fordtruck wrote: I posted a while back about my charging issue on my 77 KZ1000. I'm still fighting it. Today I went through it again. I get 63 volts AC on all 3 windings of the stator. It ohms at 0.9. The only time I see it charge at the battery is with the lights off. It will show a little over 13 volts then. If I turn the lights on it drops to 12.8 volts at 4k rpms. I've cleaned all the connections in the headlight bucket, under the gas tank, and under the side cover. I'm using a solid state regulator/rectifier. I plugged the original regulator and rectifier in and got the same results.

I unplugged the white voltage output wire from the regulator and checked its voltage. It doesn't read anything on my meter most of the time. Every few seconds it will flash 19.8 volts. Any ideas? I'm at my wits end.

Do you have a 60/100 halogen headlight in that bike?
Is the battery absolutely known to be good and was it fully charged before being installed?

Next step, then is to connect the white wire and measure it again (with all other wires connected too). Don't rev the bike if it goes above 16v.

Do you have a 60/100 halogen headlight in that bike?
Is the battery absolutely known to be good and was it fully charged before being installed?[/quote]

It's a 55/60 H4 conversion. I actually ordered a 35/35 watt bulb to try in it. I don't ride it at night and that should knock off about 1.6 amps.

The battery is a brand new AGM. I put it in about a month ago.

loudhvx wrote: Next step, then is to connect the white wire and measure it again (with all other wires connected too). Don't rev the bike if it goes above 16v.

I did and it doesn't show over 12.8 volts at the battery at 4-5k rpms. At idle it shows 12.1 volts. This is with the lights on. If I shut off the lights it will go a little over 13 volts at higher rpms.

fordtruck wrote:

loudhvx wrote: Next step, then is to connect the white wire and measure it again (with all other wires connected too). Don't rev the bike if it goes above 16v.

I did and it doesn't show over 12.8 volts at the battery at 4-5k rpms. At idle it shows 12.1 volts. This is with the lights on. If I shut off the lights it will go a little over 13 volts at higher rpms.

Does the white wire go directly to the battery?

If there is a brown wire on the regulator, try the same test with the brown wire disconnected at the regulator. This will stop the regulator from regulating. This means full power is going to the battery. Once again watch the voltage very closely and don't let it go over 16v.

It does seem as if the alternator is simply unable to keep up.

As a last test to make sure it is not a defective regulator/rectifier, you could try to use a simple rectifier in place of the regulator rectifier. Then you will know for sure it is a weak alternator. But that is a lot of extra work (and a little money).

Dyna S ignitions definitely tax the charging system, and if the charging system is weak, adding a Dyna S will make it seem to be defective. The odd thing is that this has only been an issue on the 650's, as far as I can recall. Maybe there have been others.

Do you still have a set of points you can try out temporarily?

loudhvx wrote:

fordtruck wrote:

loudhvx wrote: Next step, then is to connect the white wire and measure it again (with all other wires connected too). Don't rev the bike if it goes above 16v.

I did and it doesn't show over 12.8 volts at the battery at 4-5k rpms. At idle it shows 12.1 volts. This is with the lights on. If I shut off the lights it will go a little over 13 volts at higher rpms.

Does the white wire go directly to the battery?

If there is a brown wire on the regulator, try the same test with the brown wire disconnected at the regulator. This will stop the regulator from regulating. This means full power is going to the battery. Once again watch the voltage very closely and don't let it go over 16v.

It does seem as if the alternator is simply unable to keep up.

As a last test to make sure it is not a defective regulator/rectifier, you could try to use a simple rectifier in place of the regulator rectifier. Then you will know for sure it is a weak alternator. But that is a lot of extra work (and a little money).

Dyna S ignitions definitely tax the charging system, and if the charging system is weak, adding a Dyna S will make it seem to be defective. The odd thing is that this has only been an issue on the 650's, as far as I can recall. Maybe there have been others.

Do you still have a set of points you can try out temporarily?

The white wire plugs directly into the positive battery cable. There is a brown wire on the regulator. I'll try and see if I can disconnect it from the harness plug and test again.

Unfortunately I do not have a set of points. The bike already had the Dyna S and green coils on it when I bought it.

Thanks alot for your suggestions! I had to walk away from it for a few days. I'm going to try and find some time this weekend to get back on it.

If I swap out my taillight bulb for a LED one, will the brake light warning light flake out on the dash?

I'll suggest reading voltage/checking wiring at the kill switch and ignition switch, just to rule out a short of some kind at the obvious locations.

2 cents

You had posted the amp draw of the ignition. What type of meter do you have, does it have a amp clamp that can handle 20 amps? Or is it just through the meter with a 10 amp limit?
You can wire a old fashioned amp meter into the circuit, white out put and battery positive, or the ground. Either end will show you the amps whether charging or discharging, and by how much. I did this and added extra load of an electric fan, to load test the out put of the system. This showed I had the max total output and at what rpm. Also with a volt meter across the battery at the same time. Compare to the FSM for your model. If you make the rated amps, then you have to much current draw. But if you have less that the total rated output, then for sure you still have an issue with the charging.