[FireLT]

imported post

After I started pulling my 81 Interstate apart for a rebuild I have noticed that my wiring harness appears to have been butchered by a previous owner. I would like to rebuild or make or find a replacement. Does anyone know where to find one? Thanks in advance.



Mark

 

[ARKnapp]

imported post

If your wiring is butchered but all there, you can easily make your own harness up by buying the proper wire and size on rolls, then start at one end and remake what you see.

Leave enough spare wire for terminations that can be plugs or soldered connections.

Plugs if used must be slightly larger in current capacity than the wire capacity. Look first for an assortment of plugs to use, military spec is the best, followed by computer then auto.

 

[FireLT]

imported post

Thanks ARK. I was kind of leaning in that direction too. After thinking about it I have been thinking that it sounds like ALOT of time and effort, which I have plenty of. But the desire to redo a harness, not so much, lol. But if it comes down to it I will do it. Starting off with the project and all of the things I see that needs to be done and/or I want to do to set it apart is starting to seem daunting to say the least, but then again I do like a challenge now and again.

 

[newday777]

imported post

You can find parts sellers on ebay sometimes local dismantlers that you can ask if the wire harness has been cut or not. I picked on up for an 83 Aspencade for $5 from an ebayer from Vegas.

 

[FireLT]

imported post

Thanks alot. I will check there and see what I can find. Thanks again, Mark

 

[Ginsco]

imported post

Hi FireLT



I wish you would have posted this yesterday and I would have took some pics,

I spent the first half of the morning repairing my fairing wire harness. Like yours it was hacked and spliced all over the place.

Do you need the complete frame side harness or fairing harness?

 

[FireLT]

imported post

Honestly I'm not completely sure. I know the fairing harness is hacked and the tailights have been hacked up too. Other than that I'm not sure just because I'mnot that far into it yet. I feel that those two pieces shouldnt be too hard to repair. If it goes beyond that I may be in trouble, lol.

 

[ARKnapp]

imported post

If your existing wiring is a mess by the use of black tape to hold connections together redo the connections with solder, soldering iron and heat shrink. Once the heat shrink has been heated the on the soldered joint it covers all the crappy looking wire up. Be sure if you do solder that you do it right, cleanly and with an eye to neatness.

In this manner you can cut, re-strip, bind with heat shrink and do a gross of connections all the while pulling and placing into a neat bundle, then solder, then shrink and loosely ty wrap until almost completion.

Don't forget to try and test out each circuit as you go, do not leave testing to the end because if something is wrong, better to catch the mishap, mistakes while your at it. Then in the final work through you can neaten things and then snug the ty wraps.

Leave the bundles a bit loose, the wires with joints identified by numbers or colours or both and record on paper...at some later date you will be happy tat you did.

The job is relatively easy but concentration is needed and never stop mid way...make that joint and confirm it, then move on.

 

[Ginsco]

imported post

ARKnapp wrote:

If your existing wiring is a mess by the use of black tape to hold connections together redo the connections with solder, soldering iron and heat shrink. Once the heat shrink has been heated the on the soldered joint it covers all the crappy looking wire up. Be sure if you do solder that you do it right, cleanly and with an eye to neatness.

In this manner you can cut, re-strip, bind with heat shrink and do a gross of connections all the while pulling and placing into a neat bundle, then solder, then shrink and loosely ty wrap until almost completion.

Don't forget to try and test out each circuit as you go, do not leave testing to the end because if something is wrong, better to catch the mishap, mistakes while your at it. Then in the final work through you can neaten things and then snug the ty wraps.

Leave the bundles a bit loose, the wires with joints identified by numbers or colours or both and record on paper...at some later date you will be happy tat you did.

The job is relatively easy but concentration is needed and never stop mid way...make that joint and confirm it, then move on.

This is great advice. Its exactly how I did mine. As long as you pay attention to what your doing its not hard at all.

 

[FireLT]

imported post

Lol, y'all make it sound so easy. I will give it my best shot. Thanks, Mark

 

[ARKnapp]

imported post

It is easy, get enough spools of stranded, oil/gas resistant wire and since it is a single conductor the voltage of the wire insulator will be high, 600V, but stranded.

Set the rolls to unroll the wire at your convenience.

Using wire markers 0-9, A -Z, ID each of the wires as you pull them in to the screwed up harness and use a piece of wire to tie them in place temporarily.

With the new wires in place next to the harness that will be redone, match the new wires to the older wires, twist them together loosely to show which new wire will replace the old wire.

All set strip and make the joints and use heat shrink to seal each, one at a time. Leave the unused wire your replacing as a guide to know what is done, being done, still to do.

When all are soldered and checked remove the unwanted mess.

Now with the new mess, clean it up, remember wires can be bent, if too long cut and re-solder.

In time you will have it done, but as you go keep a log, record all of this, what wire to what colour.

The idea of having spools of new wire helps keep the mess to a minimum, DO NOT KINK THE WIRES.

If you are not good at soldering take some wire and make twisted joints and practise, make a lot of joint pieces and try soldering all of them, use resin core solder, get a small amount of resin paste and play, the longer you play the more expert you will be.

Often resin paste helps when 3 or more wires are attached as a joint , the paste cleans and creates a much easier transition from soild to liquid as the solder melts.

Experiment with solder configurations 50/50. 60/40 etc as the amount of lead and tin changes the3 melting point.

The soldered connection must be done with a hot tip, the ideal situation is to heat the copper wires and then place the solder wire onto the copper and then the solder will flow onto and through out the joint, never place hot solder on a cold wire, a cold joint will result and not work.

Look for the joint to be copper, shiny solder, then a duller solder when it cools. This is a time to practice, because practice makes perfect and you want to be perfect in this.

 

[FireLT]

imported post

Thanks man, y'all are starting to give me the confidence to be able to do this. Actually in the process of pulling more pieces off the bike as I am typing this. I don't really have a whole lot of time in big chunks. I just have to do it in small time frames when I get to it. My son says at the pace I'm going I'll be riding in a couple of months, lol. I told him taking things apart is my specialty, putting them back together......mmmm not so much, lol

 

[Ginsco]

imported post

FireLT wrote:

Thanks man, y'all are starting to give me the confidence to be able to do this. Actually in the process of pulling more pieces off the bike as I am typing this. I don't really have a whole lot of time in big chunks. I just have to do it in small time frames when I get to it. My son says at the pace I'm going I'll be riding in a couple of months, lol. I told him taking things apart is my specialty, putting them back together......mmmm not so much, lol

One bit of advice on putting it back together...TakeALOT of pics while you disassemble it. Even if you think to yourselve that it will be easy to remember where or how acertain part goes together or how a cable or wire was run...Take a pic anyway ! You will be surprised how much you can forget when it comes time to put it back together.

 

[Andy52]

imported post

Masking tape is useful for temporarily labelling wires - tear off an inch and fold it round the wire to leave a tab you can write on. It's also useful for temporarily bundling wires and holding them in place.

 

[FireLT]

imported post

Ok, thanks again to ARK, GINSCO, and ANDY for all the great suggestions. I'm going to start printing these suggestions out for quick reference when I get to that point. Thanks again!!!

 

[ARKnapp]

imported post

3M, markers, good, cheap, neat, done once, will make short order of a tedious job. Can be used on many things.

Velcro strip make good temporary ties

A small bench is handy for soldering with a rubber strap as an extra hand to steady things

Tape with black electrical tape but use the non sticky side first then twist tape over to bind, comes off very easy.

 

[FireLT]

imported post

Awesome ARK, thanks a lot!!