TOPIC:

So to start I have a 1982 KZ1000. I am running a new emgo ignition switch. Everything else is stock. I have good ground and power. I can jump the solenoid to get the bike to turn over. All my fuses are good. My issue is that only the tail light comes on. I have nothing at the headlight or anywhere else for that matter. I used a test light to check for power at the headlight and got nothing. I checked all the connections in the start switch and they all look good. I have run over the wiring diagram again and again and everything looks right. I have a white wire coming off the main fuse block that I'm not sure where it goes. I'm hoping somewhere here can see what I'm missing and maybe give me a point to start looking at.

Hi,
So it seems that white wire may be your culprit. Based upon a kz1000 diagram, it shows a white wire coming from a 30amp fuse and goes to the ignition switch.
I'm not familiar with the EMGO ignition switch but I assume it's setup the exact same as the stock one was or you wouldn't have used it.

The 30amp fuse has a Red/White between the battery's positive(+) terminal and the fuse. The fuse's output side is a white wire. This white wire shows to pass through single barrel connector and then all the way to the ignition via a molex connector.
This diagram also shows there to be an orange wire tapped onto the white wire before it get's to the main molex connector just before the ignition.

Based upon the white wire being connected to a 30amp fuse and only basically running to the ignition switch, it would seem probable that this is the problem. This diagram does not define wire guage/size but given it's supporting a 30amp fuse, I'd expect it to be a thicker wire than found say on a signal light etc.

Grab your meter and check the white wire at the 30amp fuse (the white wire is the output side of the fuse). Look for your 12vdc reading there and then follow that wire through each connector and ensure you still have 12vdc on any connector's output side until you are at the ignition switch (last stop before ignition switch is the bigger molex connector with 6 conductors passing through it.
HTH

Every aftermarket switch I've had to switch the wires around. Not color coded the same. The one I have now has two extra wires.
Steve

I was thinking that the white wire might be my issue as well. The only place I can see it hooking up to is labeled as accessory electrical on the diagram.

Could someone with a J model take a picture of the connections around the fuse box?

Swest I was wondering if that was the issue as well since the wires didn't match up. Here is the ignition hook up. Both the bike side and switch side

Well, no matter what version of the wiring diagrams on the forum here for 1000cc models, they all use that thick white wire from the 20 or 30 amp fuse as the main power supply to the ignition switch.
The other fuses become powered after going thru the ignition switch - so those other fuses rely upon the white wire TO the ignition.
I see in ur pics that u have 2 white wires inputting to molex... these 2 white wires are connected together (ie: same white wire branches to 2 inputs.
Thus, you should read 12vdc AT the molex white wires. If u do not, then the problem is between molex & 20/30 amp fuse.
You said ur fuses are all good so i assume u can read 12vdv AT the white wire AT the fuse.

Now ur aftermarket switch...
I see how the wire colors change across the molex. I would expect the wire functions NOT to change regardless of wire color because the mokex connector is forcing u to connect it only one way.
IF your white wire (s) DO have 12vdc AT the original side of molex, then you need to review the aftermarket switch (at the base where wires are soldered to it) and look for any identifiers that can help to determine how those wires may need to be swapped.
Maybe the switch has a diagram it came with that explain the switch's contacts?

Do you have a multimeter? It will be easier to figure out how that switch is configured & therefore how the wires may need be swapped around at the molex connector.

I do. I work with electricity on a daily basis but its normally either 120VAC or 240VAC. About all i know about DC is that it has to be grounded to work. I will bring my meter home and start running through everything. Can you take a picture of where that white wire is connected? That would be a huge help. I am going to pull the cover off the ignition switch to see if they are labeled. I will also check at the connector for power.

Thank you for your help so far

Hey there,

Funny enough, I guess, I can take a picture of the white wire since it would appear our bikes may be similar; right? I have a 1000 CSR and you have a 1000 LTD. So I will lift the seat on my dusty old thang and look for the white wire to snap a pic.

You mentioned in your first post:

".... I have a white wire coming off the main fuse block that I'm not sure where it goes..."

So I assumed, this white wire was just disconnected, dangling somewhere, and would be a relatively easy fix. Maybe you can explain how this white wire is being referenced to help me understand?
Is the white wire connected to a 20 or 30 amp fuse link or no?
I personally would not go to the trouble of removing or dismantling your new ignition switch IF you already have it installed. Again, an assumption on my part - I thought it was just hanging out somewhere as you were installing it, not bolted down etc.

I was only suggesting using the multimeter because it would be very helpful to try and figure out the switch's configuration since it seems like perhaps the wiring into/out of it is different (still I really don't understand why a company would make such a unique part and then... make it operate differently from it's intended replacement? Wire colors aside.. I get that but changing the circuit layout into a molex connector? And then not supply a wire diagram?)
I guess, I've learned something here... Don't buy an EMGO ignition switch.

It's funny because I just bought replacement switches for KZombie and I opted for stock original ignition and seat lock with a matching key because I wanted the key to match. I considered an aftermarket ignition switch (I wanna say it was the same price or even maybe a few cents less than?) but they only had an ignition and not the seat lock so I went for the older, original, scratched and "gently used..." LOL Seems I may have unknowingly side-stepped a landmine in that decision

OK man. I'll take my phone to the ol' 1000 (BTW, I haven't done anything electrical to that bike yet. The PO had changed up alot of the wiring for headlamp, signal lamps, no tail light present, so hopefully my bike doesn't confuse the issue, I just haven't done anything with it shy of roll it around the garage floor to get it out of the way of my every increasing exploded parts view KZombie restoration.

Here's the diagram I was using recently for reference sake, so we both are looking / talking about the same thing:



Use your test light or meter and confirm you are getting power at each point where I've put a large black arrow. This is the input source voltage to the ignition apparently.

BTW. Be VERY careful with your test light around any wires going into or out of your .... FLUX CAPACITOR! We all know what happens if you should somehow input 1.21 gigawatts of power into that thing!

Thanks bud! The wire is coming out from the other side of the main fuse and has a female bullet connector on it. That's the same diagram I am using just a clearer version of it. As soon as I get home I will check for power. If you look at the ignition swotch the white and white/black wire are in different pin locations than the harness. If they used the same wire color then it would make sense that I have no power since it's going to the wrong place. I found one on eBay that's "gently used" for $15 that I think o might pick up. If it works then I will be sending that Emgo unit back. The have a reputation of producing less than great quality parts.

Thanks for all the help it's greatly appreciated.

I'll make sure to be careful. I would hate to wind up in 1985.

Haha! Darn, what I wouldn't give to go back to 1985 now and be riding a "new" version of what I'm trying to resurrect from the grave.

So, I had a few minutes before heading off to work here and took video and static photos of my CSR. Ha! First time I did anything under the seat to it.. What a mess! However, I did find that elusive white wire and traced it through from Battery (+) terminal to that big molex connector up front that goes into the ignition switch.
It's just going to take some time for my phone to upload it all to "the cloud" so I can resize and post them here. Probably later this evening.

I did confirm though, that white wire's function through the ignition switch by unplugging it from the single barrel-connector under the seat and with my meter in continuity mode, nearly everything goes dead up front.. It's gotta be the answer, just not sure on how to apply it to this switch yet? I got several pictures of the molex connector's ends and sides hoping that maybe it can shed some light on which wires should be going to which wires through the connector you have.

OK. Later brother.

Thanks bud. Also could you see where your reserve lighting unit is plugged in at? I can't seem to find a spare 6 pin brown connector. Thanks

Whoa! Got home late. Fell into a casing polishing hole on KZombie's engine and before I knew it I was asleep.

So here's a quick vid of my CSR as I trace the white wire from battery(+) through the large molex connector by the headlamp:


It then occurred to me, that your bike has likely more of an issue with the aftermarket ignition switch's pin-out to the molex connector. So I took 6 pictures from every angle/side/end of "the stock" installation, hoping that you may be able to see where your wires are different:







Finally, you asked about the "reserve lighting unit"? I had no idea what this was. I looked at the wiring diagram for ...? a long time anyway trying to find something to match this but drew blank.
Went out to my bike in the garage (it was already dark outside and my damn ph battery was so low it wouldn't flash) BUT I did manage to find something about reserve on the tach. Ha! Go figure! I didn't even know this existed on the bike - a reserve light for the fuel tank. Cool!
So here's a couple of pics of what I got. A shot of the connector below the tank showing wire colors and then a shot of the front molex connector that goes to the tachometer where the reserve light is located. Luckily, the two wires seen at the tank connector are up-front and visible on the molex by the tank. My molex connector is green however, not brown. Doubt that makes a difference but ...:





Sheesh. Hope this is useful.