[RCW]

Yes, the voltage regulator is required to initiate and maintain a spark.

The way the Kawasaki CDI system is designed it receives an initial voltage pulse from the pulsing coil, and then the Igniter obtains stable voltage from the battery and voltage regulator to send a full specified voltage pulse to the coil.

Without either one of the battery or the regulator the system will malfunction, or if run with a nearly defunct battery you will send over 20 volt surges to the coil and supersaturate it and burn it out, and burn out the igniter.

I would pull the pulsing coil, the regulator, the igniter, and the ignition coil and take them to your dealer and have them checked. Check the igniter you replaced, it is likely still good if it was OEM Kawasaki.

Another thing to kick around. If you are buying discount igniters and pulsing coils, about 60% of them are defective right out of the box. Same for ignition coils. The discount stuff is either OEM supplier product that will not meet the OEM specifications for performance, or table scraps from China. Either way it is a bad choice. By the way, this is also true of automotive ignition components now days. Buy the best quality you can afford and avoid problems.