wiring harness

[McShafty]

does any know of a good place to get a complete wiring harness for the 81 mns or does someone on here ,ake them by chance? im tired of chacing gremlins due to old brittle wire. also i remember reading on here before that there was some upgrades people had foumd like upgraded lights and fuss block. i would love to do bussness with members before outside sources. thanks in advance

[crazy steve]

If you're looking for new, forget about it. These were discontinued by Yamaha years ago and there's no one in the aftermarket offering one. I suppose there may be somebody doing new ones on a custom-order basis, but expect to pay big bux as even the 'generic' aftermarket Harley harnesses will run near $500 or more. I've built a few for full-custom bikes and they're neither cheap (in terms of material) or easy to do....

Your best bet will be to either find a 'better' used harness (which may not be easy) or rebuild what you have. I recommend the latter if possible as that way you know it's 'right'. I will say that buying a 'donor' harness is usually far cheaper than trying to match wire colors/plugs with new wire/parts. You'll have to invest in some tools (proper crimper, heat gun) but it can be done...

Also know that most of the harness will still be fine; yes, certain parts of it get 'baked' from engine heat or exposure, but the majority of the wrapped parts will still be in good condition.

As far as what to look for in a used harness, the LH uses the same harness as the SH. You could use a G, SG, or H harness also, but there are a few differences. If using it as a donor, it will work fine.

[McShafty]

thanks for the info on the harness. looks like replacing the bad bits is what ill end up doing. as for the fuse block and and lights upgrades any sugestions?

[crazy steve]

Here's the fuse box.... http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14052

As to 'upgrading' the lights, there's multiple posts with various options. What are you trying to do?

[McShafty]

i was looking at upgrading to hid headlight and led marker/signal and brake

[DGXSER]

Here are some links...

LED Brakelight

LED Turn Signals

HID Headlight

[CaptonZap]

One of the problems with making your own harness is getting the right color and gauge of wire. (This assumes that you want to follow the original color code).
There is a place in Denver that will make spools of wire, (50 ft I think), to the colors of your choice. The second color is a dye that is applied to the base color wire.
If anyone is interested, I can find out more about it. A friend of mine that works in the communication industry told me about it, and it would provide an excuse for a ride, as soon as the weather clears up.

CZ

[crazy steve]

These guys... http://riwire.com/ ... can supply most any wire color you need and in smaller quantities. You'll have to go elsewhere for plugs/connectors, etc (Geezer has most of what you need, or you can 'upgrade' to Duetsch connectors) but don't expect it to be cheap...

[spayne83]

Speaking from recent personal experience, it is not that difficult to refurb the wiring harness. I soaked mine in Simple Green for a few days to get all the sticky crap off after pulling off the electrical tape. Then I used a crimper and uninsulated connectors with heat shrink. It takes a while, but as long as you are methodical it is really easy.

[McShafty]

does anyone have a good image of thw wiring diagram for the 81 mns. after un wraping the harnes i have founds a hack job of wiring and i want to go through and clean it all up right

[crazy steve]

The only accurate diagram for the LH will be found in the factory manual. The Clymer is close, but not correct for the '81 bikes.

[bikerphil]

You can try these...

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10660