Mfolks you still out there?

How r you bud, i know we dont know each other, but i was hoping you could help? I was reading a post from sky dalie and you said something about a brown wire from the regulator? I have a 82 kz550a3 going crazy trying to get this thing to charge. Just put in a brand new stator, 110$, still wont charge. However, that brown wire you spoke about, if i plug it in to the harness it and my fuse box gets HOT and pops the fuse. Um...This is my problem, is'nt it? Where the heck do i go from here? shorted aginst frame somewhere? Reg/rec tested good by the way, battery is within a year but questionable because i have to keep charging and recharging it. Thanks if your out there..

I take a break for chow once in a while and other things, so I'm on this website a few hours in a day.

The wiring for the larger big 4's regulator/rectifier usually goes like this for the ones with the magnetic rotor:

A. One 12 gauge sized WHITE wire with RED stripe; this is the supply line to the battery from the regulator/rectifier,the lifeline for the bikes electrical energy.

B. One maybe 18 gauge sized BROWN wire;the voltage sense circuit for the regulator/rectifier, keeps the reg/rect from overcharging the battery and possibly blowing light bulbs.

C. Three YELLOW maybe 16 gauge wires from the alternator;a three phase output 120 degrees apart(some of the Z1's and KZ900's are phase sensitive, so watch the color codes as they may be some color other than yellow).

D. One BLACK with YELLOW stripe maybe 16 gauge wire; part of the bikes ground circuit.

For electrical trouble shooting,I use a chechlist Patton came up with(I modified it a little):

The Dreaded Shorting/Intermittent Electrical Problem!

Here is the most basic method I know:

1. Charge your battery if you can.

2. Disconnect the Black lead from the (-) Battery terminal... or Red from the (+) Battery terminal, it does not matter which one.

3. Connect one of the following test setups in series with the Battery terminal and lead:
3.1 A 12 V light bulb,
3.2 A 12 V test light,
3.3 A 12 V test buzzer or,
3.4 A 12 V horn... you get the idea.

4. With the Ignition Switch OFF, go through your harness and wiggle the wires while looking/listening for the test setup to go on/start buzzing.

5.With the Ignition Switch ON, repeat the test except this time the looking/listening for the test setup to go on/stop buzzing.

6. Be prepared to open the Ignition switch and check/test for solder joint failure and or circuit board micro breaks (don't ask how I know this ).

7. Be prepared to pull the wires out of the Head Light to test for failures at or near the grommet.

8. Be prepared to open the harness at or near the Steering Neck for failures. This is where wires tend to exhibit fatigue due to repetitive movement.

9. Be prepared to open the left and right switch gear to search for rust and or broken parts. CAUTION: watch out for flying springs, ball bearings and stuff. Do indoors on White sheet (again don't ask ).

10. Be prepared to follow the heavy gauge wire from the Starter Solenoid (Relay) to the starter for bare ware wire exposure. Especially near bends and grommets.

11. If you can reproduce the fault symptom your are pretty much home free. Be prepare to find and repair/replace any internal wire breaks, insulation break downs, exposed wires, rubber grommet failures, etc. Often, shrink tubing will solve the problem temporarily until something better can be done.

12. I use a very good electrical contact cleaner/preservative called De-oxit made by Caig Labs in San Diego Ca. Their website is www.deoxit.com It can be purchased at Radio Shack and any other electronic supply store. I use it on all of my motorcycle’s electrical connectors , in my home entertainment center’s stereo patch cords and cordless phones charging cradles.

Thanks mfolks, pretty much know the basics of it, but have another question. That BROWN wire coming from the connector to the reg/rec, does it supply power, or does power start from the ignition switch? Ny problem is WITHOUT that brown wire hooked up, i have power, ignition, lights, brakelights, everything except signals, but i think thats the switch. Running lights work, just signals dont. Now when i hook that brown wire up, it gets HOT and starts burning stuff up.
Which way do i track the brown wire problem, start at the reg and work toward the ignition switch, or start at the switch and work back to the reg?
Is there any way to check INBETWEEN this brown wires connections to determine what part of the wiring is bad? for instance, can i check between the ignition switch and the rear brake light switch and tell if thats the section thats bad? How? Thanks for your patience with probably stupid questions.. :blush:

One more question.. Being that the brown wire is power, it would get hot because its grounding right? Against the frame or a ground wire?

My understanding is the Brown wire is part of the sensing circuit so the regulator/rectifier does not overcharge the battery. As to why it might be getting hot and melting the insulation, I could not hazard a guess unless the reg/rect is failing.