TOPIC:

My son rode the KZ1100 yesterday about 90 miles. Came home and said the headlight was not bright and he was right. Battery was reading 10.84 VDC with the key off. Got it on the charger now but I pulled the red connector and got continuity on one pair of wire but the 3rd wire was open. Stopped looking at that point but tomorrow if I get time I'll make sure the wire is intact all the way to the stator winding. Then I'll do the checks on the regulator just to be sure.

If I find it really is the stator I would like your opinion of the DB stator. Looks like a good price:

www.dbelectrical.com/p-8423-stator-coil-...ice-1100-kz1100.aspx

Other suggestions?

jdvorchak wrote: My son rode the KZ1100 yesterday about 90 miles. Came home and said the headlight was not bright and he was right. Battery was reading 10.84 VDC with the key off. Got it on the charger now but I pulled the red connector and got continuity on one pair of wire but the 3rd wire was open. Stopped looking at that point but tomorrow if I get time I'll make sure the wire is intact all the way to the stator winding. Then I'll do the checks on the regulator just to be sure.

If I find it really is the stator I would like your opinion of the DB stator. Looks like a good price:

www.dbelectrical.com/p-8423-stator-coil-...ice-1100-kz1100.aspx

Other suggestions?

Might be simply an improperly serviced battery (low on fluids where applicable) or a bad battery that won't hold a charge, or loose or corroded (poor) battery connections.

Would begin with a good fully charged battery that passes a load test, with clean snug post connections and a sound ground cable connection where the end lug connects to the engine.

Look for 14+ volts measured between the battery posts at 4,000 rpm.
If the charging rate is insufficient, could be an issue with the rectifier/regulator (which is difficult to accurately bench-test but relatively inexpensive compared to stator components) or the stator output. Or sometimes both.

Assure that wiring and connections are sound with respect to the rectifier/regulator (especially its ground via the black/yellow wire) and the stator.

As known, stator output should be within specs provided in the FSM. When stator output is within specs accompanied by insufficient charging voltage at 4,000 rpm, there's more suspicion toward a faulty rectifier/regulator or perhaps wiring and/or connector issues.

Good Fortune!

thank you for the diagnosis procedure.
Any experience with the DB stator I mentioned? Electro Sports is about $20 more and I know they are generally a good buy.

Wow, $68 for a stator is the cheapest I've seen. No clue on the quality. For my 750 I bought a Rick's but it was twice as expensive.

If you need a R/R the Shindengen SH775 is the best value going. It helps protect your stator and is cheaper than most generic Chinese R/R's on the market.

Nessism wrote: Wow, $68 for a stator is the cheapest I've seen. No clue on the quality. For my 750 I bought a Rick's but it was twice as expensive.

If you need a R/R the Shindengen SH775 is the best value going. It helps protect your stator and is cheaper than most generic Chinese R/R's on the market.

found one on eBay for under $30 but really no warranty. The DB, listed above, has a 1 year warranty!.

I haven't started to really diagnose the problem other than to check resistance on the 3 yellow wires at the red connector under the left side cover. There was some corrosion on that connector but no signs of melting or getting hot. The reason I want to check the wires is just the day before he took the bike, he was cleaning the wires and rubber grommet to see where the oil was seeping. I didn't watch what he was doing so I want to make sure he didn't pull one of them or damage the insulation.

So far I have not been able to find that Shindengen sh775 for sale anywhere. Lots of other models from Shindengen.

A post from couple years ago...

www.kzrider.com/forum/4-electrical/59323...or-comparison-to-oem

I finally got around to looking into the stator problem. Below is what I found. 2 broken wires and the stator itself looks like it's seen it's better days. Plus the grommet is leaking like a sieve.

Ordering a new stator today. While waiting I think I'll try removing scratches and polishing the stator cover. Another post for that.

Toast! Curious cover flange marks on the face near the center, normally present on the opposite side.
IMO, OEM replacement is the best choice.

Second look, appears wires got shredded, considering the wire connectors and retainer are missing. What happened with those?

Are the rotor and magnets ok?

daveo wrote: Toast! Curious cover flange marks on the face near the center, normally present on the opposite side.
IMO, OEM replacement is the best choice.

Second look, appears wires got shredded, considering the wire connectors and retainer are missing. What happened with those?

Are the rotor and magnets ok?

Very astute observation. The wires connect on the bottom of the stator when I took it apart and that is why you see cover marks. Since I don't have another I can only assume that is the way it's put together from the factory. Although that cover has been off prior to me buying the bike.

As for connecting rings this is the way I took it apart. Maybe they fell off? Wires were very brittle, indicating a lot of heat and abuse. I did cut some of the insulating material away on one broken wire so see what condition it was in. The other I have no idea. The second wire broke with just my handling it. Originally I only had one broken wire. First thing I did, when I pulled the cover, was to put it in the parts washer so missing connector is probably in there.
EDIT: I found the missing connectors on the work bench. I know you were thinking maybe they got up into the magnet but that was not the case. Those connectors are on the back or bottom side and were still there when I pulled it out initially. parts fiche shows that those connectors are supposed to be on the bottom of the stator away from the moving parts.

I'm ordering a new stator today so that should fix the charging problem.

I need to check the magnets but it was charging fine prior to a couple of days ago.

First time I had the oil pan off, I found all the missing material that had flaked off the rotor magnet edges.
That was the worst find ever for me.

The bike is charging nicely now but I can NOT recommend that stator for an 83 KZ1100 ltd shaft. The wires were too long but connectors were high quality and I just had to fold it up a little and bind it with tie wraps. The grommet didn't fit. It was too small and I had to do some modifications to the grommet to fit plus a ton of black RTV to try and seal it. I'll bet it leaks sooner than later.

Overall I was impressed with the quality of the part and it's performance electrically. I did test run it for a few seconds before I buttoned it all up. Battery was at 12,6 with key on. Started the engine and idled at 3K rpm only about 15 or 20 seconds charging voltage came up to 14.2 and stayed there. I'm sure my regulator is fine.

I figured worst case I can buy an OEM grommet and put it on if the leak is present. At least then I can cut the wires to length and solder them keeping the bullet connectors or just do away with the bullet connectors and that is probably the best option.

I have one of the (Ed recommended) Shindengen SH775 regulators mounted in the same location as the original unit to the bottom of the battery box. Had a new wiring harness put together by Jack Fleming of Roadstercycle, and he was very helpful with answers to my questions., and bought the regulator used off ebay for $40.

I soldered the yellow conductors together using the metal crimps provided in the kit, per a Roadstercycle's very-helpful on-line video.
The system has been flawless thus far, and always maxes out at 14.5 Volts when I'm riding.