How to hide rear loom.

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Eric1109

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I’m looking for options for hiding rear turn signal and brake light loom. I’m not crazy about the wires being on outside of frame. I have seen some bikes where holes have been drilled through hoop frame and wires fished through to taillight fixture. I’m concerned this could lead to metal fatigue and eventually cause failure of hoop. I have considered running wires on the underside of fender in small aluminum tube that follows contours of fender. I have been told that the wheel often hits bottom of fender. I have hard time believing that given the clearance plus I’m running new shocks. I am open to ideas of what others have done.
 
Eric1109 said:
I’m looking for options for hiding rear turn signal and brake light loom. I’m not crazy about the wires being on outside of frame. I have seen some bikes where holes have been drilled through hoop frame and wires fished through to taillight fixture. I’m concerned this could lead to metal fatigue and eventually cause failure of hoop. I have considered running wires on the underside of fender in small aluminum tube that follows contours of fender. I have been told that the wheel often hits bottom of fender. I have hard time believing that given the clearance plus I’m running new shocks. I am open to ideas of what others have done.
Click to expand...
Talking stock bikes only:

Definitely don't drill the rear loop on a 750 or an 850 without the reinforcement gusset near the rear shock top mount! They already have a tendency to bend downward.

In some Triumphs, the wires run inside the rear fender edge but not in metal - just the normal sleeving/wrapping. You could simulate that with small clips and screws. You could also do that along the rear fender outside edge.

I just use black PVC very flexible sleeving and position in inside the rear frame loop where it can't be seen or damaged.

Tire will never hit the inside of the fender.
 
I just run my loom under the guard/fender have never had a rear tyre hit it or rub on it after 48+ years of riding the rear shocks have bump rubbers to stop them bottoming out and we have some bad roads here in Aussie land, the loom runs right under the middle of the guard out of the way and out of sight.

Ashley
 
Richard Tool said:
Keep it to one edge of the fender . And as you have noted , DO NOT drill the frame loop - it is fragile enough as is .
Click to expand...
Matt at cNw clearly has a different take on this subject. He does of course prepare the frame before the powder coat at the beginning of the build. The loom is fitted first I believe.
How to hide rear loom.

For the rear set
How to hide rear loom.

For the TriSpark

This is my bike, cNw #101 built 2013 has 11500+ miles no frame issues
 
Café au Lait said:
Matt at cNw clearly has a different take on this subject. He does of course prepare the frame before the powder coat at the beginning of the build. The loom is fitted first I believe.
How to hide rear loom.

For the rear set
How to hide rear loom.

For the TriSpark

This is my bike, cNw #101 built 2013 has 11500+ miles no frame issues
Click to expand...
I suppose you don't intend to ride in the rain?

How to hide rear loom.
 
Last edited:
If you live in a salt air environment ( as I do ) holes in tubing are a bad idea . You can’t see the trouble as it rusts from the inside .
By the time it bubbles the finish it’s a bit late …
 
ludwig said:
I suppose you don't intend to ride in the rain?

How to hide rear loom.
Click to expand...
Not even using a rubber grommet to stop water getting into that hole or even stopping the wire loom rubbing on the sharp edge of the hole, not a real good idea in my book, I can be a bit rough sometimes but I would always use rubber grommets where wiring runs through exposed metal holes, even the Norton factory used rubber grommets to prevent shafting.

Ashley
 
Café au Lait said:
Matt at cNw clearly has a different take on this subject. He does of course prepare the frame before the powder coat at the beginning of the build. The loom is fitted first I believe.

This is my bike, cNw #101 built 2013 has 11500+ miles no frame issues
Click to expand...
A couple of points:

1) When Matt was building bikes, they were custom without the desire to look stock. Seeing the wiring is a standard thing for stock British bikes.
2) You'll notice that he drilled the frame where it was next to a gusset and definitely not near the front of the rear loop. I'm guessing that where it exits from the rear of the rear loop stands a chance of cracking but probably no big deal otherwise.

IMHO, completely hiding the wires takes away from the look of the bike as does eliminating the speedo, tach, and clutch cables.
 
Some interesting points raised here and I will ask Matt to commonest time I contact him.

I do wonder if perhaps he had prepped the frame against corrosion in any way I honestly don’t know. The previous owner who commissioned the bike lives on Capistrano Beach so if the salt air was going to have some effect I would have thought 10 yrs would have shown some issue by now

As for it not being strictly original. Well that’s the whole point of a cNw build is it not. I didn’t buy it because of the hidden wiring nor would I not buy one for that that reason, to me it’s irrelevant but I fully appreciate those that hold on to originality.

My motivations were that of a most serviceable, better handling, reliable and safer bike and only time will tell if I chose wisely I guess.
 
Café au Lait said:
Some interesting points raised here and I will ask Matt to commonest time I contact him.

I do wonder if perhaps he had prepped the frame against corrosion in any way I honestly don’t know. The previous owner who commissioned the bike lives on Capistrano Beach so if the salt air was going to have some effect I would have thought 10 yrs would have shown some issue by now

As for it not being strictly original. Well that’s the whole point of a cNw build is it not. I didn’t buy it because of the hidden wiring nor would I not buy one for that that reason, to me it’s irrelevant but I fully appreciate those that hold on to originality.

My motivations were that of a most serviceable, better handling, reliable and safer bike and only time will tell if I chose wisely I guess.
Click to expand...
Don't take me wrong - there is a reason he could sell his builds for 2x-4x what I sell mine for - I do care about an original look and prefer to build that way so I sell them for that sort of price. Matt never said he was making stock looking bikes - he was making modernized Norton works of art. Art costs! As far as "serviceable, better handling, reliable, and safer" - not sure about all that - I will say that his front brake is WAY beyond a stock Norton front brake so maybe safer from that standpoint.

DO NOT think I am bashing cNw/Matt. Nothing could be further from the truth!!! For one thing, I ALWAYS have at least one more e-start kit on order than I need. Every one of my builds gets his oil tank treatment and his reed valve.

Finally, the way he hid the wires does not have the problem I and others commented about earlier as he put the holes in an area where things were supported - he didn't just drill the rear loop!
 
Difficult to tell from the pics, but it looks to me like Matt sleeves the holes (ie a brazed in steel sleeve), I’m sure the tubing itself is not as thick as it appears in the photos?
 
I drilled the frame where Matt did in that picture some years ago with no problems but I run a later model solo seat from Corbin and I don’t weigh much.To me this is just a matter of personal choice along with speedo and tach cables.Everyone will have a different concept of what makes them happy with their motorcycle and I would be the last to criticize their decision.Except for an extended springer forks!
Mike
 
YING said:
I drilled the frame where Matt did in that picture some years ago with no problems but I run a later model solo seat from Corbin and I don’t weigh much.To me this is just a matter of personal choice along with speedo and tach cables.Everyone will have a different concept of what makes them happy with their motorcycle and I would be the last to criticize their decision.Except for an extended springer forks!
Mike
Click to expand...
Yes I agree, sometimes one can just get a bit carried away:
How to hide rear loom.


How to hide rear loom.

Although very nicely done in the details.
 

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