No power

I have a 1981 LTD 1000. The problem is there is no power. The bike was left in the rain when the problem started. I disassembled the ignition switch and found a wire had broken off. I soldered the wire and reassembled the switch and the power came on. The engine ran rough and fouled the plugs. I replaced the plugs and tried to ride it. It still ran rough. Like it wasn't getting gas or bad spark. After a short distance it died completely and there again is no power. All fuses are good. The wire on the ignition switch is still soldered.

I noticed when I attempted the ride that the tachometer did not work and it did before.
I've been through the wiring remaking and cleaning connections and it didn't make any difference.

I'm wondering if a component (such as the tach sensor, regulator, ignition, generator) could short out the power like this.

Does anyone out there had a similar problem or have any suggestion on where to go from here?

Perhaps dampness through cracks in old coils and plug wires.

Good Fortune!

1. When motorcycles get wet, many things can happen to prevent normal starting and running.

2. Ignition coils, due to their mounting location under the gas tank, can overheat if sufficient air flow is not provided causing minute cracks for moisture to get in shorting the coil.

3. Sparkplugs wires and caps need to be replaced as the heat from the engine makes the wires(High Tension Leads) get brittle causing the insulation to fail. The caps contain a resistor to limit the RFI(the snap and pop heard on radio’s) that will fail, again from heat/age. They can be checked with a multimeter,and will test at 5000 ohms.

4. Most Japanese motorcycle electrical connectors are open at the rear, letting in moisture that will collect on the male and female pins/sockets causing a short, blowing a fuse or creating corrosion limiting current flow.

5.Check the right handlebar switch pod for signs of corrosion or broken wires on the run/stop switch. Some older Kawasaki’s are experiencing broken/crumbled solder joints in switches.

6. I recommend buying a spray can of “De-oxit” electrical contact cleaner/preservative available at Radio Shack Stores in the U.S. or any other electronic supply store. www.deoxit.com is their website.

7. I’d advise not using WD-40 on any electrical connection/fuse clips as it over time becomes a non conductor(more like an insulator).

8. If the popular “Pods” type air filter is used and gets wet, it will act like having the choke on causing a very rich condition. The only repair for wet pods is to remove them and either using an oven set at 250 F, a wet/dry shop vac to vacuum the moisture from the filters, or a air nozzle at low pressure to blow the water away.

9. Use caution when using an air nozzle as at high pressure, the fabric of the filter medium may tear making the filter unusable.

kalamar wrote: I have a 1981 LTD 1000. The problem is there is no power. The bike was left in the rain when the problem started. I disassembled the ignition switch and found a wire had broken off. I soldered the wire and reassembled the switch and the power came on. The engine ran rough and fouled the plugs. I replaced the plugs and tried to ride it. It still ran rough. Like it wasn't getting gas or bad spark. After a short distance it died completely and there again is no power. All fuses are good. The wire on the ignition switch is still soldered.

I noticed when I attempted the ride that the tachometer did not work and it did before.
I've been through the wiring remaking and cleaning connections and it didn't make any difference.

I'm wondering if a component (such as the tach sensor, regulator, ignition, generator) could short out the power like this.

Does anyone out there had a similar problem or have any suggestion on where to go from here?

Is it charging the battery?

I don't know if it is charging the battery. There is no electrical response when I turn on the ignition switch. No lights, doesn't crank, nothing...

If you don't have the service manual for your bike, you can download the pdf version in my signature, it will have the wiring diagram.

If there is No power, go to the Battery and confirm it is OK, then to the Main Fuse in the Fuse Panel. Use a Meter and Measure the voltage on each side. Should be the same as the battery. If that is OK, then the circuit after the Main fuse goes up to your Ignition Switch, on the White wire, there it will connect to your Brown etc. Look at the Main Fuse really good and the Clips in the fuse panel. This Model bike is well known for issues here.

If not already done, would also check integrity of the ground connection where the negative battery cable attaches to rear of the engine.

Good Fortune!