charging problem ! think...

okay guys I'm new to this bike so I'm hoping you all could help it is driving me insane i have run out of possible causes. I bought the bike a 1978 kz650 and replaced the battery and charged it fully overnight. installed the battery got the bike running and it was not charging and i found out the hard way after several starts and stop the charge was drained from the electric start. i was told it was the stator , so i removed the old one which definitely smelled as if it was burned out , had that distinctive burnt electrical smell, and just yesterday i replaced the stator and the bike ran flawlessly and seemed to stay charged. i ran around town stopping at different places stop and starting the bike at least 10 times and it started flawlessly. went to work parked the bike and come out from work and the battery was dead. ignition was obviously not left on because the key was removed. so i got the bike started by popping the clutch and it ran i let it warm up and at the first stop light it dies and will not restart of course with the lactic start or kick start. so i am assuming the reg/rec might be the problem or the bike would have not started earlier in the day. seeing as all of the stop and starts would have drained the battery very quickly. the people i bought the bike from replaced the reg/rec right before i bought the bike the only though is maybe it is wired wrong? oe maybe since they removed all of the turn signals , horn etc, there is a loose wire that is grounding out on the bike when it is parked , draining the battery as it sits. if you have any idea what it could be please let me know or if you know how i could diagnose it i open to any ideas , seeing as it currently sits in the office depot parking lot less than a block from work Thank you Cody

Welcome aboard! I would use a meter to see if there is a parasitic drain on the battery when the ignition is off. There should be none at all. I would also get a Kawasaki service manual and check the entire electrical system. It tells you how. Also, be sure to take a look at the following link:

kzrider.com/forum/10-new-members/503382-...new-kz-owners#503382

Simple charging system check is to measure voltage across the battery terminals of a fully charged battery while the bike is running.

Look for 13+ volts at idle, and 14+ volts at 3000~4000 rpm.

When checking the electrical system, would remember to also assure integrity of the ground connection where the negative battery cable attaches to rear of engine.

Good Fortune!

Which model you have could make a difference on the system/ wiring, so please add it to your current post. Also if you go back into your profile, you can add a signature with the bikes info.
Go here and look up your bikes model for a wiring diagram: www.kzrider.com/filebase/cat_view/97-1978
That may help you. Which model is important to get the help you need, there was a couple of different charging systems on those.

Patton wrote: Simple charging system check is to measure voltage across the battery terminals of a fully charged battery while the bike is running.

Look for 13+ volts at idle, and 14+ volts at 3000~4000 rpm.

When checking the electrical system, would remember to also assure integrity of the ground connection where the negative battery cable attaches to rear of engine.

Good Fortune!

This is a simple test for the charging system that Patton has posted.

You should have no more than 14.8v or so when taching 3000 to 4000 rpm's. Any more and you will cook the battery and/or lamps on the bike.
If voltage is under 13+ volts at idle, your battery will be carrying the load until it totally discharges.

There is a flowchart for troubleshooting the charging system that is very useful in determining which component(s) are at fault. If you replaced the stator then the voltage regulator/rectifier would be suspect, but you should check the whole circuit to be safe.

Like Patton mentioned the ground of the reg/rec is a critical connection that often fails or is overlooked.

I am waiting as I speak for a reg/rec for a bike of mine that is cooking the brand new battery, it is putting out 16 plus volts and all the battery acid is pouring out of the battery vent hose. It also blew out the headlight, neutral light, brake light, running light and one side of the blinkers front and back. I hope that's all that got fried but will not know until I get the charging system right.

Good Luck and let us know how it comes out.

If it is a 78 and still has the stock system on it - it is a single phase permanent magnet ac alternator with a combo regulator/rectifier unit. There are 2 yellow leads from the alternator to the reg/rec unit. The reg/rec unit has a the 2 yellow leads from the alternator, yellow/black lead which is ground and a red / white lead which leads to the positive battery terminal.

I have attached 3 pages from a 78 FSM which explain the procedure for testing the charging system. Hope they help.

Some of the 78 and later, 1-phase charging systems on KZ650's are a little weaker than most KZ's. As long as the bike is stock it should work ok. Many owner's of KZ560's with the 1-phase stators have reported problems charging when using a Dyna S ignition. Does your bike still have points?