2xs Thanks for the info. mine is carb. So I should not use any of the old wiring. Just start from scrach, with good wires no splices or conectors.
Anyone ever re-wire the whole bike?
- Thread starter TopShelf Scott
- Start date
LA_Dog
Go Fast, Go Faster
yeh the materials are not expensive so it is worth getting fresh wire. always use stranded wire, never use solid core wire. you'll need to use some connectors like ring terminals, spades. you'll use a lot of red and blue sizes. remove the plastic from the connectors, they twist off easy with small pliers. You can totally get bent over on buying heat shrink at the wrong place. that is why I suggest looking up your local neighborhood electronics / hobby shop because they usually sell it in bulk 3' lengths pretty cheap, as well as tie straps, crimps, solder, and even soldering irons.
After I cut my length of wire, I will sleeve it with heat shrink and melt it on by running the soldering iron up and down the length of it. If it is a unified run like say a brake / tail / license plate light I will put 4 (or more) smaller wires together inside the single heat shrink tube (2 ground wires, 12v brake, 12v tail). You can break out this "main run" under the fender area and heat shrink / run the individual wires to thier final location. think "tree branches".
After the wire or wires are in the heat shrink I will strip the ends about 3/8". then cut a 1" piece of heat shrink and slip it up the wire before you put on the end terminal. then insert the stripped wire into the terminal connector so the wire sticks through the crimp barrel portion. Then crimp lightly to where it is firm on the wire. I fold over the crimp instead of mashing the center inwards, so the crimp looks like a rolled piece of paper instead of a "V". This always ensures the wire is not cut inside the crimp- it happens a lot!
then heat up the crimp where the bare wire is sticking through and melt some solder so the wire is bonded to the crimp. Don;t just melt the solder onto the wire / crimp because it will not stick. when the wire and crimp are hot enough the solder will flow from the soldering iron tip onto the hot areas. A regular pencil style soldering iron should be fine. Then slip 1' the heat shrink piece over the barrel portion of crimp and rub it with the soldering iron until tight. Always use ring terminals instead of U shaped spades since you don't want a spade pulling out in a critical area, such as the coil connections. Also, always use lock washers.
This all sounds very long but in practice it goes pretty quick.
After I cut my length of wire, I will sleeve it with heat shrink and melt it on by running the soldering iron up and down the length of it. If it is a unified run like say a brake / tail / license plate light I will put 4 (or more) smaller wires together inside the single heat shrink tube (2 ground wires, 12v brake, 12v tail). You can break out this "main run" under the fender area and heat shrink / run the individual wires to thier final location. think "tree branches".
After the wire or wires are in the heat shrink I will strip the ends about 3/8". then cut a 1" piece of heat shrink and slip it up the wire before you put on the end terminal. then insert the stripped wire into the terminal connector so the wire sticks through the crimp barrel portion. Then crimp lightly to where it is firm on the wire. I fold over the crimp instead of mashing the center inwards, so the crimp looks like a rolled piece of paper instead of a "V". This always ensures the wire is not cut inside the crimp- it happens a lot!
then heat up the crimp where the bare wire is sticking through and melt some solder so the wire is bonded to the crimp. Don;t just melt the solder onto the wire / crimp because it will not stick. when the wire and crimp are hot enough the solder will flow from the soldering iron tip onto the hot areas. A regular pencil style soldering iron should be fine. Then slip 1' the heat shrink piece over the barrel portion of crimp and rub it with the soldering iron until tight. Always use ring terminals instead of U shaped spades since you don't want a spade pulling out in a critical area, such as the coil connections. Also, always use lock washers.
This all sounds very long but in practice it goes pretty quick.
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LA_Dog
Go Fast, Go Faster
The most valuable tools for the job are a pencil style soldering iron, small dedicated wire stripper, small dedicated wire cutter, and the pliers-style crimper with the crimp portion in the front jaws and not on the rear hande portion- the Klien crimper is my fav and the cutter tip makes it easy to start the "fold over" for your rolled crimp vs mashed center crimp. Again you can get these cheap at the local hobby / electronics shop. A multimeter is handy too for testing ground, power, continuity as needed.
Small cutters:
Small stripper:
Crimper:
Small cutters:
Small stripper:
Crimper:
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Throttle Jockey
Don't Look at my Member!
Reminds me of the 80's...he'll with it 3-wire it!
I think I'll do this when my ehc bites the dust. Very good info here, thanks guys.
TJ
I think I'll do this when my ehc bites the dust. Very good info here, thanks guys.
TJ
chopperdave90
Member
I'm thinking I'm gonna. My wires plus just went up in smoke immediately after hook up. 675.00 is a lot fora smoke bomb.