[Keystone Jack]

Great little bike that runs just fine. The problem is the electrical. I replaced the battery making sure to get the 6v version. I put it on a 6v charger. I installed it, but the bike charges at 12v & above. Tach doesn't work. Lights don't work. Turn signals don't work.

I'm assuming this is an issue with the regulator, but there's also a rectifier. Do I need to replace both? Are all the other components fried from the 12v?

Thanks!

 

[WFO-KZ]

The rectifier may be fine. Replace regulator and check output voltage. Hopefully you did not allow it to cook your new battery by running it for any extended period of time. It may have blown all of your light bulbs and possibly damaged your ignition unit. If you can disconnect the regulator and if the battery is charged to between 6 and 8 volts, try testing for spark. Parts for this bike are becoming scarce.

 

[Keystone Jack]

Thanks for the quick response. I'm not worried about battery. It's cheap & available. Bulbs are no big deal. I'm thinking though, that if the battery, bulbs, & ignition are gone & regulator's already bad, wouldn't it be better to rebuild the electrical as 12v? I would think a 12v regulator is cheaper. Bulbs are easy. Battery is easy. I'm not familiar with the ignition.

Thoughts?

Thank you agian.

 

[WFO-KZ]

Unless someone sells a kit for 6 to 12 volt conversion, I would not attempt it.

 

[Keystone Jack]

Thank you for the insight. I really appreciate it.

 

[WFO-KZ]

Do you know the history of the bike? Is there a chance that someone else has converted it to 12 volts and that is why it is attempting to charge at 12+ volts?

 

[Keystone Jack]

I do know the history. It's actually a fun history. This is my wife's aunt's bike. Her late husband got it for her & maintained it. They rode together a lot on his 1980 CX500C (which I now own). She wanted her own bike. He told her that she could only ride something she could pick up if she laid it down. They shopped until they found this KE175. It was used. He laid it on the floor of the showroom & made her pick it up before he purchased it for her. She rode with him a lot. As her scoliosis advanced, she rode less often. He was a flight instructor who lived on the runway. He rode the KE around the airport a lot.

She still lives on the runway. We visit every 2 or 3 months (Pensacola). She wants it running for us to ride when we visit. When I began working on it, it had been sitting in the hangar for about 6 years. The dead battery left in it was a 6v. I cleaned up the fuel system, cleaned the jets in the carb, replaced the clutch, replaced the battery, & kicked it to life. We've ridden it around a bit, so I'm sure we fried the bulbs & ignition.

It was always well maintained. He only ran Shell Marine fuel in it. He always kept Stabil in his fuel cans.

 

[WFO-KZ]

Great story by the way. Don't beat yourself up. Nobody would expect 12 volt charging on a 6 volt bike.
Did it quit while riding? Some of these bikes did not need a battery in order for the engine to run. Have you tested for spark? Do you have a service manual?

 

[Keystone Jack]

It would not start until I changed the battery. It runs fine now, just no electrics. I don't think I've ever seen any lights on it, but wasn't really looking for it. I've not gone through the fuses or anything. I've found a regulator NOS for $99 & an ignition NOS for $129. I'll grab those & replacement bulbs before my next visit. I don't have a service manual. I have the owners manual and a wiring diagram.

 

[WFO-KZ]

If it runs fine, you probably just need the regulator but given the scarcity of parts, it may be wise to grab what you can while you can. Keep us posted. Nice to see an old bike like this brought back to life.

 

[Keystone Jack]

It's really fun to ride. You think it blew all the bulbs, or do you think they'll just work again when the regulator is installed.

 

[WFO-KZ]

Well before ordering all new bulbs, I would pop a turn signal cover off, remove and test one bulb. Assuming the bulb worked before and is blown now, you have a pretty good indication that the rest are probably blown as well.

 

[Keystone Jack]

Thanks again for sharing your experience & insight. Keep the shiny side up!

 

[Keystone Jack]

OK. An update on this. It's been a while, but now we've moved to Pensacola and I have more time with the bike. I replaced the ignition & regulator. Bike still runs great, but tach is always pegged. Headlight works, but is weak. Turn signals will come on, but weak & won't flash. Tail light is blown. I just ordered a replacement bulb. I had an old airplane mechanic recommend I check the grounds. I removed & cleaned the battery ground on both ends. I found a ground at the ignition. It was pretty corroded. I cleaned it up & reattached. No change. Are there other grounds I'm missing? I've been looking all over the bike for them. Any other suggestions?

 

[WFO-KZ]

Great to see some progress. With the new regulator, is it now charging at around 6+ volts instead of 12+ volts?
With higher RPM's the charging voltage should be no higher than 8 volts.

The electrics on these bikes were... well.... barely adequate. When the output from the lighting coil is insufficient at low RPM's the battery is supposed to take over, so if you really want a brighter headlight it might be time for a new battery.

Check the bulbs in the turn signals to make sure they are 6 volt and not 12 volt.

Finally, if you have a fully charged battery and the lights are still dim or not functioning properly (assuming they are all 6 volt bulbs) then you will have to look at the lighting coil and if that checks out then the culprit is loss of magnetism of the magnets in the flywheel.

 

[Keystone Jack]

Charging is 6.8v at idle & 7.4 when I rev it up a bit. (tested at battery terminal. Battery around 4.8v when not running. Battery is under warranty, so I'll go swap it out. I added acid to bring the levels to max, but no change. Tell me about the lighting coil. Where is it? What does it look like?

 

[WFO-KZ]

Your charging circuit sounds A-1. But your battery is toast if it cannot maintain 6 volts. Let me know if your lighting issues disappear after you install a fresh, fully charged battery. And don't forget to check the voltage rating of all bulbs. I suspect once the regulator failed and started outputting 12 volts, the band-aid solution to burned out bulbs was to install 12 volt bulbs. It is time to fix the band-aid solution.

 

[Keystone Jack]

OK. Replaced the battery & finished cleaning up all the grounds. All the lights seem to work fine now! The engine seems to have a bit more pep too. Thank you!

Now for the Tach. It's still buried. Any advice on that?

 

[WFO-KZ]

Great news!
Well I would start by removing the tach cable at the tach. Start the bike and see if the cable is turning. I say this because if that is not working, there is not much point in fixing the tach if the cable isn't turning.

If all looks good, then you can try gently tapping on the instrument to see if the needle can be dislodged. But my guess is you will have to open it up and free it up internally.

 

[Keystone Jack]

Hah! I was so busy chasing electrical issues I didn't even realize it was a mechanical tach. No wonder I couldn't find it on the electrical diagram! I have repaired a speedo before. A little cleaner & a little lightweight oil, followed by a square bit on a screw gun seemed to do the trick.