dead bike

[robystoy53]

came to a stop at a stop light and the bike went dead. checked the battery and cleaned the posts but got no change. put a meter on the leads from the pos terminal and have power but after the ? regulater or rectifer have nothing. The bike is a 1979 kz 1000 mrk II only has 13000 miles which I put 4000 on myself. Where can i get a wiring diagram? Is it the rectifier that is gone or possibly what? Thanks

[ispeed77]

on our sister forum we have a large vintage Kawi following. you might want to join up there and post in the vintage section. i'm sure those guys can help you out.

www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/forum

[spok]

bad news for sure. I have no clue what the problem could be. good luck in finding it

[robystoy53]

found the problem it does have a fuse box and it was a blown fuse. the bike still had an extra original fuse in the box. it runs like a charm now. okd kaws never die.now I can ride.

[mwmalotte]

Glad you found it! I had an '81 Honda CB900 Custom with a fuse link in it that was cracked... drove me nuts till I found it!

[ispeed77]

sweet, good find !

[MFolks]

These older glass tubed fuses can fail and still look good. I think that's why the newer bikes have the auto style "Blade" fuses.

http://www.rallylights.com/SearchRes...?CategoryID=54

[Charlie Gary]

I remember blowing a fuse on my KZ650 one morning. I put a new one in, but there was so much varnish on the old brass clips the connection was no good. I called my wife and begged a ride to work, and that afternoon we went home and got my truck. I was sure we would have to put it in the truck and haul it home, but for grins I tried to start it. Of course, it cranked right up. She followed me home and gave me a ride back to get my truck. All I had to do was either clean the clips or give it nine hours to establish contact on its own.

Later,

Charlie

[mwmalotte]

Originally Posted by MFolks

These older glass tubed fuses can fail and still look good. I think that's why the newer bikes have the auto style "Blade" fuses.

No doubt! The worst thing about that fuse link is that it was a hairline crack. It would be fine when it was cold but, once heated up, the metal would warp just enough to break the connection and kill the bike. After searching for bad wiring or loose connections for about 10-15 minutes (time enough for the fuse link to cool off and regain connection), it'd start back up like there was never an issue.

The link was hidden behind a tiny little panel I never even knew existed. It took me months to figure out what was going on!