i have no clue...

Motor Head wrote: Use the Meter you have and put it on DCV. Red lead for testing, and the black lead to the battery Negative terminal. Move the Red lead to Battery + to confirm voltage above 12v. Then with Key on Check the fuses, go on each side. 12v in and 12v out of each fuse. You may have a fuse that looks fine but is bad, or not making con tact at the Clips that holds them.

so i finally got a multimeter to this thing and checked the fuses. i only got a reading on the main fuse, which is one of three. the others yielded nothing, and even the main fuse only gave a reading on one side. not sure if it was the in or out, but it was a white wire on one side, and white/red stripe on the other. white/red stripe is where i got the reading. where do i go from here? i have a couple sets of wheels for my car laying around, i'm thinking of just selling a set and using the money to take it to a pro, ha

Go to the nearest auto parts store and see if they carry AGX size fuses. If not, try the boating supply stores. You'll probably need 10,15, and possibly 20 amp fuses. The glass tubed fuses can fail internally due to age and vibration. If you can't read voltage through a fuse with a multimeter, I'd suspect the fuse is bad and needs replacing.

it worked!! :woohoo: dang fuses looked fine, but they needed to be replaced. slapped 3 new ones in, and she's turning over! wish i woulda known that earlier, as the fuses were the first thing i looked at when the problem occurred, but better late than never!

Many of the owners of these older bikes are changing over to the type used in cars, the "Blade" style. Read this:

Fuse And Fuse Holder Designations

1. The older Kawasaki’s use a glass tubed fuse with the designation of AGX 1” long. Most good auto parts stores can get them for you. They are ¼” in diameter.

2. The more common AGC is 1 ¼” long and may not fit the smaller fuse clips. Again, ¼” in diameter.

3. To clean and polish the fuse clips, I use a cotton swab(Q- Tip) and some Brasso metal cleaner or Turtle Wax Chrome Polish. I suppose any good metal polish would work.

4. These fuses can fail internally but look good, only by using a multimeter to check for voltage going through the fuse, or when the fuse is removed for physical inspection for tight end caps & continuity checks,can it be determined if it’s serviceable.

5. Most modern motorcycles are now using the automobile “Blade” style fuse with the designation of ATC or ATO.

6. The reduced sized “Mini” Blade style fuse holder uses the ATM size of fuses.

7. If the fuse and fuse holder overheat, it could soften or anneal the grip of the clip, it might require squeezing the clip to restore the tightness.

8. A list of where to purchase “Blade” style fuses and holders:

www.waytekwire.com order.waytekwire.com/productdetail2/M50/...20%20%20%208%20FUSE/

www.rallylights.com www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=765

www.delcity.net/store/6!way-fuse-blocks/p_10822.a_1

www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Elec__Product...ers/fuseholders.html

www.autowiringsolutions.com/item.php?item_id=251&category_id=89 (ATO/ATC Fuse Holder)


9. A source for the glass tubed AGX fuses:
www.boatownerswarehouse.com/browse.cfm/2,4986.html

www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Result.aspx?N...&D=AGX&Dk=1&Dp=3&N=0

You'll need to find a mounting area on the bike for the new fuse holder, and possibly extend the exisiting wiring to reach it.

7aliveatlast7 wrote:
so i have an '81 kz440, and i thought it had a bad starter solenoid. i thought this because out of nowhere, my starter button stopped turning the starter motor over. however, i could get it to turn over by gapping the posts on the solenoid. so i figured bad solenoid. got a brand new one, put it in, and same problem. i have no idea what to do..

Next thing to check is the starter button switch itself and the wiring going from the switch to the solenoid.

Pull in the clutch lever.

bountyhunter wrote: Next thing to check is the starter button switch itself and the wiring going from the switch to the solenoid.

650ed wrote: Pull in the clutch lever.

figured out the problem guys, but thanks anyhow!

and mfolks, thanks for those great leads. i'd love to update to the "blade" style fuses, and it would be so much more convenient.

what was the question?