Will a bad rectifier/regulator keep my'89 600Ffrom turning on at all. (no lights at all)

 

it can....along with many many other symptons. do you have a manual that shows you how to test it?

 

That is exactly what happened to mine. I was riding, felt like my ***** were catchingon fire, bike died, no power. Let sit for 3 hours, started for about 10 seconds then died again with no power. Found out the connectors to the rec/reg melted which are at the base of the fuel tank right under the front of the seat. Check to see if the connectors show any heat damage.