Bypass to CDI box

[GinjaDave]

While restoring my Z1000 A1 I needed something to ride, so I bought a 750 Zephyr which has been sitting for fifteen years and so after stripping and cleaning the carbs, new oil, etc, etc, I find there is no spark. I have putt a new pickup coil on and replaced the CDI box with a used one from another bike. While checking the wiring I found there is no power to the brown wire which goes to the CDI box. Would it be OK to take another wire from the ignition switch, to the CDI box, to bypass the wiring loom and see if this gives me a spark? now I have two bikes I can't ride!!! (shh it's still a Z)

[Julian_Boolean]

If the brown is the power feed to the CDI, then yes, but the kill switch won't do anything, you could run a live directly from the battery, but you'll have to disconnect it to stop the engine.

[GinjaDave]

There is a grey which is also a switched live from the ignition. Is it posible there is two lives into the CDI box?

[z1bman]

be careful with the grey wire as there is a resistor at the back of the ignition & it reduces the voltage to the cdi to about 7.2 volts if you put 12 volts on this wire without it going through the resistor it will blow the cdi unit . the brown is a switched live you can use the brown wire of the brake light to pick up a switched live

[GinjaDave]

Thanks for your advice it was very helpful, I bypassed the brown and its all fired up.