1977 KZ650b electrical problem

Hello folks, i've recently purchased a beautiful garage kept custom painted 1977 kawasaki z650b. The bike -did- run perfectly until I decided to flip the handlebars. I was a bit of a knuckle head.. For some reason, I decided to completely disassemble the switches on the left and right side of the bike in order to get the handlebars off. I unsoldered everything in the switches (headlight, starter switch, Off/Run/Off switch in one side and turn signal switch, hazard switch) all that stuff...

After flipping the bars, I went to town on re soldering the right side. I finished it up and decided before going any further I should check how far in the gutter I was. So I tried to start the bike.. New battery which is charged, half a tank of gas.. And the bike wont start. Before I go any further I figured I would ask for some advice- Have I done something wrong? Or is it that I just need to assemble the left side as well?

All suggestions are welcome!

The left side has a lock out switch on the clutch lever. If you have not put it back together or bypassed it, the starter will not work.

SadGruffman wrote:

...1977 kawasaki z650b...-did- run perfectly until...disassemble the switches on the left and right side ...Off/Run/Off switch...New battery which is charged...bike wont start....

Hello, Rick, and WELCOME to KZR!

Critical need is voltage in red/yellow wire from Off/Run/Off switch that feeds the ignition coils.

If needed, here's the link to a downloadable wiring diagram.

Click > kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_docman&...d&gid=288&Itemid=108

Good Fortune!

Check the handlebar clamps for signs of corrosion or paint as some circuits require a good ground to work.

Many riders get new Aluminum handlebars, install them and then wonder why some electrical systems don't work. Recently someone posted about his horn quit working after a bar swap.

On most Kawasaki's, the horn gets it's ground when the horn button is pushed on the handlebars. His bars had a clear Anodizing, preventing a good ground conection.

Common Aluminum Anodizing is Red,Blue,Black,and Clear. To remove Anodizing, either an abrasive action using sandpaper or it can be done with the careful application of oven cleaner with a cotton swab followed by a scrub with soap and then a rinse with water.

Alright, I fully assembled the handlebars, and have the wires properly soldered to the switches they connect with. Still doesn't turn over.

Is it possible I blew a fuse or something?

I should probably point out this is the first time I've ever tackled electrical work! Thanks for the diagram and suggestions so far, I'm sure it'll help with this..

Mfolks- I don't see any corrosion. The thing is pretty clean all over. This may be a silly question but, which is the ground wire?

Ground circuit wires on most Kawasaki's are BLACK with YELLOW stripe. Other ground wires may be black, so check the wiring diagrams. The horn wire I mentioned earlier grounds the circuit sounding the horn when the button is pushed(kinda backwards to how I'd wire it, but that's the Japanese for you).

SadGruffman wrote:

...1977 kawasaki z650b...-did- run perfectly until...disassemble the switches on the left and right side ...Off/Run/Off switch...New battery which is charged...bike wont start....

Where bike ran perfectly before the handlebar wiring was messed with ---

And there's now existing voltage in red/yellow wire from Off/Run/Off switch that feeds the ignition coils ---

Should be able to use kick starter to crank and run the engine.

From the reported history, nothing else has been messed with that would affect any other engine performance components such as ignition timing, spark quality, compression, etc.

Good Fortune!

Any other suggestions on what I could have done wrong? would it help if I posted pictures of the solder job or something? I'm fairly certain I re connected the wires to the proper endings, as I drew a detailed colored diagram...

The black and white ground wire seems fine?

SadGruffman wrote:

Any other suggestions on what I could have done wrong? ....

:lol: :lol:

Would measure voltage in red/yellow wire from kill switch to coils.

Where bike ran perfectly before the handlebar wiring was messed with, and nothing else has been messed with that would affect any other engine performance components such as ignition timing, spark quality, compression, etc., and there's voltage in the red/yellow wire from the Off/Run/Off switch that feeds the ignition coils, should be able under those circumstances -- with a good fully charged battery -- to use kick starter to crank and run the engine.

The other wiring isn't critical.

Good Fortune!

Okay, I'm thinking I've fried my switches within the controls. Does anyone have a link to where I could purchase new switch boxes? Preferably an online source. I have already began searching Ebay and Craigslist.

Ebay is probably your best bet.
For your first electrical job you sure picked a challenging one. :blink: You may want to run a continuity check to see if every connection is properly soldered and letting juice thru.

Try these websites for handlebar switches:
www.redlinecycle.com
www.americanclassix.com
www.reproductiondecals.com
www.kandstech.com
www.sudco.com
www.johnnysvintagemotorcycle.com