Wiring ground question

[Smitty86]

Im rewiring my 80 GS 750 I split the ignition and lights into two looms ran through my frame for a nice clean look my question is should I ground everything together to the frame then a wire from that bolt to my negative terminal on my battery

[Grimly]

No. It will come back to haunt you.
You can common grounds into a larger wire, but make sure the return to battery neg isn't purely the frame at any point.

[Smitty86]

Okay yeah I have my battery grounded to the motor like it came and then I have everything else grounded to the frame on one wire should I run a wire between the frame and the battery I guess is what I meant

[Grimly]

Okay yeah I have my battery grounded to the motor like it came and then I have everything else grounded to the frame on one wire should I run a wire between the frame and the battery I guess is what I meant

So, you've got the big one for the starter return from the engine. That's great and it should be there. Just for a belt and braces approach, though you shouldn't need it, you can put a lighter wire between the battery neg post and the frame. Everything fitted on the bike should have it's own return circuit, even if amalgamated with others and commoned up into a heavier return to the battery.
Just don't connect say, blinker earths to the frame and trust they'll be all right, because eventually they won't.

[Smitty86]

Okay I'm so glad you brought that up because I didn't even think to ask about that should I wire my turn signals and headlight to the negative battery terminal Because I have one power running up front that goes to a little terminal deal like a splitter and my power for my headlight all my blinkers gauge cluster light and everything all run off that one power and then I have my headlight ground running back up through the loom to The handlebar and pinched in between my handlebar switch which is all metal and the bar and the bar is ground down to bare metal so it's a good ground connection but is that a smart place to do the ground now that you say that I'm thinking should I run my ground just from all that all the way back to the rear or to the terminal

[phydeauxmutt]

The general feeling is "don't trust the frame to act as a wire". Note that "frame" includes the forks and swingarm. Not too many mount electrical stuff to a swingarm, but I have seen license plates (with lights) mounted there. Forks will carry headlight and turn signals. Don't trust the bearings that mount these assemblies to be reliable grounds (earths), use a wire, and make sure it is the proper size for the current it is being asked to carry.

[Gorminrider]

The general feeling is "don't trust the frame to act as a wire"

The general feeling is wrong. Practically speaking, the frame has zero resistance to the currents involved in motorcycles.
True-Frame doesn't include swingarm and forks. Running current through greasy ball bearings or trying through rubber bushings is a bad idea. But you can trust the frame and engine to be a ground.

Our motorcycles commonly attach the battery negative to the engine and the engine is solidly bolted to the frame. Both are thereby good grounds.Cars likewise. How many people's cars are failing because the factory did this? None to few. Just ensure you use a clean bolt tightly onto (and into) a clean surface as the factory did.

[Grimly]

Cars likewise. How many people's cars are failing because the factory did this? None to few. Just ensure you use a clean bolt tightly onto (and into) a clean surface as the factory did.

The factories did it for cheapness, and yes, plenty failed after a couple of years of being exposed to weather.

[Gorminrider]

Oh c'mon. It's common sense. Running a harness that's double the size alongside a massive conductor is ridiculous. When you find a wiring diagram that isn't like this ,do tell. (and a funky English positive ground doesn't count as an exception.
ground.jpg

[Grimly]

Oh c'mon. It's common sense. Running a harness that's double the size alongside a massive conductor is ridiculous. When you find a wiring diagram that isn't like this ,do tell. (and a funky English positive ground doesn't count as an exception.
ground.jpg

Why are you arguing against the plain truth of the matter?

[ddaniels]

I've never heard the frame is not a reliable ground.

[Grimly]

I've never heard the frame is not a reliable ground.

Better tell Boeing that.

[rphillips]

Rust or corrosion on connection to frame can cause a bad ground, just as corrosion on neg. batt. terminal will do the same thing. Personally I've seen a lot more bad connections at batt. terminal than on frame or eng.... But that's just me.

[Smitty86]

LOL okay you guys got super technical on me real fast I just started *@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$ing with it and after it sitting for 2 years I threw some oil in it clean the carbs *@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$er fired right up runs like a dream the only thing I really did was just cut out all the extra bull*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$ I don't need which is basically everything I ran my lights and my ignition in two separate harnesses that I made and ran through the frame so you can't see any of it worked out pretty well my only issue now is like I said I put a little in it and just for *@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$s and gigs I checked my little peep sight and it says there's nothing in it I let it run for a while shut it off went inside smoked came back out still nothing I know there's oil in it it don't just disappear why is that

[rphillips]

You ain't checking it while on the side stand, are you? That won't work.