TOPIC:

Ok, i have a 79650c3. Went for a ride all is great. Turned the bike off for 10 minutes and when i returned the bike is completly dead. Nothing turns on, no lights, no dummy lights nothing. I checked my fueses and my battery and have more than 12 volts at the battery. I jiggles the headlight and for one breif second all the lights came on but since then nothing. I have checked all of the connections in the headlight but for some reason cannot find any loose wires. This is just strange. Any thoughts? I checked for continuity at the ignition swithch and fuese and am getting juice there. I havent gone further but at this point it seems i just have to trace all the wries to find the one with no juice.

If you jiggled the headlight and everything started working, the main connector from the ignition switch is in there. Out of the connector you have wires going to the right and left switchgear; most everything on the bike EXCEPT the tail light is going through the switchgear. The wire to the tail light comes off that connector but is a direct shot via a red wire all the way back. Check your main ignition switch connector. May also be a bad ignition switch and you were just jiggling the connection inside the switch when you were poking in the headlight.

Hello from NE Wisconsin:

I had the bike of mine go dead all of a sudden. The problem was the regular/rectifier. It took the battery down to nothing.

The battery should have 12.4-12.6 volts sitting without the bike running. When the bike is running, the charge to the battery should be 13.4 and up--however, not anywhere near 14+ volts like that.

I wired my turn signal lights to be on all the time. That meant putting another type of socket for the two filament bulb. The regulator/rectifier should still allow the higher volts to run the bike even with the extra draw on the battery.

I would check the battery terminals and ensure that the screw are tightened and make sure that the wires are not broken off either to the positve or negative terminals.

Doug Johnson

you can jumper the connector block to hot wire your bike and bypass the ignition to see if it is you ignition or not.

Can you give me specifics on how to do that?

If I remember correctly. When I hot wired my 77 650,
I pulled the connection apart at the wiring harness for the ignition and jumped the white wire with yellow. That should turn your coils on and you should be able to start the bike.
Here a pic of the ignition connections for your c3.
hope this helps.

in the diagram there is a brown wire do i need to do anything with it for this test?

I don't think so. Your 79 is a little different than my 77.
I only had the brown wire for the ignition, your is yellow and the brown looks like switched 12v for the tailight.
I don't think you need to use it.

Well i am going to try this tonight and see what happens. Thanks Guys!!

Don't run the bike too long or rev it too much with the brown wire dead. It is what the regulator uses to regulate the voltage. Without it, the voltage can reach over 20 volts easily when revved.

I havent tried this yet i am hoping tonight. I am hoping for a miracle and to find a loose wire i over looked because i am electrically challenged. Its one of those things i never understood very well and frankly i am scared of it.

The bike is up and running. The problem was two exposed wires and blown fuses. I am suspecting that the wires may have cuased the blown fuses and may explain why the bike suddenly died. In any case thanks to all for your suggestions!!!