First Ride on the KZ, First Wreck on the KZ!! HELP

I'd also make sure the tank is venting making sure it's not a fuel delivery issue.

I knew someday I'd need you guys and you'd be there. thanks. I'm alot more sore today then I was yesterday. I'm gonna go buy a voltage meter afterwhile and get started.
If you take off the left side cover theres a box with 3 fuses, directly to the left of that box there is another box that makes a humming noise and the sound changes when you turn on a signal or the hazards, should that box be humming??

It might be the regulator/rectifier if it's a combination unit, if it's not then you will have a seperate box for each purpose. Without seeing a picture, we can only guess what you described.

1L9T7D8 1000 wrote:

I knew someday I'd need you guys and you'd be there. thanks. I'm alot more sore today then I was yesterday. I'm gonna go buy a voltage meter afterwhile and get started.
If you take off the left side cover theres a box with 3 fuses, directly to the left of that box there is another box that makes a humming noise and the sound changes when you turn on a signal or the hazards, should that box be humming??

my guess is that it should not be buzzing....got a pic.....sounds like you are decribing rectifier....i would disconnect battery when not riding untill you square away problem......some of the real old finned rectifiers had problems.......

I would love nothing more than to post a pic, but I can't figure out how. Don't even waste your breath trying to explain how, I can't do it. Tomorrow I'll look at it again and see if I can get a better description. My bike is a 78 1000ltd b2, if that helps and the bow shares the same basic mounting bracket as the fuse box with the three fuses in it. are there any other fuses on the bike I should look at? I spent about two hours earlier today just checking connections and whatnot, didn't really find anything. and I'm not gonna go far from home until I figure it out. there is another weird little box, its like two plates with a bunch of circuits or something in between them it says mitsubishi on the side, any one know what thats called?

1L9T7D8 1000 wrote:

I would love nothing more than to post a pic, but I can't figure out how.

I'm with you. I have the highest level graphics program in existence (Canvas 11) that can save graphics files in 40 different forms, and have no clue how to upload any of them. I don't see why you can't just load it up like when you attach a file to an email.

Locozuna wrote:

I'd also make sure the tank is venting making sure it's not a fuel delivery issue.

... I second that.

I have experienced exactly what you're describing and in my case it was a fuel delivery issue. May not be in your case though...

If you could restart the bike over and over again, me thinks its not the battery.

It could very well be electrical, and a good multimeter is a necessary tool to have, but dont jump to conclusions. Best thing to do is get an origional service manual and start at the beginning with the basic checks.

Spark, fuel, compression... blah blah and onward...

Good luck! Perserverence will pay off

1L9T7D8 1000 wrote:

I would love nothing more than to post a pic, but I can't figure out how. Don't even waste your breath trying to explain how, I can't do it. Tomorrow I'll look at it again and see if I can get a better description. My bike is a 78 1000ltd b2, if that helps and the bow shares the same basic mounting bracket as the fuse box with the three fuses in it. are there any other fuses on the bike I should look at? I spent about two hours earlier today just checking connections and whatnot, didn't really find anything. and I'm not gonna go far from home until I figure it out. there is another weird little box, its like two plates with a bunch of circuits or something in between them it says mitsubishi on the side, any one know what thats called?

that would be your rectifier...ends in a green plug and has a ground wire that connects near seat lock mechanism...i had one spare and now have two..just installed the combo unit from z-1..
p m me if ya need one...i have a good reg also if you need one.....keith

Just be glad you are OK and look at the fix-up as education. Anyway, take off your gas tank. On the right (as you sit on the bike) under the tank and up near the coils/steering neck are a couple of LARGE plugs. There is one coming off your right hand switch gear and it connects to the main harness in this area. If it is loose (and VERY often is), it will do exactly as your symptoms sound like to me. The other thing to check are the connections of the plug wires to the coils. It is very likely a loose connector keeping power from getting to your coils consistently. There isn't much that can mess up in a wreck from the battery to main fuse to ignition switch but from there, the ignition switch connects to that right hand switch gear in the the headlight shell and the rest of your wiring back to the harness can be suspect. The headlight may work on your bike and tail light, etc as they don't go through the right hand switchgear as there is no on/off switch there for them. If I am wrong and there is, there probably won't be a headlight on.

Thanks for all the info and direction. I just worked a 12 hour shift and my ribs are sore as hell from the wreck I guess. I'm gonna spend the evening tomorrow checking all the plugs and the coils and I also plan to see if the battery is getting any charge. Thanks again.

There are a handful of electrical connections that may cause the bike to shut off as you describe:

1. keyswitch - these develop bad contacts.

2. kill switch

3. main fuse

I'd start with those 3, and all connections between each other and the battery. These are your ignition power circuit components. Everything else could be hacked off or broken, but you just need these 3 for the bike to have spark.

I've decided to just go ahead and buy the combo unit from Z1. Even if that doesn't solve the problem, at least I won't have to worry about it.
As for progress, I only found 1 bad conection so far. It was the wires coming off the off/run/off switch on the inside of the right side control. I cleand all the rusty parts with the dremel and put it all back together. I don't really know if that would cause the problem or not. Tried to start it but the battery was dead. Maybe I need a new one of those to. I can get an energizer for like 35 bucks at sams club.
So how hard is the combo unit from Z1 to put on?
I plan to buy the one with the plug attached already to make it easy.
It was so nice yesterday, I just wanted to ride but the bike is fighting me tooth and nail. I'm starting to get a little frustrated with the whole situation. I put every spare penny into this bike for the past six months and can't even ride the damn thing. Those 20 minutes of riding before I crashed last week were heaven. I can't wait to get all the bugs worked out so I can actually enjoy it without worry.Thanks for all the help and I'll keep you posted on whats up with Betty.