An electrifying story...

Okay, so I finally got the 1983 KZ1100 running pretty good, and decided to save the best part for last. When I bought the bike, the PO told me it had a bad stator, that the battery was not getting charged. While running, a meter on the battery shows approximately 13.5 volts, and when revved up the reading will actually go down a little, not up. I checked the ohms on the stator and it looked okay. When I disconnected the three yellow leads behind the sprocket cover and checked there while running, I got 29 volts instead of the 50 VAC the manual called for. I thought, bad coils, so I got a replacement and put it in this weekend, and now I have 25 VAC at the three yellow wires... sooo, obviously the stator coils were not the problem. One thing I did notice when I was taking the alternator cover on/off that I was not fighting the magnet to get the cover on and aligned with the two pins, like I have on every other KZ I have worked on.

Is there a way to check the magnetism of that part of the alternator assembly, or not?

"...One thing I did notice when I was taking the alternator cover on/off that I was not fighting the magnet to get the cover on and aligned with the two pins, like I have on every other KZ I have worked on."


Your problem is likely your rotor magnets, common problem on these. Getting quite a lot of vibration through the bars plus poor charging out put?

Be careful on differing crank nose tapers on the 1000j GPz1100 z1100 and zx1100 variants -they all look the same but there are two different part numbers..

Very odd results. You sure you had your meter set correctly, and that the meter works? Reason for asking is that it typically takes a lot more than 25 VAC to generate 13.5 VDC charging at the battery. I had a bike that made 75 VAC and it would only charge at 13.5. Those no load tests are not definitive in terms of defining a good stator.

New battery? What's the voltage after 24 hours of sitting.
Steve

--Tyrell...no unusual vibration through the bars. The charging voltage while running seems okay, but even so, does not seem to be charging the battery.
--Nessism...Yes, they are odd results; meter set correctly, and I hear you on the no load part, but it is all I have right now!
--SWest...New gel battery... never checked the battery after sitting, will try that tomorrow. All I DO know right now is that I have to put the battery on a charger after only 5-10 minutes of running

Dead cell.
Steve

Well, I charged the battery; 13.16 volts.... will re-check in morning after sitting, Irrespective of the battery condition, the fact that I am getting only 25-29 VAC right at the alternator lends itself to only one conclusion, that the magnet is bad, I guess. Which sucks because all of the replacements I see are *crazy* expensive...she may have to sit a while...

If it's putting out 13.5 volts, that's enough to run it.
Steve

Yea, the DC to the battery is all that matters. Reading AC on the stator leads to many false readings. I highly doubt the magnetism of the rotor being a problem. As Steve said, 13.5V on the battery it is charging to some extent, My 77 KZ650 only charges at about 12.7 volts due to the Dyna-S, but it charges and works good enough to ride.

I suspect I had a bad cel for over a year. I would only get 14.5 after miles of riding with the lights on. Now with the new battery, it goes up right away.
Steve

Does the magnet seem solidly mounted? Maybe it is loose enough to spin? Is there a keyway on that model?
Also check to see if the stator and magnet fit together closely. Maybe someone put on a different rotor with a larger opening? This is highly unlikely, but would explain why it's so easy to pull the alternator cover off.

Well, I charged the battery yesterday and then checked it today... went from 13.16 to 13.09. I would be tempted to switch out the magnet if I had one sitting around, and/or they were not like $200.00 for a new one, but I don't have one, so I am going to take everyone's advice and just button it back up and ride it for a bit and see what happens... just short/local trips, check the mail, etc., so I do not get stuck out somewhere.
Thanks to all of my esteemed fellow Kaw riders!