Electrical Issue, Ignition or Wires

I just bought a beautiful 1984 KZ1100 LTD.
Which has sat in the past owners shed for a little over 14 years!

However with a bit of TLC I have managed to get it running and at this stage I can get it to start on the button.
Only problem is I have to chose whether I want the engine running or the electrical system working.

What I mean is, to start the bike, I have to turn the key to the ON position, which activates most of the electrics, (i.e lights work, no horn and sometimes I get the indicators) but to get the engine started I have to rotate the ignition key back towards OFF a little less than a 1/4 turn at which point the engine fires up flawlessly but the electrics die.

So the engine is running but no lights, indicators horns will work!!!!

I have tried the obvious, when the bike is running turn the key all the way to the PN position, however this kills the engine.

Any suggestions as to root cause?
I'm guessing corrosion, either in the ignition switch or maybe one of the wires?

Thanking you in advance.

I'd replace the ignition switch and really clean all fuse clips,and related electrical connectors and contacts.
www.z1enterprises.com may carry a replacement switch for your bike.

The right handlebar switch pod has the run/stop switch and the start switch. Both are probably dirty and need cleaning.

The headlight housing contains a majority of electrical connectors mating with the main harness, and all should be looked at for signs of corrosion.

On my 1982 GPz1100, I use a very good brand of electrical contact cleaner/preservative called "De-Oxit", available at Radio Shack Stores or other electronic supply places.

Their website is www.deoxit.com

Another thought is to check the input voltage to the ignition coils, to do this, remove the tank, and with the ignition switch turned on, check with a multimeter.

Put the meter on VDC(Volts,Direct Current)range of 20, with the RED probe touching the coil connection whre the RED wire goes to. The BLACK probe will be on the battery Negative (-) terminal of a good chassis ground point.

If the battery is fully charged, you should be able to read almost battery voltage, if down arounf 8-10 volts, you have a corrosion problem.

Ignition Coil Primary And Secondary Wiring

Ignition coils on the 80’s Kz1000,Kz1100’s and Gpz1100’s are wired the same, that is as you sit on the bike, the LEFT ignition coil primary(small wires) are two wires, RED and BLACK. The secondary (or sparkplug wires) go to #1 and #4 sparkplugs.

The cylinders are numbered left to right as you sit on the seat; #1,#2,#3, and #4.

For the RIGHT ignition coil, the primary wires, again are two wires, RED and GREEN, with the secondary going to #2 and #3.

The RED wire gets it’s voltage from the run/stop switch on the right handlebar switch pod.

The BLACK and GREEN wires connect to the IC Igniter(if the bike has the Kawasaki supplied electronic ignition) it actually gives the coils their grounds to fire the sparkplugs.

Primary(small wires) side of the coils will read between 1.8 to 3.0 ohms.

Secondary(sparkplug wire ports)side of the coil will read between 10.4K to 15.6K ohms.

To stress the ignition coils, take a hair dryer, heat the coils and see if the ohm readings change from cold to hot . If they do, it’s time to buy new coils.

Keep in mind, the wiring is reversed for the 550’s 650‘s and 750‘s, that is the RIGHT coil primary will be two wires, RED and BLACK with the secondary(sparkplugs) going to #1 and #4.

The LEFT coils primary wiring would be again two wires, RED and GREEN, with the secondary(sparkplugs) going to #2 and #3.

These engines have what is known as a “Wasted Spark” that is, a sparkplug will fire during an exhaust stroke. It does no damage and many other motorcycle engines have this design.

And:

Ohm Checking Pickup(Pulsing) Coils

The pickup coils on the Kawasaki’s with the factory supplied electronic ignition can sometimes fail or become intermittent due to heat and vibration.

1.Trace back from where the pick up coils are mounted,(under a right side CD sized cover) locate and disconnect a small 4 pin connector. Using a multi-meter set on OHMS and range of 2K, check between the BLUE and BLACK wires(#1 and #4 sparkplug wires) for between 360- 540 OHMS.

2.For #2 and #3 sparkplugs the wire colors will be YELLOW and RED, again 360-540 OHMS.

3.If the pickup coils are suspect of failing due to heat, they can be stressed using a hair dryer without the need of the engine running.

4.A replacement set of pickup coils might be obtained from a dealer who serviced the police Kawasaki’s.

5. If replacement pickup coils are not available, your next choice would be to order a Dyna “S” electronic ignition system from www.z1enterprises.com It replaces the IC igniter with a smaller module located where the mechanical ignition advancer was mounted.

6. Checking with Kawasaki.com website has determined that the Pick up(pulsing) coils are available . The pulsing coil # is 59026-1133 and replaces the older # 1002, 1012 which were used from the MKII motors until the 2005 P24.

7.Check the small 4 pin connector that the pickup coils connect to for corrosion/loose pins too.

Thanks for the info,.

Took the whole wiring harness apart and cleaned all the connectors.
Some where very corroded.
Seems to have done the job.

These older connectors are for the most part open at the back, letting in moisture and dirt. This would be the logical place to look if it happens again (prevents spending a lot of money for something anybody can do).