TOPIC:

the old voltage regulator on my bike ended in a 8.6 off to the side. the new one has a 8.7, will this make a huge differance?

No idea what you are talking about. Since no one else has chimed in, very likely no one else does either. What is an 8.6 or 8.7 and what does it have to do with a voltage regulator?

I think he means the part number stamped on the unit? But that is an oem supply number and not necessarily a Kawy number, so I can't help him. Maybe others with the same bike as his might be able to look at their rec/reg to confirm the numbers.

thats exactly it. its the number next to the part number. sh-221 and than some other numbers.....followed by an 8.6 on what i took off, and what i put on same part number but an 8.7 will that make a differance? sorry about the confusion. the local kawa shop says no, but i would prefer someone's advice who knows the bike.

It may be something benign like a date-of-manufacture code. If the plugs and wiring are the same, it's pretty much 99.99% sure that it's compatible.

Kz's have many reg/recs that can be swapped from model to model.

that was what i was hoping someone would say, now i have to solve this other issue, why are the wires getting hot. tested the stator, and that is fine, but the wires going from stator to regulator are getting hot enough to burn through the insulation and fuse together. any hints on where to look?

First, check all the connections to ensure they are good and solid (put some dielectric grease on each when putting the connections back together). Next check all ground wires that even remotely relate to the charging system. If you're still getting hot wires, check the insulation along all the wires, make sure you don't have anything grounding to the frame or other metal bits.
If none of these things, or replacing the reg/rec like you're doing, helps I'm not sure where else to look.

ok, did some looking, its the red and white wire that is now getting hot. its the wire that goes to the ignition switch. just a curious thing i was thinking about, could it be the starter that is messed up? my electric starter doesnt work.

Did you check all the wires in the ignition switch assembly to make sure nothing has worn through insulation and is now arching? That's where I'd look first. Sounds like you've got a bad wire somewhere in the harness that's causing issues, and the only way you'll find it is to trace all the wires and check every connection. It's a pain in the a$$, but when I didn't do that because I didn't want to spend an afternoon digging through a wiring harness I ended up with an electrical fire right under my gas tank, which was a bit scary!!!

hell yeah it even makes me pucker thinking about that. guess ill be checking those wires for awhile. thanks for the suggestions.

That wire coming out of the reg/rec often gets warm. It's the main output from the reg/rec, and cariies the load of the bike and re-charges the battery. If the battery is low, it has to deliver more current than normal and will definitely get hot from that.

However, it shouldn't melt. If it's getting real hot, the most likely cause is a bad connection on that wire. Make sure the connection for that wire is real good. If the wire is burned or looks weak, then it needs to be replaced, or it may melt.