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To anyone interested, I just rewired my 1978 KZ650 and decided to eliminate the battery. I used a regulator rectifier with a built in capacitor made by Sparx. I bought it through a company called 7 sins choppers, they gave fast service, I think the reg/rec with capacitor cost $80, about the same as any other new regulator rectifier with the added bonus of the capacitor being built right in.
I replaced my tail light with an led tail light, was prepared to replace the headlight with an led also if the old machine did not make enough electricity to power the regular headlight without the battery. I have to tell you guys that the bike runs great without the battery, I have very spartan wiring, Headlight and tail light that's it. My KZ650 is a hardtail bare bones bobber. If I stop at a bar where there is a bunch of Harleys etc they all come out to check out the little bobber (don't get me wrong, I own and love harleys too) it is interesting to see a guy with a $30,000 custom motorcycle checking out my $1,000 bobber with envy.
I used heat shrink on what little wiring there is, all connections were soldered. I almost forgot to mention that the Sparx reg/rec capacitor combo was really made for a triumph, but I figured what the hell, a single faze alternator is a single faze alternator, British, Jap what's the difference.
I read alot of stuff on this sight and used wiring diagrams that people posted on this sight to figure out wire colors and etc. Evan though my wiring is minimal, it still took more than a full day to figure it all out and wire it neatly. I read in many posts that the battery could not be eliminated, or you would only get one chance to kick start it then the capacitor would drain and it wouldn't start, None of this is true, it starts easier than ever now (kick only of course, the starter motor has been removed.). I have to say this bike is more fun than any Harley, but I am going to have to get a smaller rear sprocket and or a larger front sprocket cause at 118 miles an hour my points ignition starts to crack up, but you can tell that the engine has all the power you would need to go 150 mph if it just had the gears!
P.S. riding a hardtail on rough country roads is not as bad as many folks say, if you keep the stock mid controls, just take some weight with your feet when you come to a bad bump that you can't steer around.

spam.


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Nebr_Rex why did you say "spam"? All I did was explain how I eliminated my battery, and where I got the product that made it possible.

Jason Johnson wrote: Nebr_Rex why did you say "spam"? All I did was explain how I eliminated my battery, and where I got the product that made it possible.

It's because you are brand-new to the site and your first post is essentially an advertisement for a product and a company.

oh! I see what you are saying Nbr_Rex, To everyone interested, I have no connection to the product or the company I bought it from, I was just trying to be helpful to anyone interested, I guess I can see how it looks like an advertisement, I did not mean it as such and apologize if I breached any rules or etiquette. Soon I have to learn how to upload pictures etc. I'm still kinda new to this technology stuff I'm 51 years old and still kinda old school but I'm trying to learn, and I assure you I didn't mean to annoy anyone. Thank you Nbr_rex for setting me straight, I will watch how I say things from now on. And thanks to all on the site I learned alot by reading old threads etc.

oops sorry neardy called you wrong name

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See I really am new to this technology stuff

Before uploading pics, you may have to resize them to make 'em smaller.
Also, you can load your photos to a website & then link them in your replies.
Photobucket. imgur. Fickr. are a few places. probably Google.

Thanks, I will get a tech savvy neighbor to walk me through it

If you have "Paint" on your PC you can use it to resize your pictures.

Also, folks should be made aware that while you were able to eliminate the battery on your 1978 KZ650 there are other KZ650 models for which that really is impossible without totally replacing the charging system. Kawasaki used 4 different charging systems on the KZ650 models, and not all of them can be made to work without a battery. As an example, the 1977 models used a field coil charging system that must have a battery to work. A capacitor or other replacement for the battery won't work on those models, and there may be other models with similar requirements. Ed

Yep, I use to turn upside down pics posted here once in a while.
Steve

THANKS for the tips everyone, I'm so far behind on this tech stuff I still have to get someone to help me get my pictures into the computer before I even learn how to post them to the site, Hell I don't even own a cell phone, I'm a dinosaur but I'm ready to evolve.
It was alot of fun bringing this old KZ650 back to life. I have an old 1970 cb750 down in the basement waiting to be hardtailed and stripped to the bare essentials too; but after riding this KZ650 and feeling how much power it has especially since it lost so much weight, I would kind of like to find an old KZ1000 that has a kick start and a permanent magnet alternator, I can only imagine how fast the acceleration on a 1000cc inline 4 would be, talk to you guys soon

Jason Johnson wrote: oops sorry neardy called you wrong name

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See I really am new to this technology stuff

No worries - stuff happens, and we were all new at some point.

Speaking of which, be sure to pop on over to the New Members area (kzrider.com/forum/10-new-members) and introduce yourself. :-)