TOPIC:

Hello,

New member, and I've been reading for quite some time, searching for charging issues on Z1/KZ1000s

My bike is a '74 but has a '77 1000 engine. Just did a lot of top end work last month, head, cam chain roller/sprockets/guide etc. Bike has been running well, fixed oil leak in the head, and other issues.

I've suddenly developed a charging issue. Battery is good, had it tested under load, even bought another one to compare, returned it since it didn't solve the problem. Re checked this battery again, charged, load tested again and it's good. So I didn't waste money on a battery.
I then followed the service manual's procedure for testing the regulator-I disconnected it and started the bike, voltage went up to just over 13V revving 3K and up to 5K. With it connected I'm not getting more than 12.3 or so.
Pulled the regulator out and did the "out of circuit" test the manual describes.
Meter + to Black lead, 1.023 or so ohms. Manual says 1.050
Meter - to Brown lead, same thing.

Meter + to Brown lead, should be 300 ohms. Got the same 1.023
Meter - to Black lead, should be 300ohms. Got the same 1.023

So that seems to be a problem. I can double check it again tomorrow, but I did it many times and got the same results.
I also tested the separate rectifier, and I think it seems to be ok. I did the procedure between the 3 yellow wires and the ground, switched meter polarity, then the white wire and yellows and switched polarities. Manual says one way is 10 times more than the other. I got the 1200 ohms more or less(slight variation on each lead)and nothing on the other direction while testing the black and the white 12 combination test. 1200 is certainly more than 10 times more than nothing, so maybe it is indeed toasted(?)
The next logical step would be to get the combination Regulator/rectifier.
I also disconnected them all and ran the bike to check the 3 leads form Stator to see AC voltage. It's from about 30-45 Volts around idle to 3-4K rpm. I couldn't rev and hold the meter leads so I'll assume dynamo/stator is ok for now.

So after my top end was done, I went riding, and bad luck probably caused this problem. It was late at night, doing around 60mph when all power died, no lights of course, and I coasted out of danger, pulled over and saw a defective main 20 A fuse. The glass tube one, It was old and vibration disconnected one of the caps, interrupting power. The fuse center was fine, it didn't blow. Just one of the ends came off, so there was no short. I put a new fuse on, drove home and since then the batt hasn't charged correctly.

The only other thing is when doing the top end, I had a friend degree my slotted cam sprocket setup and we took the stator off to put a degree wheel. It could be that the harness got stressed, this wires could be brittle-But it seems AC voltage is present own I tested. Resistance testing was in the acceptable range, about .7 ohms on all 3. I ordered a new gasket in case I need to take it out or even replace the stator.

So I'll start with ordering the single RR. I doubt I'll be able to return it if it's the stator I need, but from the regulator test it seems that's what I should do. Or maybe I have to replace both. I'm glad Batteries+ Bulbs allowed me to return the battery since that wasn't the problem.
Any suggestions and opinions appreciated-
John

Bought a used KZ 1000 R/R in 13. When it started to fail I tried others I found out was CHINESE. I finally went this route. Might have been the brown wire circuit, maybe. These don't use a sensing wire.
Steve
kzrider.com/forum/4-electrical/608544-re...or-all-in-one#784480

I'll probably get the one from Z1 Enterprises, Z1parts.net or Diablocycle-they all seem like the same one.
I did see the mosfett people are using, gets pricey-
Strange that when I disconnected the regulator, voltage went up to about 13V, not 17v like some report-

Weak stator or magnet.
Steve

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationYour AC voltages seem a little low. I'm not sure about your bike but the 750 calls for 50 VAC at 4000rpm. Regardless, a fresh R/R is a good start.

The best R/R's out in the market are the SERIES type like a Shindengen SH775. This type of R/R protects your stator from return current overheat damage. Even if your charging system doesn't make a whole lot of excess power right now it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to buy outdated technology in the way of a shunt type R/R, particularly since you can get a real Shindengen for less than $50 shipped off ebay. Just beware that there are tons of counterfeit SH775's in the market these days. Make sure the unit you buy has SH775 printed on the top fin.

I'll have a friend help rev to 5000 tomorrow to see if the AC volts get close to 50. But the regulator does seem to have a resistance issue. The Shindengen SH775 sounds like a good idea, but what about the connectors? If I get the one most people get from Z1 E or Parts.net there's no issue in getting a counterfeit, and eBay returns can be a pain. So I'm not sure I get the RR first, then stator if needed. Too late tonight to rev the bike up and check for 50 Volts. Not sure how high I got with revving this afternoon, but anyway didn't read 50V

I've had this bike for about 4 years. As stated on my post, it could be that when I reinstalled the left engine cover the wires got hurt, or the old rubber grommet crimped it-but then again, resistance check seems normal and tomorrow I'll see if it indeed reaches 50V. Is 50 for sure and anything less means a stator problem?

Thanks
John

Z1 Enterprises says their stator is over would to produce 10-15% more output-sounds good to me lol
I doubt any vendors offer returns in case I need one and not the other-

Triumph made a retrofit kit to install the SH775's on their bikes because too many stators were getting burned out. The harness P/N is T2500676 and costs about $10 .www.2wheelpros.com/oem-parts/triumph-lin...r-t2500676-part.html

Realize that any power that isn't consumed by your bike will be returned to the stator if a shunt R/R is used and when that happens the current turns to heat. Reason for mentioning that is because a lot of aftermarket stators make more power from stock which sounds good on paper, but it's not necessary good unless you have a series type R/R or a lot of accessories to consume the extra power.

My stator is spitting out 50V, so I'll go ahead and get the single unit from Z1 E
They have 2 versions, one for Z1 and the other for KZ900/KZ1000
Since my bike is a bit frankensteined with a 1000 engine and my rectifier white wire is a male bullet, I'll probably get the KZ1000 version with the male bullet white wire. Their Z1 unit has a shorter double female white and the overall cable is shorter.
My battery box also doesn't seem to be stock, so the longer cable will make it easier to find a mounting spot, maybe where the old regulator is-if i get the Z1 with shorter cable/harness I might not find a place to mount it since my batt box is pretty low. In any case both their units seem the same except for the male/female white and the KZ one being a longer cable(?)

www.z1enterprises.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=regulator

I assume your bike has the original regulator and rectifier as separate units, as that is what was used from '73 to '78., regardless of the engine.

The test removes the regulator, but not the rectifier from the system. The regulator reduces voltage, so removing it should make the voltage climb possibly as high as 20v. But since yours doesn't, and only climbs a bit, it could be the rectifier is faulty.

The rectifier tests are not really applicable to modern digital meters. Using an ohm meter to test a diode can give different results using different meters because diodes are "non-linear".

As Nessism said, the AC test voltages do seem a bit low initially, but it looks like you are now showing 50vAC. At 4000rpm I see around 55vAC on the smaller bikes. I'm not sure if 50vAC is adequate or not on the big bikes, but it's only a matter of possibly being a bit weak, not dead.

I know that in the past, there were reports of some of the big motor rotors slipping on the end of the shaft. I guess some were not keyed. Definitely check that the next time the cover is off, unless you know it's keyed or tight etc.

Either way, whether the regulator or rectifier is bad, you probably want to get a modern combo unit.

But if you want to verify the actual component failure, you could try a cheap 3-phase rectifier from ebay. Get one that handles about 50 amps or higher. They can usually be had for $5 or less with free shipping. That is not a long-term fix, just a troubleshooting aid.

If you put in the new rect, and the DC voltage at the battery goes real high, then you know the stator is good and the rotor is turning and effective.

I'm sure you know, old wiring is a plague. Since you handled the stator, you'll want to inspect the associated wiring closely.

I can't really decide if the fuse issue is coincidental, or a factor, especially since it wasn't blown, merely broken. The bike stopped right away, so I don't think much damage could happen. It would be the same as turning off the ignition key.

Side note:
The oldest of the separate reg/rec units on the 900/1000 bikes required the alternator wires to be in the proper sequence in order for the regulator to work properly. That is why the stator wires are color-coded. Shortly after that, they changed to a new regulator that didn't need the sequencing, but still kept the different stator wire colors until some time much later. So most regs won't care about stator wire color, but there could be a few out there that do care.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationEbay has many KZ1000 reg/rec for '79 and up, including police. The connector is different but the wires seem the same. Would wiring one of these be an option?

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationNo eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configuration

JB911 wrote: Ebay has many KZ1000 reg/rec for '79 and up, including police. The connector is different but the wires seem the same. Would wiring one of these be an option?

Yes, electrically they'll work but they will need a lot of connector and wire splicing, I would imagine.

But don't get anything that old. You can get a modern one from an early to mid 2000's Ninja 500 or even Ninja 250 that will work if you are willing to do a bunch of wire splices. There are probably many other Kawasaki models you can get a reg/rec from.

You want one with these 6 wires.
3 yellow.
One output will be red or white.
One ground will be black or black/yellow.
One sense wire will be brown.

Here's one example, $16 shipped, I use these on 550's and they work perfectly.
They also work on the later 3-phase 650/750's.
The 1000 system is the same/similar electrically, but the alternator is just physically different.
EDIT: It claims to work and has a 30 day return.