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Doing up a Kawasaki Widowmaker to sell

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AshimotoK0:
No don't worry I have not gone over to the dark-side of Kawasaki's  ;D

Decided to dig out my Kawasaki  SRK-5010 Electro Tester to repair and sell it, to fund another project. It was intended to test H1's, H2's, KH's and Z1's including the CDI's and was a very expensive bit of kit that only the top dealers could afford/justify.

I switched it on and BANG ! it blew the main plug fuse.

Investigating the blow-up,  I found that the mains switch had arced over and on further investigation the switch was only 125VAC rated (the unit has a selector for different country main voltages) .... Tut tut Kawasaki (or whoever made it for them) .. So I replaced it with a period 250 VAC rated toggle switch. I didn't have a manual for it, only a useful card in the lid of the attaché case it comes in. So I tracked down someone in Argentina who was selling a NOS one for around 1500USD and persuaded him to scan his manual for £35, as this also contains the full circuit diagrams.

The unit has a Xenon strobe light unit which is powered by about 350 Volts DC and  I was amazed that this is directly derived from the mains without any transformer isolation plus an unguarded output socket on the front into which the timing light plugs in. Very dodgy.
The interesting thing is that there is a very similar looking unit (deffo made by the same manufacturer) for  Suzukis of the same age but that has a proper mains isolation transformer for the timing light to derive the 350v DC supply.

Anyway, I have managed to test the Xenon timing lamp and surprisingly it still works fine (i.e. the xenon lamp has not lost it's gas after 50 odd years) and also tested the coil test feature, albeit with a Honda four ignition coil. These are the most likely functions to fail.

See video clips:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W8CJgGX2Qw
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/U9UDkf_rgLY


I just need to test out the dwell and RPM measuring features of it next and then I am done.

My recommendation to anyone who ever uses one of these (rather than just keep as a museum piece) is to run the thing from a 110v power tool transformer, with the input selector set to 117v ... to be on the safe side.

Seems Kawasaki not only sailed close to the wind,  safety wise with the H1 / H2 bikes  but also with the electrical tester they sold to service them  ::)

On their Service Testers, good only Honda derived the high voltages on their units from a low DC voltage, using an electromagnetic vibrator of the type used in 1950's valve car radios. However, that vibrator unit does fail and is an absolute hen's teeth,  'unobtanium' component.

Pleased I got the Kwack unit working though ... you never seem to see these for sale with any kind of assurance that they do actually work. Sadly, the Kawasaki unit does not have a condenser test function of the type that the Honda testers of the same period  had. .... and before anyone chips in... ' They were often only ever  used to charge up  condensers to around 200v and then chuck 'em at the apprentice and shout ..'ey catch this !

This picture is from the internet of the same unit  (as my unit is still at work).Note that it looks like somebody has attempted to insulate the dodgy looking timing light connector on this example. The one I got was literally used as a door-stop in the place it came from  ;D

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SteveD CB500K0:
Nice story Ash.

Selection of dodgy apostrophes in the first few paragraphs though.

[pedant mode OFF]


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AshimotoK0:

--- Quote from: SteveD CB500K0 on October 11, 2024, 03:45:26 PM ---Nice story Ash.

Selection of dodgy apostrophes in the first few paragraphs though.

[pedant mode OFF]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

--- End quote ---

 I must dig out my 'How to Spell and Punctuate' book from the 1950's Steve  :-[ .. I remember it had the phrase. ... Swim swan over the sea swim swan swim. Swan swam back again, well swum swan.

Geez .. surely this isn't going to get like the Vintage Radio Forum I am on,  where they vet every post for spelling and grammatical errors and chuck (sorry throw) you off if you are a serial offender.  ;D

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K2-K6:

 " illiterates and lazy types who think that what passes on other forums"

 Shouldn't that "what" be "which"  as in "that which passes on other forums"   ;D ;D ;D


 I  could be wrong though.

Laverda Dave:
Nice work there Ash 8). Imagine accidently touching that live connector when in a hurry though, maybe the reason why god invented the rubber glove!

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