looking for ideas......

[ninjamuder]

due to past experiences with older yama-crap wiring, and the fact that im chasing a starter switch demon, i plan to re-construct the main portion of the wiring harness of my 85, and also incorporate some of the more common mods (relays, and such)......as far as sub-components go, i will leave them alone, as much as practical, but the "spaghetti-nightmare"  of the stock main loom has got to go!!.....

will update w/ pics, and so on as i go.........

[FeralJuggernaut]

Take some good notes and pictures, I am going down this road shortly myself...  What are you thinking of using for connectors?  Mr Bean has a nice setup for a power distribution bar that looks worthy.

[ninjamuder]

Take some good notes and pictures, I am going down this road shortly myself...  What are you thinking of using for connectors?  Mr Bean has a nice setup for a power distribution bar that looks worthy.

actually, i havent quite got as far as the connectors yet......for all the high amperage leads, i had thought about using the " deans" style plugs (google search it and youll see)....these are very common in the r/c world, and are rated up to 200 amps burst current, and , iirc, 40 amps standard......as i plan on soldering all my connections(dont believe in crimp-ons....had too many fail)......i tend to "over-engenieer" anything electrical......basicly, over-build it to the point where it cant possibly fail!!!

as far as the rest goes, i was thinking either a weather-proof deustch type connector like h/d uses....its rare that i see conectivity problems out of these, and they are readily available to me here at the shop

[ninjamuder]

hey....another thought...

has anybody out there in the fj world had a prob. with their battery cables??....on the venture forums, we constantly update the lousy cables to reduce voltage drop to the starter to eliminate the dreaded " hot starter" dragging....we build em outa 4 guage welding lead and solder on the lugs...makes a helluva difference!!

[ninjamuder]

YAY!!!!!
no longer do i have to pull off my seat and "hot-wire" the solenoid to start the hammer!!!!

traced my wiring prob to the flasher assembly.....ground signal checks in from the start button, but it dont check out!!
who knew that yamaha had electrical components made by "black flag"..........stick to killing roaches guys, because your electrical parts SUCK!!

[rktmanfj]

YAY!!!!!
no longer do i have to pull off my seat and "hot-wire" the solenoid to start the hammer!!!!

traced my wiring prob to the flasher assembly.....ground signal checks in from the start button, but it dont check out!!
who knew that yamaha had electrical components made by "black flag"..........stick to killing roaches guys, because your electrical parts SUCK!!

It sucked because it failed after 26 years?   

[Pat Conlon]

It sucked because it failed after 26 years?

Exactly what I was thinking.
I wonder if our new friend Joe has ever owned an old Norton, Triumph or BSA? Or even a MG, Austin Healey, Triumph or Jag?
If he had, he would know that the wiring is not the culprit. It's the switches, fuse boxes and connectors that cause all the havoc.
IMHO The quality of the Yamaha wiring system is not bad at all, remembering Lucas electrics. 26 year old switches wear out. Just a fact of life.

[ninjamuder]

actually, yeah.....dont miss the old bonnie at all......me and dad thought it would be a fun restoration project....."hello, my name is Mr. lucas".......

my big gripe w/ yamaha electrical is mostly due to endless hours spent tracking lousy splices made on the assembly line, and maybe/possibly my OCD that just screams at me at times..."that dosent look quite healthy".....been left on the side of the road wayyyy to many times from customer's bikes that had lousy electrical mods/repairs.....(person favorite was the goldwing that had NINE strands of 18ga. wire paired up to form a ground cable to the battery!! )

besides, who the hell runs a starter solenoid trigger throught a freakin FLASHER RELAY!!!........

[SlowOldGuy]

Starter solenoid, or relay?  :-)

DavidR.

[andyb]

Starter solenoid, or relay?  :-)

DavidR.

He must have used the wrong oil.  Or tires.

[ninjamuder]

ok, got me on the semantics....lolol...i stand corrected

[1tinindian]

It sucked because it failed after 26 years?

Exactly what I was thinking.
I wonder if our new friend Joe has ever owned an old Norton, Triumph or BSA? Or even a MG, Austin Healey, Triumph or Jag?
If he had, he would know that the wiring is not the culprit. It's the switches, fuse boxes and connectors that cause all the havoc.
IMHO The quality of the Yamaha wiring system is not bad at all, remembering Lucas electrics. 26 year old switches wear out. Just a fact of life.

Ah yes, Lucus Electric, the "Prince of Darkness", I know him well! LOL!


Leon

[Pat Conlon]

Very cool Leon. I suspect that you have more than paid your dues.....It was a great learning experience huh?
Riding in the night rain and having your headlight/tailight short out....60 miles from home... aaaah yes, the Prince of Darkness.

Thank God for Joe Hunt magnetos....