Electrical Connectors

[IanDMacDonald]

"MikesXS is pretty freaking proud of their shipping......could put that stuff in a envelope and mail it for probably less than $3, $11 my A$$

Ok, so I am trying to find a crimper, and since no one really had any suggestions I was browsing amazon and have some possibilities and want opinions."

Umm, unless you're trying to avoid my advice, the crimpers shown above are what are called "barrel crimpers", specifically open barrel crimpers, and I told you I would let you borrow mine. If you're wondering what open barrel crimps are, they're the 30+ year connectors that you're relying so heavily on.

[jetmechmarty]

Here is a link to how to make proper crimps.

http://www.cycleterminal.com/crimp-tool-help.html

Also, on that sight you can buy a nice American made crimping tool. Of course, the price is far more than double.

[jetmechmarty]

Ok, so I am trying to find a crimper, and since no one really had any suggestions I was browsing amazon and have some possibilities and want opinions.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=AZFBKZY6N6YFG

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A10EAPE4CAYC9P

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A2F13KK758WMXQ

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A1UMBRA5ZTBCX8

Which one, or if you have a better suggestion let me know.

Either of these two might do the job.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A2F13KK758WMXQ

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A1UMBRA5ZTBCX8

At those prices, I expect they are Chinese crap.

[1234loft]

I have a cheap "blade style" crimper that works just fine.

You do not need the leverage as much as the right size.
These terminals do not take much force to crimp.

The crimping instructions in the past post are very important.

I use one size crimper slot for the bare wire crimp, and another size slot for the outside casing.

My crimper looks like it came from the dollar store, but it works great on these connectors.

For the usa style connectors I would have to spend some money???
I have a heck of a time making them work. I must have the wrong technique, or the wrong crimper.........oem for me.

[clcorbin]

Personally, I would avoid the cheap tools and especially the non interchangeable die crimpers. I have 6 different crimp tools (ranging from a cheap $20 fixed die crimper, to $100 Japaneses open barrel crimpers, to $450 Amphenol cannon plug open barrel crimpers). The one that gets the most use is the Crimpmaster set. This crimper has changeable dies (and I have over 10 different dies for mine) and it is a ratcheting crimper.

You want changeable dies so that you can invest in a good (or great! Your call) base tool and then add the much less expensive (around $25 a set) dies as your needs change. There are about 14 thousand different companies making interchangeable die tools, most are cheap chinese crap, but there are quite a few decent models to chose from. And there are a LOT of different die sets available that will work in almost all of these sets.

You definitely want a ratcheting tool. There are only a handful of causes of a bad crimp and a ratcheting tool mostly takes care of two of those: Over crimped (you end up cutting the wire all the way through *bad* or partially through *worse*) and under crimped (the wire pulls out too easily and makes a poor connection). A properly adjusted ratcheting tool ensures both of these conditions do not exist. A good tool (and yes, I would consider the Crimpmaster a good tool, but not the best) is almost always properly adjusted out of the box. The cheap crap, well, who knows if it can even BE properly adjusted. Maybe you will get lucky...

Good dies are the next defense against poor crimps. As there are a ton of different manufactures of dies, I tend to use Crimpmaster dies (decent price and locally available) for most items, but I have invested in more expensive dies for more specialized crimps (small 24 gauge d-sub pins for example) to ensure the best crimps.

So, my recommendation would be to buy a good ratcheting tool and get dies for both insulated and uninsulated barrel connectors at first. This will cover all your "normal" crimping needs (fixing things under the hood, trailer wiring, etc). For the terminals used on our bikes, you will also need a set of open barrel dies. With a good tool and the correct dies, these terminals are cake to install AND you will have a very good, very durable crimp that should be good for another 30+ years. Oh, and never ever use the noninsulated die set on an insulated terminal or visa-versa. There are very good reasons they make different die sets for each of these types of terminals and you cannot get good crimps using the wrong die on the wrong terminal! (probably one of the top reasons people get piss poor crimps...)

[crazy steve]

What is the difference between the pin type and the blade type?

It's more the difference between machined and stamped....

Pretty much all of the less-expensive connectors are stamped construction, whether they're pins or blades. Sloppier tolerances, and depend on a spring-type fit. Good for lower-current connections, but get a bit iffy above about 20 amps, for sure above 30. Brass is preferable over copper, as copper is too soft to maintain spring tension over multiple uses. Both should be tinned for corrosion resistance.

Premium connectors will be machined solid pins/sockets with a precision fit.

Pins are easier to seal, so have become the preferred choice for connections exposed to environmental conditions.

As far as a crimper, you need to decide the connector your using, then get a crimper to match.

[jetmechmarty]

All true. I can see how you could easily have more money in electrical connectors than the whole bike. My electrical connectors are still fine after over 30 years and a good cleaning. They may be good for 30 more. I doubt that it will be a concern for me by then.

I just started working on a Moto Guzzi that is 18 years newer than my XS. I has very nice sealed connectors throughout. Very nice. I can see where replacing them would be a much more costly undertaking than on the Yamaha.

[IanDMacDonald]

I actually re-constructed a 750 harness with all new larger gauge wire, as well as new molex connectors. Yeah, it was not cheap, but it gave me great satisfaction until it was stolen, lol. Of course, I'd only undertake a project like that again if I was doing a complete resto. I have no plans of doing that with my 11. I would like to paint the engine though.

Sometimes you cause more bad then good working on a harness that old due to those wires being so brittle and not moving. The second you move them, they could break and u'd never know it, as the insulation is clean.