First ride

[Jethro]

I got a dirt cheap ca77 from a guy a couple months ago and took it out for my first dream ride ever just a little bit ago. Pretty cool old bike. It hasn't ran in years so after I did some cleaning and made some adjustments I was able to get it running pretty smoothly. When I took it around the block I quickly realized I couldn't find neutral while the engine was running. Also my headlight was barely noticeable by the time I got back home (20 minutes) with a brand new battery. So it looks like ill be looking at my stator/rotor this weekend too. Other than that everything went pretty well. If anyone has any input on these issues I would love to hear your input or similar experiences.
Thanks
Jethro

[brewsky]

Two common problems are bad rectifiers and sticking clutch plates, sounds like you may have both.
There are several good threads on both if you do a search.
Rectifier replace is easy and can be cheap, and you may get by with clutch plate cleaning.

[LOUD MOUSE]

Ya can check the stator with a VOM meter.
Each of the stator wires should show resistance to each other but not to ground.
If you find this the stator is OK and I've yet to see a "no good rotor" other than physical damage.
Do look at all connections at the harness where the stator wires connect and look at the rectifier and all connections in the headlight.
That charge system goes many places to charge the battery.
Ya do have a wiring diagram?. ..........lm

I got a dirt cheap ca77 from a guy a couple months ago and took it out for my first dream ride ever just a little bit ago. Pretty cool old bike. It hasn't ran in years so after I did some cleaning and made some adjustments I was able to get it running pretty smoothly. When I took it around the block I quickly realized I couldn't find neutral while the engine was running. Also my headlight was barely noticeable by the time I got back home (20 minutes) with a brand new battery. So it looks like ill be looking at my stator/rotor this weekend too. Other than that everything went pretty well. If anyone has any input on these issues I would love to hear your input or similar experiences.
Thanks
Jethro

[Jethro]

I do have a wiring diagram. Ill have to check out some of those threads too. Thanks guys.

[Jethro]

Well I started with the stator and looked for a cause for my battery issue and quickly found that there was no continuity from the recifier red wire to my battery. I realized that the problem was in the three wire plug where the rectifier is coupled with the wiring harness. The leads inside of this plug were pretty oxidized and so a little sand paper and the problem is solved. As for the neutral issue I took out my bike last night to see if the battery was charging and I found that finding neutral just takes a gentle touch. Thanks again for your help guys.

Jethro

[LOUD MOUSE]

Thanks for sharing your success as some folks don't update at times.
Now ya CAN ENJOY!!!!!!. ..........lm

Well I started with the stator and looked for a cause for my battery issue and quickly found that there was no continuity from the recifier red wire to my battery. I realized that the problem was in the three wire plug where the rectifier is coupled with the wiring harness. The leads inside of this plug were pretty oxidized and so a little sand paper and the problem is solved. As for the neutral issue I took out my bike last night to see if the battery was charging and I found that finding neutral just takes a gentle touch. Thanks again for your help guys.

Jethro