After an 18 months snooze in my shed I want to wake up my Starfire but the electrons have all leaked out of the nest of many times repaired dodgy crumbling wires, insulating tape and multiple different types of connectors.
What are my options for keeping the electrons inside the wires. Should I get a new loom but the bike is fitted with Boyer sparks and has had the zenner diode removed plus I fancy fitting indicators. Seems daft to buy a new loom and straight away start chopping and modding it
Is there a kit that contains all the right Lucas wires and connectors plus instructions to build my own loom. I have never built a loom but have done a fair bit of wiring and some of my crimping has worked.
I've never heard of a complete kit like that, but Vehicle Wiring Products do all the cabling and connectors you'd need. My preference is to use the much better Japanese-style crimp connectors rather than the old Lucas bullets, but originality is never a big issue for me.
As well as VWP, I have a local supplier who does the thinwall cable which is much more useable than the type originally used. 1 mm2 is heavy enough for most bikes. I also run earth wires to things like headlight and tail light as it's asking a lot for electrons to pass through paint, rust etc.
https://www.almsolutions.co.uk/
Is building a new loom a big job. I was hoping it was just a matter of removing the old loom pinning it to a board marking out lengths and then replicating every wire.
I have found a black and white wiring diagram anyone know of a colour version.
I prefer to build the loom on the bike, then you're not replicating any previous errors on someone's part and it's guaranteed to fit properly.
Quote from: V500 on 08 Jun, 2024, 19:16
I prefer to build the loom on the bike, then you're not replicating any previous errors on someone's part and it's guaranteed to fit properly.
How much wire should I buy I think there's seven colours I will try and get the original colours. Also what wrap is best.
I have four or five colours on reels so I can't say how much you'd need.
I prefer PVC sleeving to wrap, but as said, originality isn't a concern for me. The sleeving is dirt cheap on Ebay, and makes adding or changing a cable very easy.
The wiring on this bike scares me I have so far counted 13 colours of wire. There's unused wires dangling in the breeze and no fuses that I can find.
How do I start I am contemplating ripping all wiring out and starting again from scratch my original idea of copying the loom doesn't seem feasible.
Draw out the wiring diagram in schematic form, then draw it as it would be on the bike, ie, headlamp etc to one side of the page, stoplight tail light on the other.
Then add wires to the bike using your diagram, (leaving plenty of spare at the ends) until it's all complete, and not forgetting plenty of earths!
Paper masking tape indicating connections and destinations works well for me. Simply tear if off when you're happy with it.
when I have made looms , I use 7 core or 13 core trailer cable - a 2 or 3 metre length is sufficient.
i can pull wires out of it at the appropriate places
works fine but of course not original
I am off to the supermarket to buy a ten pack of kids colouring pens and a large cardboard box to draw out the wiring.
Quote from: rhyatt on 18 Jun, 2024, 16:51
when I have made looms , I use 7 core or 13 core trailer cable - a 2 or 3 metre length is sufficient.
i can pull wires out of it at the appropriate places
works fine but of course not original
I have done that before when fitting accessories to Japanese bikes. Think I have some tucked away.
I've either made the loom on the bike , or put nails in a piece of plywood .prefer the former method.
Always give yourself plenty of earth's, from battery to frame , to headlight , to rear lamp units, can't have too many earths
Don't know if this helps
B
Dane
Quote from: Fleetstar on 20 Jun, 2024, 15:12
Don't know if this helps
B
Dane
That looks like it would be very useful but for some reason I can't get to view the original and can only see part of the diagram. Possibly because I am trying to view on a phone. I have got as far as undoing the headlight connections before having to go and do something else electronicals scare me I can't even find a filling port to top up the blue smoke.
Hi buddy
Can be a bit scary that's for sure
But a brilliant feeling once you have completed it
Anyway
If you google the wiring diagram you will be able to down load and print in a large format
Good luck
👍
you can down load from the internet
b
Dane
Well I have removed the loom or should I say I removed the zip ties holding it to the frame and the loom disassembled itself. How the electricity managed to trickle through the wires is beyond me.
I am planning my new loom and I have a couple of almost certainly dumb questions.
1. I have a new regulator rectifier which has sat in a box for a few years but it's a three phase one and my alternator is two wire single phase can I just cap off one of the wires and run the regulator rec single phase.
2. The bike was set up positive earth but I can wire it either positive or negative earth is there any reason to swap to negative apart from I am used to negative earth.
I have seen people just using 2 of the input yellow wires for single phase and they seem happy. Like you, most of my vehicles have had negative earth and unless there is a good reason for positive earth (eg my Norton Electra with electric start) then I would go negative. But I would put a sticker somewhere near the battery to remind you (and any future owners).
It's important in these days of electronic components, LED lights etc to use the right polarity, but I never could understand why some claim to better understand +ve over -ve earth, or vice versa.
The electrical principles are no different.
There was a theory that positive earth vehicles - cars particularly - were more resistant to corrosion than negative earth. My 1952 Norton ES2 is negative earth but later in the 1950s Norton went over to positive and continued this right up to the last Commandos.
The only reasons I can see for negative earth are as you say many components these days come only in that flavour, plus it can be confusing going from one system to another on different vehicles.
Changed back then more in hope than expectation that cars like old Vauxhall Crestas wouldn't rust quite so rapidly.
All nonsense, they would rust whatever the earth polarity.