Starter Button, Turn Signals, and Headlight stopped working 1977 KZ1000 A

Many thanks to all prior to writing this.  I checked the forum for my particular issue...if it has already been covered, please point me in that direction.

OK, this is my first KZ1000A, and it is one of the first/early ones.  It has a 1080 overbore kit, Mikuni VM29 carbs and a 4 into 1 exhaust, with necessities like K&N pod air cleaners ect...

I rebuilt the carbs, and got it to run, no problem, but had to play with the electrical connections, cleaning all of the connectors with DeOxit-D5 and scruff pads where I could.
When I first received the bike the start button did not work, I trouble shot the starter, solenoid, and push button, to finally get it to start...just by what I thought my efforts of cleaning the contacts.

I have had the wiring loom somewhat laying free, while I got all of the electrical stuff working and getting the bike to run.  Yet when I organize the loom either with panduit or cable ties, the start button will stop working along with the headlight, and now turn signal dash indicators....I take everything apart, re-check the connectors, play with the wiring...checking the solenoid, starter ect...all the electrics magically come back to life, I try again to organize the wiring, just to get the gas tank back on, and then the start button and other items stop working....this will be my third time.

I understand it is a wiring loom issue, since it is the original loom.  I have checked the ground, and used many of the wiring diagrams to see what I could be missing...but this is frustrating.

Any ideas?  Typically grounding problems are tough to diagnose, likewise a broken wire that may/may not be covered are tough to check.  But the common issue is that the headlight, starter button, and turn signal dash lights stop working.  Any common items that I should be looking for?

Thank you again, I appreciate any/all feedback.

Welcome from the UK, if you look in my signature there is a link to an electrical fault finding guide which I wrote, you may find useful
PS: if the link doesn't work look the filebase - "General" - "General electrical" page 2

   Where the harnesses flex around the steering head every time the handlebars are rotated lock-to-lock is fairly notorious for developing breaks in the conductors, inside the insulation that can't be seen.  The color codes on the wiring for each load component would help to focus on the exact wiring to test with a meter or test light.  Intermittent electrical issues can be a PITA to find.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

Thank you very much for your response.  I'm in the process now of using your recommended document and testing.  

I should take a picture, I now (for the 4th) time have the wiring loom apart, and everything works perfect....Once I start organizing the loom, with tape, panduit, and cable ties...it stops working.

I can see why just re-doing the loom with a MotoGadget or similar device is well worth the time and dollars spent...(mental note to myself for future projects)

I'm determined to get to the bottom of this, and will let you know what I find.

Again, many many thanks!

Thank you for taking the time to reply.  Many thanks.

I'm in the process of unwrapping all of the loom and testing wire by wire.  One of the additional problems with this is that someone else has been in this loom and used different wire colors to jump, link other wires.

I am specifically focusing on the loom/covering of the loom and wires near the steering head.  I took off some tape and have found the factory rubberized wiring covering to have a hole worn through it, again that someone taped over it.  As you say it almost looks like the wiring harness was pinched at the steering stops....probably multiple times.

I will let you know what I find, as usual keep the faith, and process a difficult situation in an organized timely matter.

The moto that you find on a many of the customized T-shirts around is "Work hard, make cool Sh*t", had to start somewhere...possibly the "Work Hard" portion of the quote!

Only my opinion but I would suggest you take a "pragmatic" approach to this type of fault. Electricity follows logic (although it doesn't always appear thy way) I would start by running through every system on the bike (dash lights, warning lights, turn signals, brake light etc) and make a list of what does and doesn't work. Then grab a coffee and look at the wiring diagram, you are looking for common denominators (multiple faults like this normally lead back to a common point) Once you know what you are looking for it will be much easier to pin-point the cause of the problem - generally speaking ripping into the loom as a starting point will lead to frustration and "sticky fingers" but more often than not it won't provide a conclusive answer until you go back to the diagram