TOPIC:

79 KZ650 B3

2.5 questions

1) What is the best (simplest/cheapest) way to swap over to self-cancelling blinkers. Are there handlebar switchsets from other models that swap over easily? Is there a kit to upgrade what I have?

2) My right-side handlebar switches do not have an on/off switch for the lights. What year models did, and will it swap directly over?

2.5) I need to wire the on/off switch for the headlights so they only turn off the headlight not the taillight. What's the best way to accomplish this?

There will be wiring diagrams in the filebase section here on the homepage.

With a little study, you can decipher the switch diagrams on the margins of the schematics.

My 77 has the headlamp switch, but Kawis dont have the cancelling blinker switch....

Qdude wrote:

There will be wiring diagrams in the filebase section here on the homepage.

With a little study, you can decipher the switch diagrams on the margins of the schematics.

My 77 has the headlamp switch, but Kawis dont have the cancelling blinker switch....

Thanks for responding.

I knew Kaws didn't have cancelling blinkers; I was wondering if handlebar switches from another make/model could be adapted and, if so, which might be the simplest.

KZ440 had self canceling turn signals, don't know about any others.

On the 750 twins, Kawasaki did away with the light on/off switch for 79, so I used the right hand switch pod off a 78 to get it back. The wiring harness under the tank had a jumper connecting the wires formerly used for the light switch, unplugged the jumper and plugged in the wires from the 76 switch pod and it worked.

steell wrote:

KZ440 had self canceling turn signals, don't know about any others.

That is great to know. You wouldn't know which years did/didn't would you?

Also, is there anything more to it than getting the handlebar controls and wiring them up?

Hmmmm ..... apparently, these are the models that had self-cancelling turn signals:

KZ440-A1 A2 A3 A4 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5

KZ550-C1 C2 C3 C4 F1 F2 M1

KZ750-H1 H2 H3 H4 K1 K2 H1 H2

They all used a self-cancelling turn signal switch, PN 27010-1077

I grabbed one of these from Jeff @ Z1.
With some rewiring(under the tank area)it works like a charm.
Now I can turn the headlight off (for testing purposes,working on the bike),without having to pull the fuse.


www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=2040

My '83 1100 has self-cancelling blinkers.

"self cancelling" blinkers on a bike are usually implemented elctronically by using a 555 timer set up as a "power source" that will provide the +12V to the blinkers for a set time period after you turn the switch on, and then cut off. You have to turn the switch off and then back on and it resets and works again. It's fairly easy to implement if you are electronically oriented.

I just put a beeper on mine to remind me to turn them off.

bountyhunter wrote:

"self cancelling" blinkers on a bike are usually implemented elctronically by using a 555 timer set up as a "power source" that will provide the +12V to the blinkers for a set time period after you turn the switch on, and then cut off. You have to turn the switch off and then back on and it resets and works again. It's fairly easy to implement if you are electronically oriented.

Hehehe, those would appear to be the operative words.

bountyhunter wrote:
I just put a beeper on mine to remind me to turn them off. [/quote]

That is a great, simple solution that hadn't even occurred to me.

Can you tell me what buzzer you used, and how you wired it up? It'll probably be over my head, but I have a buddy who is much more electronically oriented than I am.

seanof30306 wrote:

bountyhunter wrote:

"self cancelling" blinkers on a bike are usually implemented elctronically by using a 555 timer set up as a "power source" that will provide the +12V to the blinkers for a set time period after you turn the switch on, and then cut off. You have to turn the switch off and then back on and it resets and works again. It's fairly easy to implement if you are electronically oriented.

Hehehe, those would appear to be the operative words.

bountyhunter wrote:
I just put a beeper on mine to remind me to turn them off.

That is a great, simple solution that hadn't even occurred to me.

Can you tell me what buzzer you used, and how you wired it up? It'll probably be over my head, but I have a buddy who is much more electronically oriented than I am.[/quote]

I bought whatever little 12V buzzer they had at radio Shack, and used some double sided foam sticky tape to stick it on top of the steerin g stem.

Wiring is pretty easy: you need two diodes like 1N4001 (Radio Shack or FRY's will have them). Hook the anode (positive end) of each diode to the +12V hot wire that connects to each of the front turn signal light. Tie both cathode (negative) ends of the diodes together and use that point to go to the + lead of the 12V buzzer. Ground the other side of the buzzer.

On mine, the front turn signal wires are inside the headlight cowl so it's pretty easy to get at the wires.

A beeper, or a simple timer are pretty easy to do. I'm not sure how the factory "self cancelling" system works on a KZ, but on a Yamaha it is a combination of speed, time and distance! If the bike is moving over a certain speed, the signals stay on for a set time, below that speed, a set distance. That way, they don't time-out if the bike is stationary!

A system that works that way requires a bit more electronics - and logic! However, you could do it with a "Basic Stamp" and a GPS module!