1981 Kawasaki KZ750 Resurrection

[dorkburger]

Pat yourself on the back. It looks great.

[alke46]

If the soaking doesn't keep it from leaking, you might try soaking it in Marvel Mystery oil. I used the wintergreen & xylene mixture on some carb boots and other rubber pieces and it really did a good job.

Very nice looking result on the Kawi project. What plans do you have for that bike, keep it or sell it? Good luck with whatever you do with it.

[Nessism]

Thanks for the comments guys.

So one of the niggly issues is leaking of the fuel level warning light sensor. Leak is around a rubber grommet built into the unit. Soaked it in fuel for a few hours to swell the seal and that seems to have fixed it up. Fingers crossed.

P1020748 by nessism, on Flickr

[Charlie G]

Very nice Ed!

[nvr2old]

To truly appreciate how far this bike has come, is to simply go back and review the first few pages of this thread. I always wait to do that until after seeing finished pics. An amazing transformation, Ed. Nicely done.

[jsandidge]

About time we saw it! Lookin good!

[Nessism]

Just took the first ride! Runs GOOD! Very nice driveability. First gear is tall but the clutch and low end torque manage easily. Speedo and tach needles are rock solid. Bike feels like a scooter compared to the GS1000.

Have some niggly things to tend to: fuel level warning light sensor leaks, so took it out, exhaust leak because missing the crossover pipe gasket on one side, need to anchor the clutch cable better, and the exhaust pipes only look so so. At any rate, it's a good day. Time to clean the garage...

P1020745 by nessism, on Flickr

P1020744 by nessism, on Flickr

P1020743 by nessism, on Flickr

P1020742 by nessism, on Flickr

P1020741 by nessism, on Flickr

P1020746 by nessism, on Flickr

Ed I have been away from here awhile but she is definitely coming together nice. Great Job.

[Nessism]

Slammed in the new stator and now charging at 14.5 volts. Very happy. Just goes to show that no load AC voltage is not a proper indicator of stator health. The new stator has .7 ohm resistance between legs, the marginal stators had .8 ohm. A seemingly minor difference.

Cleaned up all the wiring including adding redundant R/R ground and power out wiring. Kawasaki runs the power out straight to the battery with no fuse in between. Jim (Posplayr) would have a heart attack. I'm just going with it for now...

[Gorminrider]

... 13.5 is definitely "charging" but admittedly it is not charging to a good battery's maximum charge rate...that is, when you start your bike (say it's slow to start and the battery is half-discharged...) regulation at 14.2v means more current is flowing "in/through" the battery and charging it "quicker".. than 13.5v is.
A 10 or 15 amp output should easily do this on a motorcycle battery.

yes,in the end, slower charge or not, a "resting" battery (not being charged) that displays 12.58v or so IS charged fully. It just takes longer. No doubt there'll be difference of opinion on this but put it this way-practically speaking you shouldn't have to futz with it in "normal riding".
I think the stator output should easily charge the battery from a half-dead condition in about a half hour or so give or take some tapering off. And
so I certainly see your point, nessism. The 13.5 indicates a less than optimum output. If you paid for it, it should do it. I can only winge and suggest that the battery of the subject bike might also be swapped.. ignore if I missed that.
especially when the R/R works on another bike and gives the "proper 14+volts,
especially, ( per your special harness) when the motorcycle battery is not doing any "work" (at the starter motor or accessories like heated handgrips or xtra running lights) while being charged, it should certainly have a charge current and voltage that requires regulation.

and if it can't make even a regulated float charge of 14+ vdc, That is very odd. Even if your stator tested "open" @ 50VAC - 60 VAC it should that.

As far as I know 13.5 will charge a battery just fine.My 85 750 does just fine with numbers like that.

[salty_monk]

I have a spare stator (for a GS1000) & a known good Mosfet RR if you need to borrow...

[Nessism]

...I would put a household light bulb on the legs and see for myself if power is being produced. it's pretty hopeless checking resistances on these except a straightforward grounding.
...I guess I might isolate the charge system to just charge the battery while running the bike from a discharging car battery...something like that may indicate where it's going on for sure.

Or even...13.5v with the headlight on high beam wouldn't bother me too much..one of my homewound stators seems very happy at max 13.8 and maybe these are the same.

Well, I have a known good R/R (a Compufire as well as a SH775, both that have been tested on another bike), I made a very short and direct harness so I know that's not the problem, and yet the max voltage I'm getting is 13.5V. It's gotta be the stator. Measuring the stator resistance shows about .7-.8 ohms. I wouldn't scrap a stator based on this test but it does show something is marginal. Choices are get a new stator (I placed an order), or live with the low charging voltage. I do most of my riding these days around town where the rpm's are fairly low, so didn't want to ride around with the charging voltage just barely able to keep up.

[Gorminrider]

...I would put a household light bulb on the legs and see for myself if power is being produced. it's pretty hopeless checking resistances on these except a straightforward grounding.
...I guess I might isolate the charge system to just charge the battery while running the bike from a discharging car battery...something like that may indicate where it's going on for sure.

Or even...13.5v with the headlight on high beam wouldn't bother me too much..one of my homewound stators seems very happy at max 13.8 and maybe these are the same.

[Nessism]

Following up just a little on the above charging system post...

Had two different stators that put out good no-load AC voltage (70+), but neither seems able to generate enough power to properly charge the battery. Best voltage I saw is 13.5 volts. Checked leg to leg resistance on one of the stators and it shows .8 ohms, with .7-.4 being the spec. Not sure my volt meter is capable or reading down to this level of accuracy though. I tried three different R/R during this frustrating troubleshooting exercise so pretty certain the stator is at fault. Just goes to show that even if the AC voltage looks good, this does not mean you have a good stator.