1982 KZ750 E3 Complete Wiring Overhaul

A while back I noticed some of the stock wiring on my bike was in need of repair/replacement, and I've been putting off this project for almost a year now. Well, while having some issues with my ignition recently, that were sorted out thanks to the help of members here, I discovered that I was not getting full power to my ignition components. This pushed me over the edge and I started the project tonight. My project is to rewire EVERYTHING, from battery, to ground. I will be removing unnecessary components (i.e. the reserve headlight unit), adding an ATC blade fuse block, and MAY be removing the key switch to use a hidden toggle for power.

TEAR-DOWN (Part I):

Since I needed to remove the gas tank, and noticed recently that my petcock is in need of a repair/replacement, and I also plan to remove the wires from the fuel sensor, the first thing I did tonight was to drain and remove my gas tank.



I took a few "Before pictures of the stock wiring and rat's nest in the battery area





The next step begins the actual wiring project, and is the first thing you should do whenever dealing with the electronics on your bike (or car, atv, etc)...disconnect the battery (I also removed mine)!



I also removed the battery box from the bike to make it easier to work in that area.



I placed the battery on my battery charger/tender...one tool I've gotten more use out of than I ever imagined!



Ok..there is one part I am not familiar with. On the bracket I am holding in the following pic, there are two electrical components. The one on the right is the reserve headlight unit...what is the other one? Is that also part of the reserve headlight unit?


Since it's pretty late, I figured this was a good enough start to keep me motivated enough to go back and do more daily. With luck, I hope to have this project done by the weekend...

Hey guy i'm no help to you with this bike but from my two little brothers experience eith the ex 500(4 total) GET THE MANUAL bit, makes things somuch easier to trouble shoot and repair/rebuild

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TEAR-DOWN (PartII):

Thanks for the replies guys. I do have a manual for the bike...actually two now. I mistook the colors of the wires the first time I tried to locate this part on the wiring diagram. I took a fresh look tonight and found it to be the Warning Light Self Checker module. I have absolutely no idea what this does, and need to know if it is necessary to integrate this back into the system, or if it is just something I can remove and forget about.



So I went in tonight and disconnected the main harness from all connectors in the battery compartment area tonight.



Luckily I did not forget about this little guy connected to the engine ground.



Also, in case anyone is still wondering why I am taking on this project, here is a great shot of why this is LONG overdue.



Here is a shot of the main harness hanging off the front of the bike.



And another good one of the battery compartment without the main harness in there.



I figure I am now far beyond the point of no return, and thought this was a good stopping point for tonight. So, after yanking the main harness out of there and getting a good look at things, I am planning to start by rewiring the charging system. Then I can reinstall the battery box with the reg/rect reattached to the bottom and go from there up.

~Clutch

Just a quick update about the Warning Light Self Checker since I found a few posts wondering what it does, but no answer here. I did a little research online and found that what it does, is run a self check on your warning lights. In other words, it turns them on for a few seconds when you turn the power on and start your bike, similar to the check engine light on your car. It MAY also alert you to burned out bulbs, or bad circuits as well, but I'm not sure I trusted that part of what I found online.

TEAR-DOWN (Part III):

So I went out to the garage today since I had plenty of time before work. I finished disconnecting the rats nest in the headlight bucket, and completely removed the main harness! Here it is on the driveway, before being chucked in the trash can


So that completes the major tear-down section of this project. Tonight when I get home from work, I may begin the rewiring phase if I feel like hanging out in the garage for a few hours. I have Thursday and Friday off from work, so I plan to get this done before Saturday.

~Clutch :woohoo:

Wow, good luck with it. I'll definitely be watching - its something that I would want to do some time down the track too, but anything electrical scares me...

REWIRE Part I: The Charging System

I made it into the garage a little tonight after work, and started pulling covers off to begin rewiring the charging system. I won't have to do much as I rewired the Stator phases when I replaced my stator about 2 years ago, though I will be double checking all the wires for any signs of wear, etc.

When I pulled the engine sprocket cover off, I found that the top mounting bracket/front wire holder above the chain had sheered off. The break is clean, as in no build up of chain grease/etc on it, so I'm thinking this happened fairly recently. It must not have made much noise because I don't remember hearing, or even feeling anything out of the ordinary. Take a look at the pics!






I'm thinking that the chain guard is not 100% required, since I hear of people having to remove it when going up sprocket sizes. I am slightly more nervous about not having that extra little wire holder there, so I may JB Weld that piece back in place, and ditch the chain guard. I'm happy to hear thoughts about the chain guard though.

I removed all the wiring from this area in preparation for the rewire, and also removed the bracket that mounts the stock fuse panel, starter solenoid, flashers, etc. I'm planning to ditch this piece, and fab something a little smaller for the new fuse block, the solenoid and the flasher unit. Any thoughts, ideas, and pics of what you may have done are welcome.


Tomorrow and Friday are my "weekend", so I plan to make a lot of headway on this project, if not complete it in the next two days. As a side note, I noticed a slight amount of oil when I removed the stator cover, and am not sure how to hold the magneto, so that I can remove the bolt to take it off and have a look. Anyone know a good way to do this?

~Clutch

REWIRE Part I: The Charging System (cont.)

So, making some headway on the bike today. I ended up replacing the neutral switch, since I had bought one a while back, and upon inspection, it was well worn down, which is probably why it didn't work 100% of the time for me.




The only wire I ended up replacing out of the charging circuit was this one. There was a previous picture of it in the tear-down section. This is the ground wire from the reg/rect to the starter solenoid.




Putting it all back together, I decided to not JB Weld that broken mount/wire holder back in, and used a small wire clamp instead as shown in the pic.



I also reinstalled the battery box and reg/rect. I will need to find a good method of holding the wires up off the chain.





My next step is to figure out a good mounting solution for the starter solenoid, and turn signal flasher. Once I have the solenoid mounted, I will rewire the starter, and then move on to the Ignition System. But for now, it's time to run to the store for some supplies! :woohoo:

REWIRE Part II: Battery Compartment

I ran into some friends at the store that I haven't seen in a while, so I chatted for a bit and wasn't very motivated when I got home. I found a stock mounting bracket that holds the starter solenoid in place. I have no clue what it originally held on the bike, but it works for my needs. I got the starter solenoid all wire back up. All that is left for that is to be connected to the battery. I also used a cable clamp to hold up the wires from the front engine area, to keep them from rubbing on the chain.




I think I found a decent spot to mount my fuse block. I'm not sure that I like this orientation, but the location is good.



Tomorrow I will finish wiring the battery area (need my grounds), and then start the ignition system wiring. After that will be gauge, lighting and horn left to rewire. I may get it all done tomorrow.

A good idea will be to get a M6 X 1 tap, and clean out the many grounding places in the frame to reduce the chance of an intermittent ground.

MFolks wrote: A good idea will be to get a M6 X 1 tap, and clean out the many grounding places in the frame to reduce the chance of an intermittent ground.

Sounds like a good idea, but is there another method for cleaning them up for those that don't taps and dies (or experience with them)?