The Manual Series
- by Pete Snidal (C)2003
Total Rewire
There comes a time in every motorcycle's life when there are just too
many bad connections, oil-hardened sections of wire, jumps and bodges,
and it's just Too Messy to be allowed to continue. At these times, a
Total Rewire is the only logical consideration.
New Loom or U-Build?
New looms are available for most machines from a variety of sources. But
they are generally overpriced, and for some reason often seem to be made
for some completely different motorcycle. So my choice has always been
to "roll my own." This is much simpler than it may at first appear; the
main thing you need to do is spend the time and money accumulating the
proper tools and materials before beginning the job. These are:
- Wire Strippers and Cutters
- A variety of spools of fresh, clean, stranded #14 and #16 Ga.
wire in varied colours
- A variety of spade and ring connectors, with a crimping tool
to fix them to the wire ends
- An electric soldering gun or iron and a roll of Resin-Core
(electrical) solder.
- Some "shrink" tubing - for insulating connections
- The Will (Not the Legal Document - the determination.
With these assembled, it will be time to proceed - although you may wish
to read through the instructions before embarking on the Total
Procedure. Since there are two distinct types of wiring found on
motorcycles - Negative or Positive Ground - we will now divide our
forces into one or the other camp. Click the link for the one which
applies to your particular situation:
|
Negative Ground - your battery (-) terminal
is the one "grounded" or "earthed" to your vehicle chassis. |
Positive Ground - your battery (+) terminal
is the one "grounded" or "earthed" to your vehicle chassis. |
