Please review my wiring plan

I finally decided to stop messing around with my stock harness. I've had electrical gremlins off and on since I got the bike running and decided that if I just rewired the whole bike I could eliminate the harness as a source or problems and greatly simplify my wiring. Of course I've never wired anything to speak off. I don't run blinkers and figured I would go to a negative ground as long as I was at it. This is what I have come up with after many Google searches. Does anyone see any problems with this plan? Also, what regulator/rectifier should I use? Podtronics seems popular? Any input would be greatly appreciated. And nothing is too obvious for me to have missed! Thanks!

No horn, no blinkers?? To me the relays are overkill and add points of failure. If you are going to redo the wiring, just use one step up in wire gauge, new switches and electrical components and you will not have any problems. If you must add things, add fuses, split the circuits so if a headlight fuse blows, the bike keeps going. Use LED lights as much as possible, it will reduce the load on the "weak" electrical system.

Jean

PS What you drew is OK.

The positive voltage regulator wire needs to be on the other side of the fuse otherwise if that wire ever shorts it will burn up. The fuse needs to be as close to the battery as possible for this very reason. The headlight relay will work but normally if you are going to use headlight relays you don't necessarily want any current to go through the headlight switch. I would recommend using a dedicated wire from the positive side of the battery with its own fuse and using 2 relays and a proper high/low beam switch. There is very little current drawn with your brake and tail lights so I would say that a relay is a little overkill. Seeing that you are using a negative ground system, your Boyer kill switch doesn't need a relay at all. Simply hook the momentary kill switch to the negative terminal of the spark coil where the black wire from your Boyer box is also hooked up. Of course you may want to consider adding a horn and possibly turn signals for street legal purposes.

From what I understand Podtronics and Tympanium voltage regulators are fine. The voltage regulator I use is from Paul Goff's it seems to work well. It is rated at 300 watts http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/goffyelectrex.htm

Last and least I would run a dedicated negative wires from each component including the engine back to the battery as well as a good ground to the frame. There are just simply not enough convenient places to ground on the motorcycle.

Thanks for the input guys!
Jeandr, I actually based a lot of my drawing on some drawings you posted a while back. I've never used a horn when I've had one, so just figured I'd leave it out. As for blinkers, my state doesn't require them and I like the look of the bike much better without. Although vanity is admittedly a poor reason to leave out a safety related item. I would love to leave out the relays, but I really like the stock Lockheed switch gear and wanted to use them. A lot of people seem to think it is better to minimize the load going through them? Is there a LED headlight option that you know of? I run LED lights on my dirt bike and love them, but don't know of a stock appearing LED headlight for the Commando. When you say split the circuits would I add in a fuse where each circuit leaves the ignition switch? Thanks for taking the time to help me, I really appreciate it.

PeterJoe, I wondered about the fuse placement, I drew it that way because it was shown that way on this diagram from Oldbritts-
http://www.oldbritts.com/simp_wd.html (all the way at the bottom of the page). But downstream of the fuse would be better? As I said above I want to use the stock handlebar switches and that was the way I came up with to avoid running headlight current through the highbeam switch itself. Is there a better way that would still allow me to use the stock switch to toggle to high beam? To avoid running current through the headlight ON switch should I use a relay on it? I see your point on the tail/brake light circuit, the only reason I but a relay in there was because I have a brembo MC on my bike and the wires coming of the brake switch are only slightly thicker than a human hair. This made me think maybe I shouldn't run the full load through it. But if you think it would be OK I would like to leave the relay out there. So if I run the kill switch from the negative coil terminal with the black wire from the boyer on it, to ground, that will work and not damage the boyer? That seems like a much better solution and I will do that for sure. Thank you very much for your advice.

Check out the TruckLight company for neat 7" led headlamps. Not cheap but solid, not polarity sensitive and very bright. I have installed them on lots of bikes and they work well.
Mike

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Here is my wiring diagram for a 1972 Commando. It is the way I actually wired it and is labeled with most of the Norton colors still correct. The Fuzebloc fuse box with a relay to turn on a whole row of circuits makes it work real well and the key only turns on the fuse box. I actually took apart two old harnesses to get the right color wires out. And I stuffed the handle bar switch wires into the headlight and did a lot of the connections in there.



Have fun. More of my photos are on my "1972 wiring" thread.

Dan.

cdafirefighter said:

Thanks for the input guys!
PeterJoe, I wondered about the fuse placement, I drew it that way because it was shown that way on this diagram from Oldbritts-
http://www.oldbritts.com/simp_wd.html (all the way at the bottom of the page). But downstream of the fuse would be better? As I said above I want to use the stock handlebar switches and that was the way I came up with to avoid running headlight current through the highbeam switch itself. Is there a better way that would still allow me to use the stock switch to toggle to high beam? To avoid running current through the headlight ON switch should I use a relay on it? I see your point on the tail/brake light circuit, the only reason I but a relay in there was because I have a brembo MC on my bike and the wires coming of the brake switch are only slightly thicker than a human hair. This made me think maybe I shouldn't run the full load through it. But if you think it would be OK I would like to leave the relay out there. So if I run the kill switch from the negative coil terminal with the black wire from the boyer on it, to ground, that will work and not damage the boyer? That seems like a much better solution and I will do that for sure. Thank you very much for your advice.

Click to expand...

I took a look at the Old Britts wiring diagram that you suggested and sure enough that is not a really good way to wire the regulator output. You should definitely put the voltage regulator output downstream from the fuse.

You mentioned you plan on using the stock Lockheed switch gear. I am assuming you meant Lucas. Here is a diagram of a typical headlight system using headlight relays. For your application you can ignore the pilot light wiring. With this configuration the high beam flash will still work even if your headlight is turned off. Of course there is more wiring involved you need to hook power to the white wire on the handlebar switch.


The stock brake light is rated at only 21 watts which equates to about 2.75 amps. I seriously doubt if the wires coming off your Brembo MC are smaller than 20 gauge which is more than adequate for that brake light.

Wiring up the kill switch I had described will work fine as a matter of fact Boyer tells you to do that in their instructions for 'racing motorcycles' (which is in the very back of their instruction sheets). However, now I understand you want to use the stock Lucas handlebar switch. The kill switch does not go to ground so what I suggested won't work. Instead you would be better off just to have power from your ignition switch go to the white wire on the kill switch and then hook up the yellow and white wire coming from the kill switch to the positive side of the spark coil (the same one that the red wire from the Boyer box goes to). If that solution really bothers you, you can convert the top unused switch (which would have been a starter switch) to a kill switch by connecting the white wire to ground and the white and red wire to the negative terminal on the spark coil as I described in my first post. Now you need to leave the white and yellow wire disconnected and the original kill switch will no longer be used. But this is assuming of course that you want to wire the motorcycle to negative ground.

But that's not all, if you wire the motorcycle to positive ground, you can make both of the right hand push button switches a kill switch. To do this you would hook the negative power lead to the white wire on the handlebar switch and then hook the white and yellow wire to the white wire on the Boyer power box. Then you can hook up the white and red wire to the negative terminal on the ignition coil at the same place that the black wire from the Boyer box connects. Pretty neat, huh? Also the turn signal switch can be converted to a kill switch if you like. If any of this seems confusing I can draw the various kill switch diagram options for you.

In your diagram you show the ignition switch as a regular on/off switch. I would recommend using a ganged type of fuse block which has one electrical inlet and then the fuses have their own output. You would still use a fuse placed close to the battery but I think you might find it a convenient way of connecting wires. Also it is tough to know exactly how you are going to wire the bike until you actually start wiring, but I would avoid using splices in the wires. I would rather branch out from various electrical components instead. That way the terminal doubles as a splice.

If you have any other questions let me know.

cdafirefighter said:

Thanks for the input guys!
Jeandr, I actually based a lot of my drawing on some drawings you posted a while back. I've never used a horn when I've had one, so just figured I'd leave it out. As for blinkers, my state doesn't require them and I like the look of the bike much better without. Although vanity is admittedly a poor reason to leave out a safety related item. I would love to leave out the relays, but I really like the stock Lockheed switch gear and wanted to use them. A lot of people seem to think it is better to minimize the load going through them? Is there a LED headlight option that you know of? I run LED lights on my dirt bike and love them, but don't know of a stock appearing LED headlight for the Commando. When you say split the circuits would I add in a fuse where each circuit leaves the ignition switch? Thanks for taking the time to help me, I really appreciate it.

PeterJoe, I wondered about the fuse placement, I drew it that way because it was shown that way on this diagram from Oldbritts-
http://www.oldbritts.com/simp_wd.html (all the way at the bottom of the page). But downstream of the fuse would be better? As I said above I want to use the stock handlebar switches and that was the way I came up with to avoid running headlight current through the highbeam switch itself. Is there a better way that would still allow me to use the stock switch to toggle to high beam? To avoid running current through the headlight ON switch should I use a relay on it? I see your point on the tail/brake light circuit, the only reason I but a relay in there was because I have a brembo MC on my bike and the wires coming of the brake switch are only slightly thicker than a human hair. This made me think maybe I shouldn't run the full load through it. But if you think it would be OK I would like to leave the relay out there. So if I run the kill switch from the negative coil terminal with the black wire from the boyer on it, to ground, that will work and not damage the boyer? That seems like a much better solution and I will do that for sure. Thank you very much for your advice.

Click to expand...

No blinkers may be OK, most cars don't see them anyway, hell, they don't even see the whole motorcycle! The horn is the same, with their stereos full on, they don't hear fire trucks let alone a little "meep-meep". Anywhere you use a LED instead of a incandescent bulb you can ditch the relay, even with old switches. Those old switches were good enough back then, they should be good now as long as you replace the old wires and clean them. The switches don't handle any critical load, and by critical, I mean the bike must keep moving.

Jean

Here's they way I did it. I admit it's kinda overkill, but I was sorta going for that with this build. Maybe you'll see some things you like...
http://www.doov.com/apps/nortoncomp...ications/9-new-wiring-harness-negative-ground

I am confused, but also what to know a few details that led to a smoking habit here. Did the battery leads really get reversed or did a correct battery polarity connection wire over heat? I've had my fill of after thought Lucas turn signals both at how vulnerable they are to bike drops and handling in close quarters and how vulnerable their plastic covered chrome return path is to non conduction and the minimal to non existent safety function. I can not think of hardly any situation that signals would make any difference at all to being seen or for alerting to a turn, over just being plainly seen with or w/o a brake light lit or stopped at intersection waiting on traffic or deciding time to move again. I vote leave the extra mass and wiring troubles at home in a box.

JimC, isn't that the stock wiring harness? It looks about like what's in the back of my book to me!

I think it is important to have the horn - preferably a loud one - for safety reasons. I've had a few instances where I was stopped and someone was backing up and the horn saved me. Otherwise you're helpless and will be run over. If you have not needed a horn so far, you are very lucky.

Jim's diagram makes far more sense, and actually WORKS.

(you have to know somebody to get that 1/2 cup of holy water)

cdafirefighter said:

JimC, isn't that the stock wiring harness? It looks about like what's in the back of my book to me!

Click to expand...

If you can understand this schematic you may need some assistance with your bike's or anything else's wiring.

http://www.mgexp.com/article/lucas-colours.html





Spaghetti Junction . :mrgreen:

Hm, a nice bright chart that Norton somehow strayed from with about a shoe box worth of extra police loom red color positive+ Earth returns ontop the needed red wires here and there to operate. In a real sense the electron flow behavior in a conductor is a fluid like hot smoke. Oh yeah its always worth a glance around now and then in the dark, with some probing such as wind gusts and fork action might, running of course, so headers aglow. Like scrapping a knuckle or over filling something on a C'do, reversed polarity and burn marks is normal part of the learning curve balls to constantly sharpern your wits and faith you really got right this time... Electrical grimlins of every sort bug the snot out of Wes and me vintage to modern, so wire tester light with appropriate recuse items has saved our rides a bunch of times. Some times a hard smack breaks battery tie downs for bad juju.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond, It's great to have a resource like this. I've learned pretty much everything I know about my bike off this site.

I will use Peterjoe and napanorton's diagrams to redraw my lighting plan. Peterjoe, I swapped the red kill botton off the left hand switch into one of the push on switches on the right hand switch so it should work as you first suggested. Also as suggested by pretty much everyone I will add fuses to each circuit. I like the ganged fuse block idea. Thanks again, I'm sure I will have more questions after I get started.

cdafirefighter said:

Also as suggested by pretty much everyone I will add fuses to each circuit. I like the ganged fuse block idea...

Click to expand...

Besides NOT using relays (except for the horn which is high amps), I agree...