what are 'Bad Igniter' symptoms?

Patton wrote:

There's an on-site tutorial about adding information to the file base.

Good Fortune!

Went and looked, but that shows the old site. When you go to the page now, the Up load new document link is MIA.
Maybe something to do with the Gallery rebuild?

That is fantastic news. Great job newOld and Motorhead, and everyone else. That is definitely one that needs to be documented.

Motor Head wrote:

That Sir is exceptionally good news, and the bike is running sweet!!!!
Glad that you could find a car at the wreckers with the switch, and then buy a new one locally. :woohoo:
Here is where you need some riding time to equal out some of that wrenching.

Edit: Available at rockauto.com for $18.22 + shipping!!!!

I though paying $80 bucks was high, but I went from 'desperate' yesterday (Saturday) when the Kaw dealer told me "Sorry, the throttle switch for that bike is 'No Longer Available from Kawasaki', and not from any of our after-market suppliers either, maybe you'll get lucky one day and a used one will come up on ebay, but I just checked on Ebay for you and none are on there now, but maybe one day..."

That's the guy at the Kaw shop parts counter telling me "Your screwed buddy" -- then I drag myself home and read Motor Head's post, saying "Bosch licensed the parts and technology" which I read last night and all of a sudden I get desperately hopeful.

So when the auto parts store today (Sunday) says 'yep here's one, just happen to have one in stock, it's for a '79 Datsun 280zx' man I had in front of me the key to heaven, the reality-changer from 'part the bike out' to 'your Salvation has arrived' I woulda pay twice the $80 today.

The big surprise today of finding that a 32-year-old car's parts were IN STOCK at a generic 'on every street corner' Auto parts retailer, and it fit my bike -- those guys behind the counter thought I found God the way I carried on.

I wanted to possess that sucker, I grabbed that switch and thought to myself "I'm riding today Hallelejuh!"

That's a grin that you won't wipe away easily.
I think you should start a clean thread with a fresh title on the compatibility of that part. Also describing the symptoms, how to test etc. I would like to add it to the file base as well but I can't seem to get a Button to click for a up load there. I don't know why.
I would like to clarify the findings though. I believe you may have the 2 sets of contacts backwards. The problem resistance would have been with the set of contacts that close at Idle. These are the points that take all of the abuse, up and down on the throttle all the time. How often is the WOT part contacted, for street riding average, compared to the Idle side? Anyway now you can get some of the other stuff done on the bike as you ride it, instead of having a broken machine.
But its your thread do as you want, you might not have time for this, to busy riding. :woohoo:

Motor Head wrote:

That's a grin that you won't wipe away easily.
I think you should start a clean thread with a fresh title on the compatibility of that part. Also describing the symptoms, how to test etc. I would like to add it to the file base as well but I can't seem to get a Button to click for a up load there. I don't know why.
I would like to clarify the findings though. I believe you may have the 2 sets of contacts backwards. The problem resistance would have been with the set of contacts that close at Idle. These are the points that take all of the abuse, up and down on the throttle all the time. How often is the WOT part contacted, for street riding average, compared to the Idle side? Anyway now you can get some of the other stuff done on the bike as you ride it, instead of having a broken machine.
But its your thread do as you want, you might not have time for this, to busy riding. :woohoo:

The only thing I can say about the switch on my 1980 kz1000 Z1 Classic is -- *why* is such a critical component so exposed. It's on the left side, it *really* sticks out there, I just know it got bumped a lot during the 20,xxx miles on my bike.

The prior owner parked this bike 10 years ago due to this bad switch. He spent a lot of time trying to fix it, I can tell from all the markups and notes in the Clymer manual he gave me. He sold it cheap because he knew how much risk I was taking on, and he was forthright about the issue. I tend to be wildly optimistic about stuff and thought I'd get her going, but this was not easy.

When I bought the bike 3 weeks or so back, and I saw that black box, I had a funny feeling about it, I thought "that is a weird little box there, wonder what's inside, it sure looks poorly positioned and vulnerable for being covered with a plastic top." There was just something half-azzed about that little box, it did not match Kawasaki's "everything tucked in and clean lines and neat" tradition.

If you think about it, besides fuel filters and spark plugs and oil filters, getting under 20,000 miles out of a 1980s German + Japanese electronic switch component is sad.

A designer will not expose a critical part to getting bumped by knees or whatever, if that part can bring down the whole bike. If that was not a licensed-from-another-manufacturer piece, Kaw would have tucked that sensitive box out of the way, or put it in a *metal* case, not plastic. Poor execution. Adds to the 'charm' of this one-year-only model I reckon.

I agree that the 2 left pins being fine, zero ohms at idle, and the 2 right pins being bad, which as you say is open throttle, is weird. Maybe dirt, voltage, vibration, don't know. Both the left and the right contacts were pitted, it's just that the right one was DEEP and big.

Maybe chalk it up to bad (and maybe unavoidable) positioning of it sticking out on the left side so much.

Not sure about the archiving issue, I am still pretty new here.

Probably safe to say that once it is out of warranty they really couldn't care less, its a chance to sell parts after the sale, as well s the service Dollars. That is where the real money is, they don't make a killing just on the sale. That is why so much info is guarded and special tools needed to service, well everything these days.
So you don't want to write a thread about the compatibility and the whole thing, so it is easy for someone else looking at the same issue?
If you don't I'll try to take the info you laid out and compile it a bit, trying to get it a easier read.

Motor Head wrote:

Probably safe to say that once it is out of warranty they really couldn't care less, its a chance to sell parts after the sale, as well s the service Dollars. That is where the real money is, they don't make a killing just on the sale. That is why so much info is guarded and special tools needed to service, well everything these days.
So you don't want to write a thread about the compatibility and the whole thing, so it is easy for someone else looking at the same issue?
If you don't I'll try to take the info you laid out and compile it a bit, trying to get it a easier read.

If you have a good idea how to do it, I would say its a good idea, I'm just a bit not sure what to do with it is all. I would say go for it and I think you know the board here much better than I probably do. You sure the heck have some great ideas and knowledge, I am just a backyard tinkerer with a couple KZs and do it as a hobby to keep my dumbass from drinking.

newOld_kz1000 wrote:

When I bought the bike 3 weeks or so back, and I saw that black box, I had a funny feeling about it...

Using a simple process of elimination you pretty much solved the problem on your own! (Much help was given of course/to be expected )
This is the proper way for ALL mechanics to solve issues, as has been my way from day 1.

...and its nice to happen to run into the problem/solution so quickly.

I've had bikes come in that owners and other shops have had for months, only to fix the bike in a week or less via this method, and bench testing every component.

CONGRATULATIONS man. Your patience and tenacity have paid off! Like I said they would... :laugh:

CHEERS!

You have got to share your technique for posting multiple pictures in 1 thread, hopefully it is not with a link to a account somewhere.

Patton wrote:
There's an on-site tutorial about adding information to the file base.

Good Fortune!


So this is what I see when I go into File Base to try to add some info, no upload button???
What do you think Patton?

Motor Head wrote:

You have got to share your technique for posting multiple pictures in 1 thread, hopefully it is not with a link to a account somewhere.

Really easy. It does require you set up a free account on some 'photo sharing' web site -- I use Photobucket.com.

1. take photo with digital camera, transfer it to my laptop

2. upload the photo to my (free) account at www.photobucket.com

3. Then go to the KZrider forum, find the thread I'm into, and hit the 'Reply' button or use the 'New Thread' button in the forum here and start typing my post

4. push the 'Img' button on the top right row of buttons that are visible in the Forum when you're typing a post

5. go to my Photobucket window, hover the mouse over the picture I want in my Photobucket account, then up comes a little window and I click on the 'http/....' address that's to the right of the 'Direct Link' in that little window in Photobucket

6. go back to my text I'm writing and hit 'Ctrl-V' or select 'Paste' and put that 'http/myPhotoBucketAccount/bikePhoto.jpg'

DONE. Just keep hitting the 'Img' button and do the steps above for another picture.

I was hoping for someway without the external link to another web site account. I've read about some command lines you can use, I've tried but DOS is not my thing, and so far KZR rejects the commands.
Do any riding Today on the bike? Still think you need the Morgan Carb Tune?