TOPIC:

That's what I'm referring to. Something like 14v at ??? RPM, etc.

I see you mentioned the voltage in the initial post was 12 and dropping with no change while revving. But I was wondering if anything changed since you've presumably now gone through the wiring and connectors, to do the AC tests.

I suppose you should maybe do the test while measuring the DC voltage at the output of the reg/rec instead of at the battery. Black meter lead to black wire and red meter lead to white/red wire. You may need to use some skinny probes. I use paper clips or some piece of solid gauge wire to probe into the connector. If the voltage on the output is the same as that of the battery while revving, then it's likely the reg/rec is toast.

Make sure to not let the probes touch each other! That's full battery voltage there.

You can also check any voltage drops directly.
To check the ground drop, put the black meter lead on the black reg wire, and the red meter lead on the battery's negative post. That will measure your ground side drop.
To check the positive-side drop, put the red meter lead on the white/red regulator wire, and the black meter lead on the battery's positive post. That will measure your positive-side drop.
If both of those are less than 1/2 volt while revving, that's more evidence of possible reg/rec failure.
If either is more than a volt, then there is some bad wiring or connections.

Voltage keeps falling even at 4000 RPM.

Does it ever peak above 13v?

One problem with the AC tests are that they are "unloaded" tests... meaning there is virtually no current flowing while the test is being done. That means any bad wiring or bad connection or bad stator may not be made obvious by that test. (When there is no current, the voltage drop across a bad connection drops to zero, thus you don't register a loss until the bike actually requires current.)

I replaced the R/R with the above linked unit. I also rewired the entire charging system from the stator to the battery, including new fuse holders and 12 gauge R/R output wire and R/R ground directly to the battery.

I have been riding the bike to work this week. The bike has ran fine up to an hour straight (have not rode longer than that). At idle the bike is completely running off the battery. At 2500 RPM battery voltage slowly climbs to slightly over 13V. At 400 RPM battery voltage slowly climbs to slightly over 14V.

When I come home at night, battery voltage is around 12.1-12.4V therefore I have started plugging in a battery maintainer at night.

My problem is better, but it still exists. Either the stator is weak, or my riding style is suspect. I cruise 3000-4000 RPM but maybe I need to keep the RPM higher.

3000-4000 rpm a more than enough to keep the battery fully charged.

I highly recommend you start by replacing the battery. It sat unused, even if on a tender, for 2 years, and I suspect it wasn't brand new at the start of the 2 years. The place that tested it said it was weak. You may not have seen the text in your Kawasaki Service Manual, but all my manuals say that the charging system tests they describe will not work unless the bike has a good, fully charged battery installed.

You may have some other charging system problem, but trying to troubleshoot it with a poor battery will just lead to frustration. Ed

Ed,

I replaced the battery last week.

Just got home from work, about 1 hr ride. At any RPM there is no change in battery voltage, currently around 12.2V. Maybe the stator is bad went hot and under load.

In addition, there is an intermittent no crank when hot.

I am at my wit's end with this thing.

Oooops. Ed

If not already done, would assure that the black/yellow wire from the regulator/rectifier, and through the bullet connector and harness is furnishing a good ground for the r/r.
For testing purposes, a known good wire could be substituted at the black/yellow connector and grounded directly to the negative battery post.

And also double-check integrity of the ground connection where the negative battery cable attaches to the engine.

Good Fortune!

Patton,

I ran a 12 gauge ground wire from the R/R to the battery.

Can you get the battery voltage up if you remove the headlight fuse?

If the previous reg/rec went bad and was shunting all the time, it may have overheated the stator. This might explain the slightly low reading on the one leg when unloaded. A damaged stator might only show slightly marginal readings in an unloaded test, but will fail under hard load since heat will become a major factor under load.

Lou,

The voltage is slightly higher with the light fuses removed. Still not 14.5V @4000 RPM though.