Motorcycle Repair: 1978 Yamaha XS650 Electrical Problems, yamaha xs 650, yamaha xs650

Question
I have a 1978 Yamaha XS 650 Special which has been sitting for a number of years and has had past problems with the stator going.  It has a recent used stator and a new battery, and was running when it stalled at an idle while unattended and now there is no power going to anything except the brake light.  Any ideas?  Could it be the regulator is burn up or could it have a bad ground or a wire short?  Are there any common problems with this model that I should look into first?

Answer
Eli...  Tough questions for MRHonda!  

No power means a blown fuse, open circuit or shorted out battery, perhaps.. A bad ground can cause similar symptoms.
Start with a known fully charged battery and work down the line with volt meter or a 12v test light. Make sure that the battery ground and any engine grounds are clean and tight. Get a good wiring diagram before you begin, though.

There are some aftermarket solutions for these bikes where the regulator and rectifier are all controlled by a single unit.

http://www.biker.net/owners_surveys/xs650_survey.htm

http://www.mikesxs.com/mikesxs-electrical.php?category_id=2.2

http://650rider.com/FAQ.html

http://www.xs650.org.au/xs650tips.html

http://www.electrosport.com/electrosport_fault_finding.html

http://www.650central.com/tech/tips.htm

http://www.650motorcycles.com/schematics.html

http://www.mindspring.com/~d.max/id8.html

I found a series of links above that should be able to help you solve all your Yamaha 650 problems...

Bill MrHonda Silver