Practical Custom Wiring

I just picked up a fuse panel. I did spring for the one with a common ground. Since so many wires will be coming to the battery box area I thought it best to have them all ground there if possible. Not all circuits will but the ones that do will have a home.


Here's the probable location for the panel. I'll try velcro first and then see if I wanted it bolted.


At the local marine supply place I got these ring connectors. These are the ones with built in heat shrink. I'll use them especially on the headsteady bolts for the ground. They are set up for 5/16.

All in all the good ole Lucas bullets are pretty good in function and
space fitting. A new factory installed harness is a lesion in order out
of chaos.
Don't expect as long endurance in crimp and shrink terminals -
just more DIY friendly nerd looking utilitarian necessity.

Past Peel had 6 relays, 3 in head light alone. Car Stereo or online
sites have half size relays in case that matters to your Cdo space.

I'm thinking to find rather low temp soder 200" F ? and just twist ends
and bind with a bit of solder then slide shrink over nice and narrow.
To undo, slit peel off shrink then heat gun or small torch joint
while pulling a bit, voila! Hmm maybe just heat through shrink
then it'd all just slip apart. maybe. I'd got 158'F 'soder' now.

Only took me all summer long to re do all of Peel electrics.
I need a real nice short cut kit, $300+ is drop in wallet
long term.

Oh yeah, ignition relay,
Run a hot wire from key to kill button via input wire - then kill button output
wire goes on a relay switch terminal. Other switch terminal is grounded.
Turn key on > relay clicks on, power wires live.
touch kill button > opens relay switch, power current stops.

Run a hot keyed wire to a relay power terminal, then a lead off other
power terminal to send power to Boyer/coils with a ground return
provided of course.

Japaneses were onto something when they came out with the non
momentary kill switch.

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2555856 ... 1179dAaukl


http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2459240 ... 1179eqGJhr


http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2200206 ... 1179hwJria


hobot

If you have a bad case of OCD, please look away.


In a fit of simplicity I've pulled the relay from the ignition circuit. Time will tell if this was a foul idea. I moved the relay over to the horn section.


A stream of wires coming out of the headlight bucket. Norton club meeting tomorrow and I'll assault some bikes to get a clue where to run some of these.


These two wires will eventually be for the turn signals...


Looks messy but with labels and as parts start to get final placement it will get cleaned up.

It actually quite fun. I can see why grandpaul said he enjoyed wiring. There's a certain order to the chaos.

The rear light wiring on my '71 roadster I have run inside the rear frame tube. Drilled at the front short frame tube, that is at 90 degrees to main backbone tube & re-appearing inside the rear light unit.

It certainlly tidies up the rear frame tube.

Bob.

Yes looks like a kids colorful spaghetti left overs : )

The marine crimp terminals with its own heat shrink
actually look pretty and trim, cool, must find must fine...

I'll pass tail end wires inside loop too on My Peel special,
partly for vanity - but mostly less cluttered handle for recovery
operations : (

I've eyeballed close many big twin cruises with lights all over
the place to see some of them heat glue wires on hidden
sides of braces and tubes. Ponader that for ignition
wires or just fishing pole eyes, Love zip ties but just
don't want to see so many of em.

Like to bundle looms in spaced zip ties but prefer
clear tube or spiral wrap.

hobot - electrics are a slow mediation process for me.

I know it looks messy now but as all the components get to their final locations I'll start to shorten and clean it up. ALthough there is also a good chance I'll leave it a little rough until I get a battery and even then I might wait until I confirm that it runs.

I picked up a couple items today.


First up is a SPDT relay. This will run the headlight. Sadly I think I'm starting to understand the lingo on these relays. 30 = Power. 87a will be the low beam. 86 will be the wire from the high beam switch. 87 will be the high beam power. And 85 is ground. How'd I do?


This is an electronic flasher. Unfortunately I don't know which wire goes where. There is an X an L. Any idea? I think there is suppose to be power (in my case + and White) to one of them and then the other comes from what I think is the flasher switch power (Light Green/Brown) from the handlebar switch.

I found something on the internet suggesting that the X is 12+ Power.

Hey Swooher,

Your photo of the alternator shows its got the wires mounted
too high up, turn it clockwise a bolt hole set so wire
are lower, then can route out case grommet and zip
tie to the case mount boss to keep it clear of chain.

While sorta easy to do, leave a lead or too extra as power
tap for GPS, heated gloves, helmet head light etc.

A voltage gauge, LED cluster or the cool color change LED lamp
in headlight will inform you how long too lope around
town before stalling from low voltage.

hobot

hobot said:

Hey Swooher,

Your photo of the alternator shows its got the wires mounted
too high up, turn it clockwise a bolt hole set so wire
are lower, then can route out case grommet and zip
tie to the case mount boss to keep it clear of chain.

While sorta easy to do, leave a lead or too extra as power
tap for GPS, heated gloves, helmet head light etc.

hobot

Click to expand...

Yeah, I just threw the alternator on there as a demo.

I'm still flustered as to how to run all the power wires that are needed up at the front. Each switch needs power along with all the other crap. In the stock harness I think they just gang them up but I can't seem to find an elegant way to do this. Just making a 1 into 5 connection just sounds crude.

swooshdave said:

First up is a SPDT relay. This will run the headlight. Sadly I think I'm starting to understand the lingo on these relays. 30 = Power. 87a will be the low beam. 86 will be the wire from the high beam switch. 87 will be the high beam power. And 85 is ground. How'd I do?

Click to expand...

Another snag. There is a main (high) beam wire and a dim (low) beam wire from the switch. Not sure how that will work from with the relay.

Sorry that is what you have a SPDT relay.

Maybe I can take the light of the 72 and find out, LOL. But if my memory serves me correct: Power from ignition switch 30, Ground 85, High beam from switch gear 86, High beam to light 87, Low beam to light 87a, The wire from the low beam switch is not used, You also have the ground at the light. Maybe someone else can check me on this? :wink:

Hortons Norton said:

Maybe I can take the light of the 72 and find out, LOL. But if my memory serves me correct: Power from ignition switch 30, Ground 85, High beam from switch gear 86, High beam to light 87, Low beam to light 87a, The wire from the low beam switch is not used, You also have the ground at the light. Maybe someone else can check me on this? :wink:

Click to expand...

Yes, ignoring the one wire was the option that kept coming up. I just wanted to confirm I hadn't missed something.

Hortons Norton said:

Maybe someone else can check me on this?

Click to expand...

.

Hortons Norton said:

Power from ignition switch 30,

Click to expand...

Yes. (usually the main power to a relay would come direct from the battery (via a fuse) but in this instance there would be no way to switch off low beam if that was done.)

Hortons Norton said:

Ground 85,

Click to expand...

Correct.

Hortons Norton said:

High beam from switch gear 86,

Click to expand...

Correct.

Hortons Norton said:

High beam to light 87

Click to expand...

Terminal 87 connects to the high beam bulb filament (if that's what you meant?)

swooshdave said:

Low beam to light 87a,

Click to expand...

87a connects to the low beam filament.

Hortons Norton said:

The wire from the low beam switch is not used,

Click to expand...

Correct.

L.A.B. said:

Hortons Norton said:

Maybe someone else can check me on this?

Click to expand...

.

Hortons Norton said:

Power from ignition switch 30,

Click to expand...

Yes. (usually the main power to a relay would come direct from the battery (via a fuse) but in this instance there would be no way to switch off low beam if that was done.)

Click to expand...

So one way is to do it how I had it originally mocked up with two relays (one for high and one for low).

Otherwise am I correct that to use the SPDT relay I need to run the headlight power through the switch on the headlight shell to the 30 terminal? Then 86 is the wire from the handlebar switch which turns on the high beam. When you position the switch so "it's not on high beam" the relay will cause the headlight to go to low beam.

Phew, I'm glad I'm making this simple. And practical. :roll:

swooshdave said:

So one way is to do it how I had it originally mocked up with two relays (one for high and one for low).

Click to expand...

Yes, technically, that is probably the best option, as both relays can be supplied directly from the battery, as once you run main relay power through a mechanical switch there are likely to be some electrical losses (depending on how good/bad the switch connections are?) plus the relay will then only be as reliable as the switch, if the switch fails, the relay stops working.

swooshdave said:

Otherwise am I correct that to use the SPDT relay I need to run the headlight power through the switch on the headlight shell to the 30 terminal?

Click to expand...

There has to be some means of isolating the power input to the relay (30), either by using the main switch, the lighting switch, or both, if you use that type of relay .

Ok, so with a little more direction I now have revised this again.

The spares will get used, don't you worry about that...

No fuse for the Podtronic unit?

There's nothing like doing this yourself your understanding of how it works is very important. Now that you have reached this conclusion perhaps you can also see the value of my kit that is all prewired ground and power to the battery with sealed shrink tube connectors and motorcycle duty relays for high, low and horn at 90.00.

norbsa48503 said:

There's nothing like doing this yourself your understanding of how it works is very important. Now that you have reached this conclusion perhaps you can also see the value of my kit that is all prewired ground and power to the battery with sealed shrink tube connectors and motorcycle duty relays for high, low and horn at 90.00.

Click to expand...

Actually the real value of not using a kit is that I will know every wire intimately. When something goes wrong, and rest assure it will, I will know exactly where to look and why.

If I read it correctly your kits are positive ground, also no go for me. Are they just meant to plug into the stock harness?

I grabbed some extra MX bars so I could roughly locate the handlebar switches. Poor switches are not actually usable (unless I find some spare parts) but at least I know where the wires may land.



Still missing the handlebar clamps, these will have to substitute in the meantime.