Vetter Pigtail Connector With Cover and O-Ring

[3Phase]

Originally posted by jjwaller


Make sure that the bag is put on upside DOWN. You slip it over the TOP of the wiring bundle so the open end of the drawstring bag is DOWN. Also make sure that it is tied up in between the headlight ears. Does the bag really do anything???? Can't be sure, But have never had any problems with Vetter fairing wiring Outside of the fairing in 30 years

I don't have the headlight ears but I have always put the bag upside down to cover the connectors. It would fill up with water and dust if it was not inverted. I wrap and tie the cover over the harness and connectors, then secure it in the upright position with a used oil filter o-ring to ensure that it stays vertical. If it droops or comes loose it makes a weird humming sound come from the front of the fairing that sounds like someone blowing across the top a of a very large bottle.

The Vetter harness connector on my bike is old and its terminals are corroded and weak. The connector shell on the fairing pigtail broke almost beyond repair this time when I removed the fairing to check the ignition wires so I ordered new connectors and terminals.


Bad, bad, main harness to fairing pigtail connector:

Broken lug and shell




Green corrosion inside connector



This harness connector is toasted and it will be replaced.


Installing and securing the front harness connector cover with a used oil filter o-ring


The vinyl bag and a used oil filter o-ring




Wrapping the o-ring around the harness after tieing the vinyl bag upside down over the connectors.





Front view of the vinyl bag secured with the o-ring




Side view of the vinyl bag secured with the o-ring



As you can see, the vinyl bag covers the front harness connectors and the o-ring keeps the whole thing upright so it does not:

fill with water and dust
cause ugly white marks on the fairing from rubbing on it during turns
make noise
flutter madly in the breeze at speed.


As per a highly respected recommendation, thank you, Geezer, I will try securing the harness and connectors without the vinyl bag and just use the o-ring to see if it makes any long-term difference.



Regards,

Scott

[Geezer]

If it doesn't use all 9 of those pins, I have some nice 8 pin connectors that would work but not look like what Vetter used.

Tony

[Jerry]

On some bikes, like my XJ, the headlight bucket is still in place with the Vetter installed. Vetter had a 'cap' that fit in the bucket in place of the light. My set-up has no interference problems and the wiring stays nice and dry inside the capped headlight bucket. Pigtail to the fairing runs through a stock hole in the bucket.

[3Phase]

Originally posted by Geezer
If it doesn't use all 9 of those pins, I have some nice 8 pin connectors that would work but not look like what Vetter used.

Tony

Thank you, Tony, but all nine pins are being used. I ordered the new connectors and terminals a while ago but the Vetters were out of town at the Bonneville Salt Flats until yesterday. No orders were shipped until they returned.

Hopefully I'll receive the new parts at about the same time that Craig updates his site with any fuel-saving fairing tips that he gleaned during the trip to Utah.



Regards,

Scott

[wa407mpp]

You can buy new wire plugs from Vetter to replace your burned out ones, they are not exactly like the originals but they fit in the fairing hole fine, and they got here in a couple of days.

[Geezer]

Interesting. The last time I checked Vetter didn't have this connectors. I turned him on to my connector supplier, I wonder if they were able to help him...

Geezer

[3Phase]

Tony, I have no idea. I went to the online store and the connectors were available.

Originally posted by Jerry
On some bikes, like my XJ, the headlight bucket is still in place with the Vetter installed. Vetter had a 'cap' that fit in the bucket in place of the light. My set-up has no interference problems and the wiring stays nice and dry inside the capped headlight bucket. Pigtail to the fairing runs through a stock hole in the bucket.

Jerry, from the timeline at the Vetter site I think Craig had sold his buisiness by the time the XJs were being produced. I sure do wish someone would have thought of that earlier for the XS1100.

The stock headlight and bucket, the ears, the chrome rings and spacers, the turn signals, the brake line cover plate insignia and all of the rest of the hardware was probably just tossed in a dumpster by the dealer when the fairing was installed for the OE.

What a waste. I kept everything when I put the Vetter fairing on my new KZ750 when I bought it back in 1981.

I am planning to find and replace all of it so I can use the bike around town without the fairing. In the meantime I try (hush up y'all at the last rally!) really hard not to bounce off of stuff. <whistling all innocent-like>



Tony, I have no idea where they found the connectors and terminals. I just went to the Vetters' online store and there they were so I ordered them. If you were the one that hooked them up with your supplier - thank you! Again!



Regards,

Scott

[Geezer]

I went and looked it up but my supplier didn't have this in their catalog but neither is 90% of the stuff I get from them. Regardless it's nice this stuff can be found again.

It's too bad the glue Vetter sells is so expensive. I have a couple of old Vetter fairings that could use a little work...

Tony

[egsols]

Mine's set up like Jerry's, still have my headlight bucket on with all the wires inside, only one wire running to fairing through left side connector. I don't have the cap that Jerry has, never seen one, however, I have ridden in the rain many, many times and have yet to have a problem with the wires. The first faring went on in '89 and the wires still look good!

[DiverRay]

I get my connectors from Radio Shack!! EXACTLY the same as Vetter, and fairly cheap!
Just my $0.02

[egsols]

Hey Diver,

Radio Shack has the 9 pin connectors?

[DiverRay]

Yes, some of the smaller stores no longer carry them, but I have been able to fine them at the "larger" stores. They are a "stock" AMP part, so they can be had from a few suppliers.

[Geezer]

If that's the case, I should be able to find them at a local electronics store I buy heat shrink tube from... I'll check and report back...

Geezer

[Jerry]

I replaced the pins on my Veter pigtail; they use Molex .093 pins (male and female) which are available from quite a few sources. Helps if you have the little tool to remove them - about $15.00 to $16.00. I happen to be looking at my mcmelectronics.com catalog, pages 43 - 43, have a number of connecotrs, pins, and the tool, but have seen them in other places as well.

[3Phase]

I wasn't impressed with the quality of the terminals at Radio Shack. They fit okay but weren't as strong and wouldn't hold their shape.

The new parts have not yet arrived from Vetter so I'll take a look around a few electrical supply houses and see what I can find.

I stumbled across Anderson Power Powerpole® connectors


These puppies look like they'll make excellent replacements for a few of the weak, higher current, O.E.M. harness connectors.


Regards,

Scott