Rookie mistake - Need some help

Hey Guys,

Being a rookie at this, I've made a rookie mistake - I'll get straight to it...

I tried installing a new battery on my '77 kz1000 A1, but i had the positive and negative leads swapped. I fried a couple wires, as you'll see in the photos i'll attach below. I'm hoping you guys can tell me exactly how bad i messed things up, and what parts i'll need to replace.

Also, please take a look at the battery photo and let me know if I have the right battery. The leads are only on one side, and the positive wire is too short to reach across if i have the battery flipped the other way.

Thanks!

(lesson learned)

Looks like you smoked the Rectifier. So I would get the new combo unit for your bike, Regulator and Rectifier in one unit. Replace those burned up wires and hook up the battery correctly. I can't tell for sure but it looks like the posts are wrong/ reversed. May well need to return the battery for one with the posts orientated correctly.
z1enterprises.com will have a new combo unit.
OMR has a couple of posts on the conversion from separate units to a Combo, here is one. www.kzrider.com/forum/forum-search?q=ATO...ildforums=1&catids=4
Another. www.kzrider.com/forum/4-electrical/31956...-a-combo-unit#319572

Well my opinion is this:

If there is no chance in finding a replacement wiring harness you will have to chase the fried wires and repair every wire the melted.

After that you can test what components are fried and replace them as needed.

Frying an electrical harness tends to do a lot of damage. I had to replace and repair every computer and relay board in my Mustang because of power surge, it took a whole lot of troubleshooting. With a wiring diagram, some patience and a lot of time you can have a go at repairing it.

I'd look into either replacing it and if you can't do that and can't repair it because of a lack of skill, maybe look into making a bare bones harness. They are incredibly simple and is will get the theory going to mindfully repair your original while still being able to ride the beast.

Correction, Z1 Ent should have one very soon. They're currently listed as out of stock, but supposed to be in this week. There are other options, but this one comes with the connector (that you could search for the rest of your life and never find).

www.z1enterprises.com/ItemDetails.aspx?i...f1000&item=PM81-4081

Alan

For sure you bought the wrong battery. You should take a look at the specs for your bike and make sure you buy the correct battery to replace it. The specs will identify the battery you need. The battery you bought has the poles reversed (see circles) from what they should be; when you replace it make sure you get one that is also the correct size and the correct amp hour rating. Ed

Thanks guys. I sent an email over to the guys at z1 enterprises about that rectifier/regulator combo part, so we'll see what they say. Lesson learned. I'll be taking that battery back tomorrow, and now I know what to look for.

So it's been about a year and the bikes just been sitting - With full time school and work it's hard to find time, but I'm getting the itch to get her running again and I've been looking into where I can get the Rectifier/Regulator part. Z1 Enterprises has one, but they've been out of stock for a while. I have an email into them, so we'll see what they say, but if they can't get the part, do you guys know of anywhere else I can get a reliable rectifier/regulator for a 1977 kz1000 a-1?? I'm hesitant to buy a cheap on on ebay... I've read some bad stories...

Contact these folks. I have been using one of their rectifiers for years and it was a perfect plug & play. Ed

www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com

And www.redlinecycle.com carries some of those too.

Would the newer series polaris sh775 r/r work? You'd have to retrofit it into the harness, but they are a lot better than the shunt r/r. I had to fit one into my suzuki and the whole bike is better. I ask because I don't know if it's capable to do on a kz

Looks like Tony over at OregonMotorcycleParts.com has one that'll work... Should I be worried about it just being a rectifier, and not a rectifier/regulator combo unit?

BTW, thanks for the other suggestions. That redline one looks great, but it's a bit on the pricey side.

Do you own a Kawasaki Service Manual?

If you don't, you need to buy one before you buy anything else.

If you do, simply follow the instructions in it on how to test the rectifier and how to test the regulator. Buying parts without first doing the diagnostic work is a mistake. You may very well replace stuff that is not broken and fail to replace stuff that is broken.

According to the parts diagrams I see online. your bike (like mine) has a separate rectifier and regulator. If that is in fact the case, you should test each piece and see which (if either) is not operating properly and then replace the broken part. Ed