Rebuilding Wiring Harness

[Prothec]

How ambitious of a project would it be to rebuild a wiring harness/basically recreating a harness with a sacrificial harness?

I had to replace the harness on my XJ with a doable e-bay harness during my rebuild. I'm not terribly happy with the shape it's in. I was thinking "how hard could it be?" to rebuild the original harness wire by wire/connection by connection... I've never cut into a harness before, so have no idea what I would be getting into...


Also, should I read 0 volts with the bike off between neg. battery cable and negative terminal? I only found a couple places saying it should read 0 volts, I'm just not 100% positive because on both my XJ650 and XJ1100 I read the same ~0.5 volts. I was reading around 1 volt until I disconnected my 4-way flasher unit.

[crazy steve]

Well, I've built a few harnesses from scratch (by neccessity) and it's not something to do lightly. First, it can get pretty expensive, what with acquiring the needed wire colors, new wire connectors/plugs, etc. You're much better off if you can just do needed repairs. If the taped outer covering is bad, redoing that is fairly inexpensive, but do yourself a favor and use a premium tape (like Scotch 33+ or Plymouth) as the 'cheap stuff' will turn into a gooey mess in a few years. Do at least one coat with a half-lap. Replacement 'covers' can be replicated with un-shrunk shrinktube.

Got damaged plugs and/or wire ends? Geezer (a member here) sells new replacement ones (but not all types to match existing) here: http://www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com/ . Amp/Tyco and Deutch also sell better-quality plug sets (you can even get weather-proof versions) but be prepared for sticker shock; they're not cheap and a bit hard to get. Using parts-house plastic insulated crimp connectors is an invitation to disaster, so don't go there.

[Prothec]

I was looking at Geezer's connectors, but whether the connectors are the stock style or not doesn't matter to me, so I was considering looking to see if there are newer style connectors I could go with that would be better overall. It's kind of a pain trying to find something, though.

I went in on the first group buy of valves and definitely like Geezer and am on the fence on buying a new reg/rect from him. For some reason I can't seem to test mine from instructions to where I'm confident I'm doing it right.

The other day I started the bike in the garage while I was trying to figure out what's wrong with my tach - every time I open it up, the needle is sticking, and it seems to be a problem with the springs. I fired up the bike and let it run for a few and the connectors from the reg/rect started smoking after a bit. I shut the bike down quick as I had a bit of a fuel leak too

Edit:
BTW.. I was still reading ~0.5 volts with all the fuses pulled (I have the replacement fuse block with the blade fuses).

[fredintoon]

How ambitious of a project would it be to rebuild a wiring harness/basically recreating a harness with a sacrificial harness? - - -

Hi Ben,
sacrificial harness? WTF is that?
Now can be the time to "simplificate and add lightness"
Ditch all those mystery modules and get one of those simplified wiring diagrams for choppers off the 'net.
Because of all the XS11's iggybox wires you may not get down to the 10 wires that run my BSA but you can get away from the thick as your wang harness the XS11 comes with.

[crazy steve]

...I was considering looking to see if there are newer style connectors I could go with that would be better overall. It's kind of a pain trying to find something, though..

The Deutch connectors are the 'cadillac' of connectors, but at a cost of about $6 for a simple two-wire plug set (and up to $25 for multi-wire), like I said, not cheap. They are fully sealed/gasketed, and changing/removing wires is a snap, unlike the stock ones or the Amp/Tyco. Do a search, there's various suppliers out there. These are used by the military, trucking, off-road, and a few OEM manufacturers use them, Harley among them.

[Prothec]

sacrificial harness? WTF is that?

When I first got the bike from my father-in-law it was a frame and boxes of parts. I was storing it at a friend's house and their dogs played "re-wire the bike" and riped off connectors and destroyed some sections of the harness.
It's a mostly complete harness that would have taken way longer to repair than replace. Since I have a complete harness now, I could easily figure out what's what and what connectors I need.

Now can be the time to "simplificate and add lightness"

I'd like to keep the stock modules and gauges, etc, but I guess it's something to consider.

[Geezer]

I carry OEM type connectors since I use them on the parts I make and I want them to plug in and be as easy to install as possible. In the beginning I only carried connectors as a service to my customers to fix the harness where my products plug in now they're a significant part of my business.

I can get sealed connections but I have to buy them 500 sets of each at a time. If you guys think these have a demand, I'll think seriously about stocking them. I import 2x a year and my spring order is coming up soon...

Geezer

[crazy steve]

I can get sealed connections but I have to buy them 500 sets of each at a time. If you guys think these have a demand, I'll think seriously about stocking them. I import 2x a year and my spring order is coming up soon...

Geezer

It would be nice to have a supplier of sealed individual plug sets, as all the 'motorcycle' suppliers I've found want to sell you a 'kit' with a selection of sizes (which never seems to have quite the combination you need, and at big bucks to boot) or you have to order each individual bit. The ones I like best are the Deutch, as the only special tools you need is the crimper and a barrel tool (commonly available elsewhere); installing/removing wires from the plugs is easy and those really seal. If you can get a less-expensive copy, I'd buy some from you. The Amp/Tyco type would be a good second choice, but are a bit more difficult to use. Both of these are pin/sleeve types, not flat blades. Another type/brand, I'd want to see how they work.

Demand? Well, that would depend on how much of a premium in cost there is. That that type of connector is superior to what you'll find on older bikes is a no-brainer; if the XS had been equipped with these from the factory, all these tales of wiring woes from corroded connectors wouldn't exist....

[Prothec]

I would be game for some quality connectors. I have the currently installed harness that I need to replace connectors (as many as possible) and the original harness to fix. Price is always a factor, but it's worth paying a little more for "connect it and forget it".

On another note, I was also thinking about seeing if there are some kind of terminal blocks I could use to make a nice, neat headlight bucket instead of the rat's nest of connectors.

[crazy steve]

On another note, I was also thinking about seeing if there are some kind of terminal blocks I could use to make a nice, neat headlight bucket instead of the rat's nest of connectors.

Terminal blocks give too many opportunities for misconnection; while having a gob of plugs in there looks messy, a proper plug layout can make it 'idiot-proof' for hooking up all the various bits that usually junction there. Yamaha (and most other bike makers) did do that right; the plug layout is such that most connections only connect one way.

You might consider using a block for grounds though; the last scratch-built harness I built, I put two homemade terminal strips ('ground buss') in, one near the fusebox and one in the headlight bucket. These were tied together with a #12 wire, then taken to the main ground at the engine case, then all other grounds were taken to the nearest strip. This eliminated all 'chassis' grounds (except for the rectifier/regulator, which was run to the fuesbox strip seperately), so no worrying about painted/rusted frame connections.

[Geezer]

I'll see what I can come up with and if it looks good, I'll start a new discussion...

Geezer