HEADLIGHT RED with BLACK stripe, High Beam. RED with YELLOW stripe, Low Beam. BLACK with YELLOW stripe, the ground circuit. BRAKE/TAIL LIGHT Can be an # 1157 dual filament bulb RED, Running or Tail Light. BLUE,(sometimes with a Red stripe) Brake Light Circuit. BLACK with YELLOW stripe, the ground circuit. LEFT FRONT TURN SIGNAL Can be an #1157 dual filament bulb GREEN, Left front turn signal circuit. BLUE, Left front running light circuit. BLACK with YELLOW stripe, the ground circuit. RIGHT FRONT TURN SIGNAL Can be an # 1157 dual filament bulb GREY, Right front turn signal circuit. BLUE, Right front running light circuit. BLACK with YELLOW stripe, the ground circuit. LEFT REAR TURN SIGNAL Can be an #1156 single filament bulb GREEN, Left rear turn signal circuit. BLACK with YELLOW stripe, the ground circuit. RIGHT REAR TURN SIGNAL Can be an #1156 single filament bulb GREY, Right rear turn signal circuit. BLACK with YELLOW stripe, the ground circuit. Ignition Coil Primary And Secondary Wiring Ignition coils on the 80’s Kz1000,Kz1100’s and Gpz1100’s are wired the same, that is as you sit on the bike, the LEFT ignition coil primary(small wires) are two wires, RED and BLACK. The secondary (or sparkplug wires) go to #1 and #4 sparkplugs(your primary wiring may be different). The 550’s, 650’s, 700’s & 750’s are backwards to what is listed for the bigger 4’s. The cylinders are numbered left to right as you sit on the seat; #1,#2,#3, and #4. For the RIGHT ignition coil, the primary wires, again are two wires, RED and GREEN, with the secondary going to #2 and #3. The RED wire gets it’s voltage from the run/stop switch on the right handlebar switch pod. Your primary wiring may have a different color. The BLACK and GREEN wires connect to the IC Igniter(if the bike has the Kawasaki supplied electronic ignition) it actually gives the coils their grounds to fire the sparkplugs. Primary(small wires) side of the coils will read between 1.8 to 3.0 ohms. Secondary(sparkplug wire ports)side of the coil will read between 10.4K to 15.6K ohms. These ports are wired together, so it makes no difference which is used, as long as the correct coil to sparkplug configuration is followed. The sparkplug caps should read 5K OHMS(5000), any higher, or a reading of infinity means new caps should be ordered. To stress the ignition coils, take a hair dryer, heat the coils and see if the ohm readings change from cold to hot . If they do, it’s time to buy new coils. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keep in mind, the wiring is reversed for the 550’s, 650‘s,700’s, and 750‘s, that is the RIGHT coil primary will be two wires, RED and BLACK with the secondary(sparkplugs) going to #1 and #4. The LEFT coils primary wiring would be again two wires, RED and GREEN, with the secondary(sparkplugs) going to #2 and #3. An indication of black and sooty sparkplugs may not mean a carb or carbs are in need of cleaning, but may mean the input voltage is low. When checking the input voltage to the ignition coils, first have a fully charged battery, and the using a multimeter, set it up to measure VDC(Volts, Direct Current), range of 20. Put the RED probe from the multimeter on the same terminal that either a RED wire or ones that’s RED with YELLOW stripe, and the BLACK probe on either a good frame/Earth ground or the battery Negative(-) terminal/post. Depending on the motorcycles current draw( lighting, and other high amp needs) the reading might be 10 volts or more, but if the reading is down around 8 volts or less, this indicates a corrosion or wiring problem needs correcting to improve input voltage to the coils. These engines have what is known as a “Wasted Spark” that is, a sparkplug will fire during an exhaust stroke. It does no damage and many other motorcycle engines have this design. If your bike has the electronic ignition(most did in the 80's), here's a test for the pick up(pulsing coils): Ohm Checking Pickup(Pulsing) Coils The pickup(Pulsing) coils on the Kawasaki’s with the factory supplied electronic ignition can sometimes fail or become intermittent due to heat and vibration. 1.Trace back from where the pick up coils are mounted,(under a right side CD sized cover) locate and disconnect a small 4 pin connector. Using a multi-meter set on OHMS and range of 2K, check between the BLUE and BLACK wires(#1 and #4 sparkplug wires) for between 360- 540 OHMS. 2.For #2 and #3 sparkplugs the wire colors will be YELLOW and RED, again 360-540 OHMS. The 550’s,650’s & 750’s may be backwards to the Z1’s,Kz900’s,Kz1000’s & Kz1100’s. 3.If the pickup coils are suspect of failing due to heat, they can be stressed using a hair dryer without the need of the engine running. 4.A replacement set of pickup coils might be obtained from a dealer who serviced the police Kawasaki’s. 5. If replacement pickup coils are not available, your next choice would be to order a Dyna “S” electronic ignition system from Z1 Enterprises, Inc. - Quality New Parts for Vintage Japanese Street Motorcycles It replaces the IC igniter with a smaller module located where the mechanical ignition advancer was mounted. 6. Checking with Kawasaki.com website has determined that the Pick up(pulsing) coils are available . The pulsing coil # is 59026-1133 and replaces the older # 1002, 1012 which were used from the MKII motors until the 2005 P24. 7.Check the small 4 pin connector that the pickup coils connect to for corrosion/loose pins too. esting Kawasaki Ignition Coils For Input Voltage When voltage testing Kawasaki Ignition Coils, the following needs to be done: 1. Remove the fuel/gas tank to access the coils. 2. Fully charge the battery. 3. Using a multimeter, set it up for VDC(Volts, Direct Current), range of 20. 4. Turn on the ignition switch and the run/stop switch to “Run”. 5. Put the multimeter’s RED probe on where the red or red/yellow wire goes on the ignition coil. 6. Put the multimeter’s BLACK probe on either the battery Negative(-) post/terminal or a good frame ground. 7. You should be able to see battery voltage at the ignition coil connection, but this depends on the current draw of other items in the same circuit. 8. If the tested voltage is down to 8-9 volts, you probably need to clean the many and various electrical connectors. Cleaning Motorcycle Electrics Get some of the De-Oxit electrical contact cleaner and figure on spending a good day going from the front of the bike to the back. It’s a plastic safe cleaner/preservative. www.deoxit.com is their website. Or use any plastic safe electrical contact cleaner(NOT WD-40 !). On the older Kawasaki's, a majority of electrical connectors are inside the headlight housing requiring removal of the headlight, then the fun begins. Do one set of electrical connectors at a time to avoid mixing up what connects to where. Usually disconnecting, spraying with De-Oxit and reconnecting is about all you'll need. However, when encountering the green crud of corrosion, a brass wire brush may be needed on the pins you can reach. Some 400-600 grit wet and dry sandpaper strips rolled into a tube should reach the male and female pins in the more difficult to clean connectors. Smoker’s pipe cleaners, cotton swabs and wooden toothpicks work as cleaning aids. Really small electrical connectors may require the use of a welders tip cleaning tool assortment. Most pins in the connectors are coated with a thin plating of tin, and others may be nothing more than copper or brass. If moisture is added, the resulting corrosion lowers the voltage/current being carried causing dim lights, slow engine cranking, slow turn signal responce and lower input voltage to the ignition coils resulting in weak spark. The left and right handlebar switch pods will need attention too as they have circuit functions like turn, horn, run/stop, and start. Usually a spritz or two with actuation of the switch is about all needed for these switches unless corrosion is detected and then careful disassembly is required. The ignition switch may or may be not sealed to allow spraying the internal contacts. I urge caution if attempting to open this up as springs, and ball bearings may fly out never to be seen again! If your bike has the older style glass tubed fuses, I suggest replacing them as vibration can cause internal failure. AGX is the type used, and most auto parts stores can get them for you. Clean the fuse holder clips, looking for signs of overheating(discolored insulation, signs of melting). I use metal polish on a cotton swab, followed by spraying another clean swab with the De-Oxit and then rubbing the inside of the fuse clip. All battery cables must be clean and tight for maximum current transfer. Check the cables going from the Negative(-) battery terminal/post to the engine mounting bolt Also the one going from the Positive(+) terminal to the starter solenoid and from there to the starter motor. If any battery cable feels ”Crunchy” when flexed, replace it as possible corrosion is inside the insulation. Each "Bullet Connector" will have to be sprayed to ensure good connectivity, especially the ones going to the energizing coil of the starter solenoid. The alternator output “Bullet Connectors” are usually behind the engine sprocket cover and will need inspecting and cleaning too. The turn signal light sockets will benefit from a spritz from the contact cleaner along with the tail light/brake light socket. Some brake light switches can be sprayed on the actuating rod, with the spray running down inside to the electrical contacts, others may be sealed requiring replacement if the switch is intermittent in operation. Some people put the Di-Electric Grease on cleaned terminations/connectors, I don’t, as I’ve read/heard it can cause problems when it gets hot, actually insulating the connections, so the choice is yours to use or not.