Wiring harness

[laseron]

Has anyone here rebuilt or made a new main wiring harness for the FJ? No small undertaking, to be sure. At 30+ years old, my 89 FJ's wiring needs a refresh since it developed a short somewhere recently. I'm going to pull it and check for problems, but I'm not sure what I'll find. I've updated/rebuilt just about the entire bike over the past year, so this is the last hurdle.

Thanks,
Ron

[red]

Has anyone here rebuilt or made a new main wiring harness for the FJ? No small undertaking, to be sure. At 30+ years old, my 89 FJ's wiring needs a refresh since it developed a short somewhere recently. I'm going to pull it and check for problems, but I'm not sure what I'll find. I've updated/rebuilt just about the entire bike over the past year, so this is the last hurdle.  Thanks,
Ron

Ron,

Just unplugging a wiring harness to remove it is a big job.  I'd take a LOT of pix, with lots of written notes inside each image, to help that project.  Unless the insulation is crumbling away in your hands, I'd keep the existing wiring.  You will not be able to duplicate the color coding, for one thing, and any bundle of unmarked white wires would be a real puzzle, to troubleshoot later.  Aircraft typically have such one-color bundles as their wiring harnesses, but every wire is permanently stamped with a designation and destination, every dozen centimeters or so.  That option is not realistic, for the average mechanic.

You should know, you can get brush-on insulation-in-a-can, to repair damaged spots in the wiring.  Spread out the wiring, apply the insulation (like paint) around each single wire, let it dry for a day, and then collapse the bundle again.  You can protect wiring bundles using Spiral-Wrap, which goes on after-the-fact and comes made in various sizes and heat ranges.  Spiral-Wrap is cheap insurance.  Here is a list of vintage bike connector sources; let us know if any links are changed or dead.  Most sellers will have very good phone Help available:

Here are some sources for vintage electrical connectors of all sizes and types.  Call them, for more assistance.
* http://www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Elec__Products/Connectors/connectors.html
* http://vintageconnections.com/
* http://www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com/connectors.html
* http://www.electrosport.com/accessories/connectors-and-wiring.html
* http://www.cycleterminal.com/index.html
* https://prowireusa.com/
* https://www.rbracing-rsr.com/wiring_ecu.html
* [url]https://www.corsa-technic.com/category.php?category_id=120]https://www.corsa-technic.com/category.php?category_id=120] [url]https://www.corsa-technic.com/category.php?category_id=120[/url]
* https://electricalconnection.com/
* https://www2.l3t.com/csw/sites/internet/list/WorkmanshipStandards/files/140/WS-003.pdf
. . . .     ^^^^----  how to make wiring harnesses

[laseron]

Thanks for responding. Yeh, I'm no stranger to wiring, and my plan is to lay the wiring harness out on a table and go over the whole thing. There are a few other things I want to improve on since the rebuild, so pulling the wiring harness won't be too much of a big deal. Done it before. I agree that if each wire looks good, it stays. Unless there is a chafed wire, my attention will be focused more on the aging connectors, some of which look pretty rough after 30 years. Replacing some of them and using dielectric grease would be good insurance. Since I've added several electrical accessories, I plan on incorporating the additional wiring into the harness. So once I perfect a compact fusion power plant, I should be all set!

Thanks for the list of resources! Most standard electrical supply companies like DigiKey are just too much to wade through.

[fj1289]

Yes and no ....

I've never retired an FJ to stock.

I've made a companion harness to the stocker to run EFI, I've used an entire Hayabusa harness for another version of EFI, I've rewired the race bike 4 times I think from scratch.

I'd be tempted to run the minimum harness from the legends wiring diagram and then add in headlights, tail lights, and signals.  Still an undertaking, but doable. 

[red]

Thanks for responding.  my attention will be focused more on the aging connectors, some of which look pretty rough after 30 years.  Since I've added several electrical accessories, I plan on incorporating the additional wiring into the harness. So once I perfect a compact fusion power plant, I should be all set!
Thanks for the list of resources! Most standard electrical supply companies like DigiKey are just too much to wade through.

Ron,

Happy to help.  I would suggest using a dedicated heavy relay-controlled FuseBlock (or similar) for all additional accessories, so everything switches OFF when the key is removed.    That trick will let you change those new fuses if necessary, much more easily than dis-assembling the cowling.  The stock fuses can all remain in place, to keep things simple, but those extra loads would be carried through the new FuseBlock.  You might also want a separate relay mod to power the horn, to ease the load of better horns on the stock handlebar switch and old wiring. Just a thought . . .
       

[FJ1200W]

I have a NOS wiring harness somewhere, if you want to go that route.

Still in the original bag.

For the 1989 model.