Starter Relay Wiring

Hiya Guys.....Long time no see.
Anyway.... I'm finally getting around to final assembly on my 77 KZ1197 project, and here is my problem, I can't get the starter button to work. The 2 wires coming off of the starter relay (black, black/yellow) where do they go? I'm assuming (I know, I know) the black/yellow is a ground, but the only black conector I can find is the black wire/connector coming off of the rectifier. I have a wiring diagram, new main harness, and everything else is working like it should except the starter button.

I had the frame powdercoated, and I ground off the pc were the battery ground is, but should I run a ground wire from the frame to the motor to be safe?

Thanks for any and all help!
Jim

Not sure about the color codes on the 1000, but the wire you´re looking for is most likely not black, on my 650 I think it´s brown.

There´s a power wire coming from the ignition keyswitch to the kill switch - from the kill switch it connects to one side of the starter button, from the other side of the starter button it goes to the clutch lockout switch and then to the starter relay/solenoid. If you trace the wires from the clutch switch to where they tie into the main harness under the tank, the wire running towards the back of the bike is the one that connects to the starter relay. (If you removed the clutch switch the two plugs under the tank should be connected.)

Another thing to doublecheck (if you didn´t already)is the polarity of the starter relay - again not sure about the 1000, but on the 650 relay there´s a black and a yellow/red wire. Contrary to what you would think the black is the power wire and the red/yellow is the ground wire, make sure you have continuity between the lug nuts when 12V is supplied to the relay, if not the wires may be reversed.

As for the other question, I like to connect the - terminal to one of the rear engine mounts, works for me.

Btw, long time no see indeed, how about some pics?

Relays do not care about polarity. Small wires to small lugs, large to large and you're wired correctly, unless the relay has a diode wired internally. In that case if it's wired reversed, the diode will instantly short. Kawasaki doesn't use a diode on a starter relay as far as I know. So this leaves you what onkelB outlined as far as how 12v flows to the relay.

Sorry Ron, but I disagree, in this case polarity does matter. The starter relay (or starter solenoid as I prefer to call it) on these old bikes is a simple elctromechanical device that works on the same principles as a loudspeaker. A magnetic anchor sits inside a coil, when voltage is supplied to the coil the anchor will move (up, if it´s connected correctly). On the top of the anchor there´s a metal bar, when the anchor moves up the metal bar connects the two lug nuts and current can flow from the battery to the starter motor. If you reverse the polarity the anchor will move (or attempt to move) in the opposite directon (which is what makes a loudspeaker react to AC), meaning the metal bar will not connect the lug nuts and current can´t flow.

Post edited by: OnkelB, at: 2007/04/20 13:27

A typical loudspeaker uses a coil moving against a permanent magnet, which has polarity.

The relay/solenoid uses a coil to move a piece of steel, not a magnet. The steel is neutral and will move the same direction regardless of the polarity of the coil.

The two are using slightly different electro-magnetic concepts. The speaker is using the coil to produce a field to work with, or against, an existing field. The relay/solenoid is using the coil to magnetize pieces of steel to make them attract each other (regardless of polarity).

Post edited by: loudhvx, at: 2007/04/20 14:22

Ok, I stand corrected - and thanks for clearing that up Lou.

Actually, I had the solenoid wired backwards for years. I think it was you that pointed out the wire-colors to me.

Still seems strange Kaw went with yellow/red as ground on that item only.

loudhvx wrote:

Still seems strange Kaw went with yellow/red as ground on that item only.

Yeah, that one had me baffled for a while too. Think it might have been to avoid confusion with the power feed to the coils which are also red/yellow. Or it may simply be an error in the Clymer manuals, who knows, it´s been known to happen.

Anyway, thanks for pointing out the difference between the permanent magnet and the steel anchor, didn´t know that, guess it´s true what they say about assumption.

On a KZ1000, hot wire comes off ignition switch and goes over to right switchgear. Through the kill switch and down to start button. On models equipped with a starter interlock, the black wire comes out and goes over to the clutch perch and through a contact switch there and then back to the starter button. On models without this interlock, the power just goes from kill swtich to starter button. The wire on the interlock loop is solid BLACK. Anyway, the wire coming off the starter button is BLACK and connects to the BLACK wire lead on the solenoid. This wire carries switched 12VDC and triggers the relay. The other wire is a ground BLACK/YELLOW (all black/yellow are ground on a Kaw for most models). This particular black/yellow wire will typically be plugged into the reg/rec ground is memory serves. You should see a black/yellow in the vicinity that isn't conncted to anything. It is hard to mis-connect a black/yellow as long it is connected to a black/yellow as they all go back to the main battery ground for the most part.

Thanks Guys for all of the responces, I haven't hooked up my kill switch (Pingle)so maybe I just haven't completed the circuit. Funny thing is, it was all working before I tore it all down for paint and chrome.

George, does anything plug into the single black wire with a connector that comes off of the rectifier? I'll post some pics soon, just waiting on the fork lowers to be painted and I will be done...... FINALLY!!!!!

Thanks Again!
Jim

OK, More info...........
I've hooked up the kill switch (It just splices into the 12v switched power)I ran a ground wire to the engine case, I ran a wire from the starter relay (black) to the main harness (black), and black/yellow from relay to black/yellow (ground).
Still get nothing when I push the starter button, this is a new right hand switch also. When I hold the starter button in, and turn the on/off switch back and forth, I get a slight flicker in the oil pressure light. I don't know if that means anything, just thought I'd give you all of the info I have.

Possibly a bad relay switch???? It works when I jump across the hot posts.

Post edited by: Skully, at: 2007/04/21 19:45

Post edited by: Skully, at: 2007/04/21 23:46

wiredgeorge wrote:

On a KZ1000, hot wire comes off ignition switch and goes over to right switchgear. Through the kill switch and down to start button. On models equipped with a starter interlock, the black wire comes out and goes over to the clutch perch and through a contact switch there and then back to the starter button.
...

On the diagram I have, there is no loop back to the start button. It just goes start-button to clutch switch to the starter-relay.

But that wouldn't be the first time Clymer was wrong.

The diagram also shows two ground wires on the regulator. A black/yellow, and a plain black, both connect to the harness ground circuit via two different paths. They take two different pathc to end up at the same connection point. Wierd... or a mistake on the diagram, again.

I hate it when I do stupid chit, anyway...... I finally took the wiring harness block off of the side of the battery box, and guess what?? Yep, there was a black wire and a black/yellow not connected, sooooooo.... I plugged the 2 wires off of the starter relay into them and Bingo........ We have ignition!!!!!

That's what I get for getting in a hurry putting this thing back together, that and it's been about a year since I've messed with it!

Thanks again for all the help Guys!!!!!

Jim