Battery keeps dying

Hey everyone.
I've been having trouble getting my 1981 KZ550 to start and idle. I got it going for a little while yesterday but the engine seems to be hovering right above its stalling point. At first I was thinking it was a carburetor issue but today I noticed when I was starting the bike the headlight would flicker like it has a low battery and it wouldn't turn over. This is the second time in the past 2 weeks I have had to recharge my battery which is 4 weeks old. Can anyone tell me what the most common problems that would cause the battery to keep dying are?
Thanks
Nick

Not Charging, or loose connection between Stator, Regulator/ rectifier, and battery.
Do you have a DVOM (Digital Volt Ohm Meter)? How about the service manual for your bike?
You need to test the voltage across the battery terminals when running at 3K RPM. It should be like 14v or so. If not then you need to test the stator wires. Yours is a single phase system, so there is Two Yellow wires coming from your stator. It will make AC Voltage, before the R/R. You need to test it for the correct output. If the correct ACV is there, then test where it should come out of the R/R on the red/white wire. It should be 14DCV or higher.If not be sure it got a good connection at the plug in the right side cover area. This is where the two stator yellows come and connect to the R/R. The wires can be Heat damaged, burned etc. I had a problem here on a 550 I had a few years back.
If you don't have the Manual,find member Loudhvx, he has them in his profile signature, links to his website for download.

Since your battery is new I would start by running diagnostics on your bike's voltage regulator/rectifier. Do you have the Kawasaki Service Manual for your bike? If so, it gives detailed instructions on testing the regulator/rectifier. If not, here's a link to a (crappy IMHO) Clymer manual. It has a description of how to test the regulator/rectifier and the rest of the charging system beginning on page 179. This link doesn't download properly using FireFox, but it will download ok using Internet Explorer. Ed

www.theotherstyle.info/manuals/bikes&atv...0%5b1979-1985%5d.pdf

Thanks for the replies. I just hooked the battery back up to the bike after charging it and it turned over on the first crank so it's definitely an electrical issue. If I need to replace the regulator is it best to buy an original used one or should I go for an aftermarket one?

Test First, then when you find the issue see if it can be resolved by a repair of the wiring, or if you do indeed need a new Stator or R/R.

nickleo373 wrote: Thanks for the replies. I just hooked the battery back up to the bike after charging it and it turned over on the first crank so it's definitely an electrical issue. If I need to replace the regulator is it best to buy an original used one or should I go for an aftermarket one?

If after testing you find you need a regulator/rectifier the place in the link below makes very high quality units at decent prices. I have one of their rectifiers on my bike and it works perfectly. I wouldn't buy a used regulator/rectifier. Ed

www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com/Products.html

If you want cheap, get a used reg/rec from a modern Ninja 250. You may have to replace the connector, but the reg/rec works the same as the 550. I wouldn't bother with a 30 year old reg/rec from a KZ550, as it could be near the end of its life.

Alright so today I finally got my multimeter in the mail and did the test on my battery and electrical systems. Everything seems fine. The battery tested about 12.2 volts and charged up to about 14.2 when the engine was revved. I noticed the battery will only charge when the bike is being revved and it won't charge at idle. Unfortunately I don't have a factory Kawasaki manual (only clymers) and don't know if this is normal for KZ's. I've heard some bikes charge at idle and some need to be moving. Do KZ's have a charging system that needs the engine to be revving or is there a problem somewhere?
Thanks

If the KZ550 is similar to the KZ650 don't expect to see much above 12 volts at idle. At 1600rpm and above you should see 14 - 15 volts. The regulator should keep it from rising much above 15 volts. Again, this is under the assumption that the charging system behaves similar to that of the KZ650.

Did you run the tests on the regulator/rectifier? Ed

Thanks Ed. It didn't go above 14.5 when I revved it up. My tach doesnt work so I don't know how high the bike revved to but it all seems to be functioning as it should if its the same as the 650.

Sorry I didn't see the reg/rectifier question. I did tests on both that, the stator, and I did a test to look for a parasitic drain on the battery and everything seems to be fine. Still no idea why the battery died twice

Probably a stupid question, but the new battery, it is filled with electrolyte? Or is it a AGM/ Dry type?
Also you say you did a draw test. Are you familiar with your meter to do this? Did it come with instructions for this? You need to disconnect the battery and put the meter into testing for DC Amps, making the meter the connection between the battery and cable.
When you say 14+ volts across the battery revved, is the headlight etc on? If not whats it do when everything is turned on?
Another test for you. With everything hooked up, bike running, everything turned on. Put you meter on AC Volts, put your leads, black on battery -, and red at the red wire connection from the R/R to the battery. So that your are in the wire at the bullet connection, before the battery. Measure the AC Volts.