KZ1100 81'shaft charging issue

just got my bike out last nite first time out with it seem to run good i pull it back in the garage from a mile run it wouldn't start,charged a brand new gel battery over nite on 2amps pulled it out today rode around 11mi. stopped at my cousins he notice my head light wasn;t very bright when i was coming at him down the road,i left his place rode another 20mi. stopped at my house went to take off,bike wouldn't start
so i pushed it started up was running terrable and the speedo did not work,when i bought the bike the three wires coming out of the stator cover were all bare and wires all soft,i bought a nice used cover off from ebay with the stator in it,i have not checked anything for cotinuity yet
i have a clymer book and to be honest i don't no where to start looking,BIKE TIME is here in muskegon,Mi. this weekend i hope i can go,but i can't ride like this.
i hope i didn't burn something up,i probally should have checked stuff out better when puttin the other stator cover and stator back on,where should i start at,i hate electrical work

Ted

If you're considering replacing the alternator stator, I've got some sources and a step by step procedure to replace one with:

Alternator Replacement On the Older 4’s
Source for replacement Stators
A. www.electrosport.com (They have a trouble shooting page)
B. www.customrewind.com
C. www.rmstator.com
D. www.ricksmotorsportselectrics.com
E. www.regulatorrectifier.com

1. If by testing either by checking the output voltage from the stator or by using and ohmmeter for resistance and the stator is determined to be bad, replacing the stator is not a difficult job.

2. The motorcycle owner should have on hand a replacement alternator gasket as it will tear on removal and leak if reused.

3. Put the bike on the center stand if possible and lean it to the right to minimize the oil volume that could come out when the alternator cover is removed.

4. Have selection of Metric wrenches and sockets along with Metric Allen keys to be able to accomplish this repair. ¼” and 3/8” ratchets and extensions may be needed along with Allen bits.

5. Remove the gear shift lever, the sprocket cover and possibly the left foot peg assembly.

6. A catch pan for what little oil will be lost should be positioned under the alternator on the left side. Newspapers will soak up any oil lost or some kitty litter will do as an absorbent.

7. Remove the alternator cover fasteners, some bikes use a socket head cap screw(Allen type) and others use the Phillips head type, the #3 screwdriver bit fits best for those. Use a small dish or can to collect the removed fasteners from the parts to prevent loss/damage.

8. The alternator stator is secured to the inside of the cover usually with three Allen headed bolts, Remove them and disconnect the three yellow wires that have bullet connectors on them from the bundled wires inside the sprocket cover.



9. If your bike has some color other than yellow for the alternator output wires, make note of what goes where as the older Kawasaki’s were phase sensitive in regard to the regulator/rectifiers.

10. When installing the replacement stator, clock or position the output wires and grommet so they fit into the small port under the alternator cover without being pinched or damaged.

11. Tighten the three Allen bolts securing the replacement stator to the cover. I like using the BLUE Loctite # 242 for hardware that can be removed with hand tools.

12. Remove the old gasket from the mating surfaces of the alternator cover and engine case by scraping with a piece of sharpened plastic like Lexan or Plexiglass as these will not gouge the soft Aluminum
Cases. Avoid using a metal gasket scraper for this.

13. Position the alternator cover, checking for pinched wiring and install the fasteners with a little silver anti-seize on the threads, tightening to the correct torque.

14. Connect up the output wires to the mating female bullet connectors and while you’re in there, check the routing of the wire bundle that runs through there.

15. Inspect for signs of heat damage to the wire insulation and vibration damage too.

16. The side stand switch, neutral switch, and oil pressure switch wiring are all bundled with the alternator output wiring running above and behind the engine output sprocket. This bundle runs in a channel as it goes up toward the various electrical connections.

17. The regulator/rectifier plug on the 80’s bikes usually has six wires in it:

One WHITE with RED stripe, this is the bikes main power wire usually 12 gauge in size.

One smaller Brown wire, probably 18 gauge or so, the voltage sense wire for the regulator/rectifier, helps keeping it from overcharging the battery.

One BLACK with YELLOW stripe wire, part of the ground circuits, maybe 16 gauge in size.

Three YELLOW wires, the alternator output wires going to the regulator/rectifier which converts the Alternating Current(A.C.) to Direct Current(D.C.) using rectification, producing the power to run the motorcycle and charge the battery.


18. Re-install the sprocket cover, again checking for pinched wires before tightening. Install the shifter on it’s splined shaft checking for proper location, and the left side foot peg assembly.

19. Except for the minor oil spill and reluctant fasteners, it’s not a very difficult job to do.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationI cant help much but this should.
Tom

MFolks

wow man that is a lot of information i sure appreciate it,we started it up this morning just to check the amperage in the charging system and it only went from
12.21 ideling and reving it only went up to 12.34 and my speedometer does not work now,i push started it last nite to get it running and my speedo has not worked since

Ted

I believe your speedometer is cable operated, so check where it is secured at the instrument and down at the front wheel. Cables can break inside the housing, so once a year I pull the inner cable out on my bike to clean and re-lube it.

Paint thinner on a rag works as a cleaner for me, and I use a thin film of moly based wheel bearing grease for the lubricant.

MFolks

i still have a charging issue and after talking with another guy and looking the bike over better i decided to
unplug the stator wires and do a resistance check on the stator and one of the three legs coming off the stator does not show no resistance at all,so this stator is JUNK correct

Ted

You can do a output voltage check to confirm it by:

1.Fully charge the battery.
2.Unplug the regulator/rectifier connection.
3.Start the engine and let it warm up.
4.With the help of a friend, measure with a multimeter the output voltage at the yellow wires in the alternator wiring.
5.This voltage should be about 50 volts A.C at 4000 rpm
6. measure all three combinations(1-3,2-3,and 1-2)If a leg is missing or low, I suspect it's time for another alternator stator.

MFolks

on the one leg checking it when cold the ohm meter didn't even move

If the ohm meter reads good on the other legs, then the stator is probably bad and needs to be replaced. When you remove it, there will be noticeable burned wiring. I'd go with the electrosport stator as it's supposed to produce a higher voltage at lower rpm's than the stock one did.

MFolks

you know i just put this cover and stator on here and when putting it on i did not notice any burnt wires,it was a used stator but he told me it was off a running and charging bike.
i am kind of wondering if other issues are burning the stator up,we did jump it with a car to check the compression when i bought it because the battery was dead and i never new you were not supposed to jump a bike with a vehicle because of the amperage going thru it,and i did find two wires on the bike near connectors that were hard and stiff and i was told that is a sign of the wire getting to hot
and should be cut out and replaced,the stator was messed up on the bike when i bought it and the guy had some issues with it to so i am sure he jumped it with a car or truck or with something with way to much amperage not knowing you were not supposed to jump it with a vehicle either so i don't know if any of my harness is bad under the gas tank besides the two wires i found or not

Ted

I'd say that if the ohmmeter shows an open circuit when checking the stator(no movement of the needle if analog,or zero display on some digital meters)the stator has electrical problems and will not charge your bikes battery.

It might be a simple repair like splicing a wire, But I'd remove the sprocket cover and check the yellow wiring going to the stator for a bad connection.

These alternators use the Japanese "Bullet" connectors in the output wiring. One may be faulty or corroded,I'd check there before replacing the stator.

MFolks

i have the cover off now thats how i checked the stator
i had it unpluged from the harness but you are correct there is one damaged wire in the harness it plugs in to that goes to the (six) way connector panel which is on the left hand side of bike if you are sitting on it,i also found one other wire that was melted on one side of connector and about a 1/4in. of the wire was hard so i am gonna have to fix that thats the black wire with a yellow stripe which runs on the right side right in front of the battery,thats one of the problems buying something that started running terrable and the guy parked it so he told the guy he bought it from,i am sure everyone has herd that story before,suppose i will have to pull the gas tank back off to this could maybe be an expensive fix or time consuming one,i hope not i would like to ride this summer
:lol:..........Ted