1984 and 1985 Voyager questions

[ClintsMotorcycles]

Hello,

I just bought a 1984 and 1985 Voyager bikes, over the internet and they were delivered to me this past Thursday. They always look better in the pictures.

I bought these because they were cheap, more or less complete and kind of novel because of the six cylinder engine. I had bought a 1981 CBX-1000 a few weeks back and while doing research on the Honda I got interested in the Kawasaki. The CBX is in mint condition and I figured I could use a project or two to keep me out of too much trouble so I bought the Kawasakis.

Anyway, I have a service manual for a KZ1300 and a service manual supplement for the Voyager Z1300. I do not have an owners manual for either bike. Are these the service manuals that I should have for these bikes?

Both bikes have issues and I would appreciate any tips.

1984:

The battery was dead and would not take a charge. I put in a fairly new AGM battery that I had bought for one of my Harleys. I ordered one specific to the Kawasaki but it will probably not arrive until next week. Anyway, the fuel pump would not come on, so, I hot wired it directly to the battery and it pumps fuel now. I changed the oil, oil filter and fuel filter. There are several black and yellow wires that were not connected to anything and looking at the schematic in the service manual, I hooked those to ground. The bike will start now, it sounds a bit rough on idle and there is a slight hesitancy when I throttle it up in neutral. But, at least it starts. I have no clue how old the fuel in the tank is, but it at least smelled like gasoline and not varnish. The gauge says there 1/2 a tank. I should probably drain and flush it.

I have several alarms. One, I think is for low oil level although I put in 6.5 quarts with a new oil filter. The other is a DFI alarm which is a 12 according to my service manual and the other is for the jiffy stand being down (it was).

Is there a dip stick on this engine? It must be well hidden. I read in the service manual how to get out the oil level sensor which seems to be a pain in the butt (remove exhaust, drain oil, ....). But I found no useful information as to how to actually test the sensor. Any suggestions?

The DFI alarm 12 is for an air temperature sensor (I think). Is that a common issue with these bikes and could that sensor be causing the hesitancy when throttling up?

The radio, CB and horn do not work. I am wondering if there is a blown fuse or disconnected wiring someplace. The compressor does seem to work when I try to adjust the front and rear shocks. The compass has no clue where north is.

The headlight moves up and down very slightly when I push the adjustment buttons.

The rear brake pedal is frozen in the full up position.

I let it idle while I was trying to figure out the fuel pump wiring issue and the temp gauge got into hot. The fan did turn on but it did not seem to do much good. When I gave it some throttle, it started to cool down a bit and then got hot again when idling. I turned it off and it would not crank until I let it cool down for a while. Is that normal?

A work in progress.

1985:

No battery at all. Fuel pump is not hooked up, but there is one in a box of parts that came with the bikes and when I apply power, it runs. No telling what other issues there might be until I try to start it.

No air filter, air filter box or fuel filter. Hand throttle moves freely.

Rear brake pedal moves up and down freely without actually doing anything. Front brake does the same thing. I am thinking front and rear total brake rebuilds? Probably on the 1984 bike too.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Van Voyager]

Anyway, I have a service manual ..

There was no specific manual for a ZN. You need the one for the regular 1300 and the ZN1300 supplementary manual (which is seems you have). Ideally the best 1300 manual would be the one for the ZG1300 which is fuel injected. I've been looking for an electronic copy of one of those for years but have not yet found one. There's also an Audio systems manual.

1984:

Relays run just about everything on the bike including fuel pump. There are a several under the right hand side cover and a bunch more in the electrical box under the right side cover. I think they're all the same and swappable for trouble shooting purposes.

There are two large 'crimps' under the left side cover. One crimp is for +12V circuit wires (typically red/white (or is it white/red) and the other crimp is for ground circuit wires - Black/yellow - which are probably the loose ones you found. I just took a look at mine last week as I was having some voltage problems - the +12V crimp was covered with blue tape and the Ground crimp was covered with Green tape. Not sure if that's the way it came from the factory or if someone else has been in there.

This bike doesn't not have an oil pressure sensor - only an oil level sensor. If you've added 6+ l that should have put the sensor to 'off' - you may have a short in the sensor wire or the level sensor is stuck or corroded. As long as you know there's enough oil in there - check the slight glass on the lower left of the engine near where the clutch cable enters the engine - I'd check for a short in the sensor wire and if that turns out OK, I wouldn't worry about it for now - it may fix itself after you drive it for a while.

DFI codes are shown on the little window on the DFI control box under the seat - I assume that's where you got the 12 from? A goofy sensor will definitely make the motor run weird.

Yes there is a warning flash for the side stand being down. The motor will not run in gear with the side stand down. WARNING - THESE MOTORS CAN GIVE A FALSE NEUTRAL INDICATION WHICH CAN ALLOW THE BIKE TO BE STARTED IN GEAR (while the motor thinks it's in neutral). I make a habit of always pulling in the clutch while starting.

There are two fuses for the radio - one for power, and one for the memory hold. Memory fuse is in the wiring harness behind the headlight. I think there's a power fuse there too - can't remember for sure as it's been a while - and there's possibly a third fuse in the clear plastic covered fuse block under the right side cover. And, I think there's a relay that turns the power on too. I assume it's a similar fuse configuration for the CB.

I think there's a relay for the horn.

Compass has an deviation adjustment on the front fender where the sensor is located but I doubt that's your problem. If you have something large and metallic (or magnetic) near the sensor (like a car parked next to it) it can throw the sensor off. I wouldn't assume it doesn't work until you get it out on the open road and check it. Even then, I find mine 'wanders' depending on terrain (like riding through mountains which may have lots of iron in them)

If the headlight is moving slightly with the Up/Down switch, that's a good sign. It does move slow, and only when motor is in neutral (same for compressor by the way). You can add a few drops of lubricant to the 'lead screw' (for lack of a better term) which is easily visible when you pull the headlight out, to make it move smoother.

Not uncommon for the rear brake master cylinder to be frozen. Take it apart carefully (which may not be easy - dropping the assembly in boiling water for a few minutes may help) and clean everything. Replacements are hard to find. You should really take apart and clean the front MC as well and all three calipers.

Sounds like your cooling system needs a through flush and fill. In addition to a high temperature indication, if the motor is overheating you should be getting a warning flash from the alert system. Under 'normal' operating conditions, the motor should start just fine when hot - all bets are off though if it's actually overheating.

There are two alternators on these bikes. Check that the connectors for both alternators - one under left side cover (3 pin) and one under right side cover (4 pin) - each with three yellow wires - are clean and free of corrosion.

1985:
Rear brake pedal moves up and down freely without actually doing anything. Front brake does the same thing. I am thinking front and rear total brake rebuilds? Probably on the 1984 bike too.

Yes

[ClintsMotorcycles]

Thanks for the reply. Lots of good information provided for me to look at.

I turns out that the bikes are 1985 and 1986 according to the VIN plates. The paperwork I got matches the VINs but the years are off by one. I do not know how much the bikes were changed from year to year.

Anyway, regarding the rear brake. The pedal itself was seized to the aluminum bracket. The factory probably should have put a zerk fitting there so that you could actually lube it. I got it free, wire brushed and sandpapered the rust off, reamed out the bushing in the aluminum bracket and greased it up. It turns slicker then snot on a door knob now but I have not put it back on the bike yet. I am probably just going to be moving to the next issue with it.

I found the sight glass for the oil level. It is most definitely full and probably then some. I found an electronic copy of an owners manual for the bike from the late 70s and as I remember it said there was a dip stick on the bike. I was either hallucinating or they got rid of it in later years. The sight glass is OK. According to my service manual, it is supposed to have an oil pressure switch, but I sure in the heck cannot find it. It is referenced on page 89 of the KZ1300 service manual. Since the manual says switch instead of sensor and I do not see an oil pressure gauge on the bike, I assume it is for an idiot light. It is most likely normally closed to ground which will light the idiot light and when you get pressure, the ground is broke and the light goes off. My thought is that I take that switch out, put a tee in there for the switch and then plumb the other side of the tee to a mechanical oil pressure gauge which I could just mount to one of the handlebars. I like to make sure that I have oil pressure when riding the bike.

I am going to go out and try to debug the DFI code 12 and figure out why the fuel pump does not turn on with the key using the info that you provided.

The batteries that I ordered for the bikes come in today. When they do, I am going to try to get the other bike running.

Thanks.

[Van Voyager]

No real changes in base ZN's with the model years with the exception of 87 and 88's which came standard with Cruise Control (and gear associated with that feature - including a slightly different dash which includes a Cruise Control indicator). On a related note - your 1300's will have a 'Cruise Mode', which is not 'Cruise Control' - Cruise Mode leans out fuel air mixture to improve gas mileage (at the expense of performance). It's possible some of the audio gear is different in 87 and 88's - I don't know about that - and it's possible the standard audio package on the later models included the CB and Intercom which were options on the earlier models.

The KZ1300's have a oil pressure sensor, The ZN1300 only had an oil level switch. ZG1300's may have had both - I don't remember.

[ClintsMotorcycles]

Thanks for the tips.

UPS did not deliver my batteries yesterday, so, it will be Monday or Tuesday before I can work on the other bike.

I am still trying to sort out the wiring for the fuel pump. If there is a relay between the DFI unit and the pump it is well hidden in that bird nest of wires underneath the seat. I looked at the other bike and it is the same mess. Not knowing the history of these bikes, I have no clue what the previous owner(s) had in mind when they started to mess with them.

Regarding the fuel pump, if I cannot figure it out 'soon' I am just going to hook up a switch to it that I can control from the console. In doing some web surfing, it looks like the pump is supposed to turn on for 5 seconds or so when you first turn on the key, I guess to prime the system. Then, when the RPM sensor determines that the engine is spinning, the pump turns on again and continues running until you shut the bike off. So, from that, I guess it means that the pump basically runs all the time when the key is on.

The code 12 went away on it's own. The only alarm that I have now (as of last night anyway) is that the jiffy stand is down, which it is. The kind of rough idling that I get and the hesitancy when I throttle up might be from it sitting for who knows how long. I am hoping that it will clear up once I burn through some fuel on the open road. As of now, when it spools up to over 1600 RPM it smooths out.

While I am an engineer by trade, all my other bikes are basically antiques with few to no bells and whistles. On those bikes, you can rewire the entire bike with 15 feet of wire and a few connectors. Most of the time, a factory service manual, if you can even find one is not necessary. You can sketch out the wiring diagram on the back of a bar napkin. I will figure it out eventually.

[Van Voyager]

Took a look at the wiring diagram.. The Fuel pump is shown with a direct connection to the 'Main' relay in the fuse box under the left side cover. It's the right most of the three relays in the fuse box. I'm a bit confused by this since the main relay feeds a bunch of circuits (Headlight, Taillight, Horn) so I'm not clear what's turning the fuel pump on and off - maybe that's internal to the fuel pump? In any case, if your headlight, taillight and horn aren't working, Main relay could be the fuel pump problem.

[ClintsMotorcycles]

Thanks for the reply. It has been raining here off and on all day and I just went to look at it again. The bike that I could get to start had the radiator fan running on full blast. I guess the rain got something wet that should not be wet. I am kind of surprised that the key switches are on a horizontal surface and do not have a waterproof cover on them. The fan could not have been running all that long because the battery was still able to spin the engine over. I disconnected the battery and put a cover on the bike. I will roll both of the bikes into my garage tomorrow. No clue yet how I am going to push the non running close to 900 pound bike up the slope into my garage. The non running bike has zero working brakes.

Interesting comment about the main relay. From my supplement manual, there is a 'pump relay' and a 'main relay'. I was able to find the 2 prong wire that is supposed to come out of the pump relay (orange / black and black / yellow). That connector is disconnected from the pump but was connected when I first got the bike (and the pump did not turn on). I have not traced those wires to see which relay if any it is connected to. Will do that tomorrow or when it stops raining. There are relays hanging from both sides of the bike and the wires look like a birds nest.

Thanks for the help.

[Van Voyager]

The power for the fan on these bikes bypasses the ignition switch and will run without the key in the ignition (but of course it should run only when the engine is hot). A running fan when the engine is cold indicates either: a short in the sensor wire, the temp sensor is buggered or the fan relay is buggered.

[ClintsMotorcycles]

Thanks for the reply.

I am fairly certain it is the relay. I took all the relays out and most of them have corrosion on the terminals. A few had water in them; not a lot but some. A few, even though they all had this rubber type cap on them were rusty. 3 of them look fairly new, but no telling how old they are. After 34+- years, I figure they have outlived their design life.

I found them on Ebay fairly cheap, so, I ordered a bunch of them just to have some spares on hand. I should have them towards the end of this week or early next week. I will clean up the female connectors, smear some dielectric grease on them and give it another go. I think this will also solve the fuel pump getting power issue.

[Me Again]

83,84,85 are black
86,87,88 are red
If the vin shows 86 and it is black it is either a very late 85 or someone swapped plastic
84 was the only year with chromed stator covers
You also may want to check the wire near the battery .Single black/yellow wire with plug tied in to the ground harnes is the ground for the pump .In your case it is probably corroded or broken off the battery

[ClintsMotorcycles]

Just some updates.

Regarding the VINs. There are 2 stickers on both bikes. On one bike, the VIN sticker on the upper right frame down tube says that it is a 1985. There is another sticker on the bike on the left rear down tube for noise emissions that says it is a 1986. The actual VIN number is the same on both stickers. I do not know if having different years on the stickers is important or not.

For the 1985, I decided to change that to a regular street bike, so, I removed the fairing and bags, air horn, all the audio and the air compressor components. I chose that bike, since most of that stuff did not work anyway. on the 1984, most of that stuff does work.

In removing all those components, I sorted out a lot of the wiring issues and all seems OK now with the fuel pump and fan. Because I removed the fairing, I had no instruments, but my plan is to fabricate a gauge console which I will either mount to the tank in the same locations as the removed trip computer or between the handlebars. Since the bike has 3 coils, each one firing 2 cylinders in a wasted spark type arrangement I used a Harley tach that I had laying around. There is a blue wire that goes to negative side of one of coils that tees off and goes to the stock Voyager instrument panel; I used that for the tach sensor and it works fine. I am using an automotive type 52MM gauge for the water temperature that came with the NPT sensor fitting. For a volt meter, I just hooked one up to one of the wires that goes hot with key on. For the fuel gauge, Kawasaki uses what seems to be their own unique OHM readings between full and empty, but they are the same as was used on the KZ1100, so, I am using one of those gauges that I bought on ebay. For the oil pressure, there is a port on the right side of the engine that I tapped into and it seems to work fine, although installing the sensor for it was a bit difficult. For the speedo, I am using a GPS speedometer with indicators for the signals and high beam and am using el cheapo LED indicator lights for the DFI, low oil level and sidestand down alarms. I was thinking of using another LED indicator for when the fan turns on. Everything is in mock up now until I decide where I want to actually put the gauges.

For the rear fender, I am thinking of using one from a stock Harley big twin because I have several laying around. The tire radius is the same so it will fit and they have mounting places for the rear tail light and signals which will simplify things. The challenge will be to mount it properly, but I will figure that out.

The stock exhaust system, now that the bags are off really looks bad (to me). I have not determined what I want to do with that. If I could find a 6 into 1 exhaust that fits and does not interfere with the center stand, oil changes or anything else on the bike it would be wonderful. If I fabricate my own, I would probably use the header pipes that are on there now and go with 6 into 6 straight pipes, maybe all on the same side of the bike just to be different.

If anyone has any suggestions regarding the exhaust or any other issues that I am facing or will face I would appreciate them.

[Greg]

I know this an old post but I just wanted to say thanks for posting it all up and thanks for the details as well.
There is so much gr8 info here.