76 KZ400 - Ignition/wiring issue?

Hey everyone, new to this site and new to motorbikes (or at least working on them). Been riding for about 10 years whenever someone is kind enough to offer me a ride, but just bought my first bike a few days ago, a 1976 KZ400 (with front disc brake, what model specific model is this?)! I love it so far, but it has some issues, one of which is making me pull my hair out.

I just got a new battery for it installed and it worked great. Turns out the electric start isn't shot like the PO said it was, it just couldn't get enough juice, even being on a charger with the old battery. So anyways, I'm cruisin around and run out of gas, no biggie. Run back to my garage, get a can with a tiny bit of fuel, and I'm able to start her back up and barely make it back to my garage.

I immediately go out for new fuel, come back and fill up the tank with fuel and a splash of STP carb cleaner stuff, turn my key to the ignition position and... nothing. No lights come on, just absolutely nothing. Wtf? I figure I botched my battery install maybe, so I hook it up to my charger, and still nothing, no matter which setting I put the charger on.

What the hell is going on? I have so many other maintenance things floating around in my head that I seem to be missing something thats probably very simple. Can someone point me in the right direction?

Hope this post isn't too long! I'm just way excited to finally have something to work on after selling my auto x car and want to soak up as much knowledge as possible. Thanks for the help!

EDIT: I have been looking at this minimal wiring diagram ( i732.photobucket.com/albums/ww326/hatche...00b/kz400-wiring.jpg ) and would like to go this route, but not knowing much about electrical stuff, I can't figure out where my problem may lie. The PO taped up all the wires to reduce the clutter, but I would like to go this minimal route... Does this mean I need to get a new wiring harness?

Well, I was hoping to gain some direction from posting this, but after receiving no feedback, I continued my search. A friend's father is a master electrician and was kind enough to help me make sense of the complete wiring diagram. We traced the problem to the off/run switch, which was corroded beyond belief. I ripped that sucker off, manually connected the starter button wires, replaced the spark plugs, got a new fuel filter, and adjusted the carbs, and she fired right up with perfect idle and terrific throttle response. A huge step forward in getting this bike on the road!

I have another question: Will having the starter button wires manually connected (permanently in the "run" position if I still had the little off/run dial) drain my battery? Should I get another switch of some sort? I'm not very familiar with these handlebar setups, but would like to eliminate the cruise control and minimize that ugly starter button module while still being able to keep the starter button. Thoughts?

If the "Run" switch you're talking about is on the kill switch right next to the throttle having it in the "run" position will not drain your battery as long as your ignition switch (the one that uses the key) is turned off. That kill switch is intended to let you shut off the engine very quickly in an emergency without letting go of the handlebar to reach for the key. Ed

650ed wrote: If the "Run" switch you're talking about is on the kill switch right next to the throttle having it in the "run" position will not drain your battery as long as your ignition switch (the one that uses the key) is turned off. That kill switch is intended to let you shut off the engine very quickly in an emergency without letting go of the handlebar to reach for the key. Ed

Ah ha, thank you! Thats what I needed to know. I suppose I can rig up a toggle switch for safety's sake then, but for now my band aid shall suffice.