Tach at 7k

Hi guys,

I went to look at an 84 KZ700A over the weekend but it had a one odd problem that I am unsure of (which I'll get to in a sec). The main problem is it sat for about a year, and now doesn't start (with a new battery that I brought and everything). It just clicks at the solenoid when hitting the start button. I heard you can just make contact on the two terminals on the solenoid to try and jump the starter, but it didnt do anything at all. Just wanted to see if this was common, and what would be involved to just fixing that.

Aside from that and normal things like carb cleaning, when the bike had the key on and the killswitch in the On position, the tach jumped to 7000 and just hung there. When moving the killswitch to the off position, the tach goes back down to 0. I found that odd since I have never seen that before. Otherwise, all the other electrics appear to work fine.

The bike is only going to be a few hundred, but I wanted to be sure this wasn't going to be more of a headache than its worth. Any tips or ideas on these two issues?

That is an electronic tach. It may be normal for it to do that if the engine is not running because it is not receiving a valid electrical signal from the coils.
If you jumped across the main posts on the solenoid, and the battery is fresh, and the connections are all solid (battery to solenoid, solenoid to starter, battery to ground), then the starter is bad. Note, all the conditions in the parens must be true. If one of the connections is not solid, it will not function properly, as the starter is a high current draw item (50+ amps).

koolaid_kid wrote: That is an electronic tach. It may be normal for it to do that if the engine is not running because it is not receiving a valid electrical signal from the coils.
If you jumped across the main posts on the solenoid, and the battery is fresh, and the connections are all solid (battery to solenoid, solenoid to starter, battery to ground), then the starter is bad. Note, all the conditions in the parens must be true. If one of the connections is not solid, it will not function properly, as the starter is a high current draw item (50+ amps).

This is some very good information. The starter sounds like a possibility from what you are saying, since the wiring all appeared to be solid. Thats an easy enough fix, it was just the tach that had me wondering.

Starter Solenoid/Motor Checkout Procedure

Some simple steps to determine what is working and what's not:

1.Fully charge and test the battery(most bike shops can load test the battery, and then use a floating ball hydrometer to check specific gravity in the charged cells).

2.Clean all battery terminals of corrosion.

3.Tighten all starting related connections(Positive RED(+) battery terminal, Negative BLACK(-)terminal) and from the terminal to the engine case. All connections must be clean and tight. If the cables feel “Crunchy” when flexed, they may have corrosion inside the insulation, requiring replacement.

4.Clean the cable from the starter solenoid to the starter motor.

5.Clean and check the "bullet connectors" going to the coil side of the starter solenoid.

6.Try again to start the bike, keep in mind some Kawasaki’s have a clutch interlock to prevent cranking the engine while it’s in gear, so the clutch lever must be squeezed.

7.If no luck, go to step #8

8.Wearing eye protection, bridge with pliers or a screwdriver the two heavy duty(large)terminals on the solenoid. If the bike cranks, your solenoid may be bad.

9. If the starter won’t turn over, one of several things has happened; The starter motor has seized due to brushes binding up, lack of lubrication in the bushings of the motor, the battery is weak , the engine has seized or it could be a combination of any of the above. Some websites for starter motor rebuild kits are:

A. www.psep.biz/store/mitsuba_starter_motors_page_2.htm

B. www.nationsautoelectric.com/Kawasaki.html

C. www.whitedogbikes.com/cat--Kawasaki-Star...-Starter-Motors.html

D. www.ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/starters.php

E. www.dbelectrical.com/

F. http://.www.nationsautoelectric.com/Kawasaki.html

10.The dealer may want $$$ for a new solenoid, but take your old one along and visit the nearest riding lawn mower shop. They have solenoids for about $15 that with a little work will fit. Be aware that the new solenoid from the lawn mower shop may require a ground wire for it to work.

11. I’d recommend upgrading from the existing battery cables to at least 6 gauge welding cables.
They are available in two colors(RED and BLACK) have more flexibility due to being constructed with finer conductors, and will fit in tighter areas.

12. The welding cable is sold by the foot, so take careful measurements or bring your old cables along. Most battery shops might be able to supply the cable too, so call to find out. The battery shop should be able to crimp/swage on the end of the welding cable the terminal ends or lugs using either a dedicated crimping machine or a tool that looks like a bolt cutter that has special dies to terminate the cable.