regulator rectifier 1978 KZ650B

[PJGACO]

Hi. Hope all is well.... I bought a 1978 KZ 650 a few months back and have slowly gotten from having a bike that would not run to being able to ride to work.... I have to say that the bike would not be on the road without the help and advice that I received from the members of this web site.... THANK YOU!
Like I said, I am riding to work daily....2 weeks ago I had a problem, the bike died while I was riding at lunch, I took StarGate's advice and had the battery tested at NAPA, they said that it was bad.... I purchased a new battery, charged it for 10 hours, put it in and the bike has been running great for the past 3 days.... until this morning.... the bike stalled at a light, I pulled the clutch and hit the starter and got nothing.... I kicked it and it started right up... When I got to work I turned the bike off, then tried to start it, I could hear a faint click and the lights are dim, I assume the battery is dead.... I am guessing that either that charging system is not working or I have some fault in the electrical system....A few weeks back I purchased a box of misc 1978 KZ650 electrical parts from ebay, in the box was a single regulator/rectifier. I was hoping I could change up the regulator/rectifier with the one I purchased but it looks like my bike has 2 seperate components.... The wiring has been modified so I don't know if this is stock or if someone changed things up a bit...Do some bikes have seperate components and some have combined?????
Also: If I start the bike and disconnect the neg terminal the bike runs, if I disconnect the pos terminal in stalls, does this make sense? I have a few troubleshooting guides but they are a little involved, I am hoping that there is something I can check or something in my description that at least narrows down the possibilities...
Any advise is greatly appreciated!!!!!

[MFolks]

Several things to do:

1. Buy a battery tender(a low current motorcycle battery charger, not the ones for car batteries as they will overcharge and ruin your battery).

2. Purchase a shop manual with the wiring diagram or ask BTK if they can get one for you or try Repair Manual Catalog Online - RepairManual.com

3. Buy a small brass bristle brush and some 400-600 grit sandpaper to clean the electrical connections and some good electrical contact cleaner(not WD-40!) A good brand is De-oxit www.de-oxit.com

4. Doing one electrical connection at a time(bullet connectors,square or rectangular) clean/remove the green crud of corrosion as this is non conductive.


5. The battery is a critical part of the electrical system on the motorcycle and should only be disconnected while performing a tests.

6. All battery terminals must be clean and tight, at the chassis ground/engine and at the starter solenoid terninals

7. The handle bar switches will probably require cleaning as the age of the bike might make them intermittant in operation.



Cleaning the electrical system is not to be rushed as it is the nervous system of the bike.

Keep us posted on your progress as others will suggest things to check or replace

I'm just covering the electrical basics and other people will touch on valve clearance,fuel delivery and tank condition,tires,control cables,brakelines etc.

[PJGACO]

Thanks for the advise..... I will get started tonight....