A question about the coil relay mod ...

[AcidFaucet]

Is there any particular reason that one (or maybe both if the voltage is low) of the orange/whites isn't being used as the trigger line for the relay?

Seems sensible to me, use one of the orange whites as the trigger, and Y branch off of the output of the relay straight into the coils.

Is there something I'm missing? Granted, I'm a software engineer not an electrical engineer, but it seems like it would work just as well as digging around for the kill switch wire without the nightmare.

[apogeecustom]

Is there any particular reason that one (or maybe both if the voltage is low) of the orange/whites isn't being used as the trigger line for the relay?

Seems sensible to me, use one of the orange whites as the trigger, and Y branch off of the output of the relay straight into the coils.

Is there something I'm missing? Granted, I'm a software engineer not an electrical engineer, but it seems like it would work just as well as digging around for the kill switch wire without the nightmare.

I think I used the orange line that powers the ignition unit. You need the orange to actually land somewhere to trigger the relay, and since the orange for the coils would no longer be going to the coils, it wouldn't trigger anything.

[Kyoritsu]

Orange wire

I have just finished rewiring most of my GS550ET; PO did some bad sh*t. The orange wire is supposed to run from the ignition key switch to the fuse box, from there it splits into the three orange/striped wires. orange one to coils one to lights or head light and I forget the other one. but the orange wire would be your best bet for a sense wire, provided you have original wire set up.

although, now that I think about it I may have just tapped into the Orange/white from the kill switch.

heres the instructions I used.

11) Locate the two connector plugs on the coils and unplug them. No changes are made to the wires and plugs coming from the coils.
12) Have a look at the two coil plugs coming out of the wiring harness, they should have an Orange/White and a White wire on one and an Orange/White and a Black/Yellow on the other.
What we now intend doing is rerouting the orange/white wire coming from the harness to operate a relay and wire the relay contact directly to a new battery positive supply and connect the coils Orange/White wires to the dual pin #87, so that the coil battery positive is not fed via the ignition switch and old wiring. The ignition switch now operates the relay and the relay switches the 12 volt positive from the new wire to the relay.
13) Now carefully loosen the wiring harness from the frame so that you can get to the area where the orange/white wires go into it and under the tape wound around it.
14) Carefully unwind the black tape and you may find a smooth plastic protection sleeve that is used to keep the engine heat from the wires. If so then continue unwinding until you get to the the end of this plastic sleeve.
15) Remove the black sleeve and you may now again have to unwrap some black tape for a couple if inches following the orange white wire, until you come to a spot where four
Orange/White wires are soldered together and wrapped in insulation tape. This is the T-off of the coils positive via the ignition switch.
16) Open up this connection and disconnect the two shorter Orange /White wires going to the coil plug connectors.
17) Left in the harness you now have two Orange/White wires, one going back to the igniter and the other going towards the front to the kill switch. Attach a new short piece of orange/white wire that will reach the relay to these and solder and insulate with heat shrink or insulation tape and push back into the harness. I used a light piece of Orange wire.
18) This new Orange wire, brings the old battery positive that used to supply the coils out to the new coil relay and is terminated on the relay coil terminal #85 to operate the relay when the ignition is on. Label it #85.
19) In the harness you will also find a common negative heavy Black/White wire which at places has some lighter black/white wires connected to it and taped up.
20) Locate this wire and connect a short piece of Black/White wire to it, solder and insulate with heat shrink or insulation tape. This is now your negative (ground) for the the other side of the relay coil terminal #86. Label it #86. I used a light piece of black wire.
21) Now run a new wire (I used gray) back to the fuse box for your new direct positive feed, (assuming a new fuse box has already been fitted) with a separate fuse for the coils or alternatively to a single separate in-line fuse connected directly to the battery positive.
22) This gray wire is now your new direct battery positive that goes to the coils via the relay contacts, leave enough slack at the relay side and label it #30. The idea is to get this new gray wire taped up with all the other wires and not to hang loose.
23) Label both the two old loose ends Orange/White coming from the coil connector plugs #87.
24) You should now have 5 wires that need to be neatly routed to the relay, Gray #30, Black #86, Orange #85, Orange/White #87, Orange/White #87.
25) Now proceed to tape up the wires in the harness, fit the plastic sleeve back and tape over that. Push and bend the harness and fix with cable ties to the frame until it is neat again and following the same path into the headlamp as before.
26) You should have the connector plugs for the ignition coils plugged into each other as before and enough slack and neatness on you wiring harness as you want it.
27) The final part of the new 5 wire leg of the harness now has to be terminated on the relay.
28) Bend the cables and give yourself enough slack to allow plugging and unplugging on the base of the relay. Then cut all 5 wires off at the same length and tape the 5 wires nearly to the end.
29) Strip the ends off all 5 wires and fit a female, brass spade connector with a small tang in the center for use in multiple plugs. Crimp them, but also solder the wire lightly.
30) If you have a relay base connector socket (highly recommended) for the relay with tails,

[posplayr]

I have just finished rewiring most of my GS550ET; PO did some bad sh*t. The orange wire is supposed to run from the ignition key switch to the fuse box, from there it splits into the three orange/striped wires. orange one to coils one to lights or head light and I forget the other one. but the orange wire would be your best bet for a sense wire, provided you have original wire set up.

although, now that I think about it I may have just tapped into the Orange/white from the kill switch.

heres the instructions I used.

11) Locate the two connector plugs on the coils and unplug them. No changes are made to the wires and plugs coming from the coils.
12) Have a look at the two coil plugs coming out of the wiring harness, they should have an Orange/White and a White wire on one and an Orange/White and a Black/Yellow on the other.
What we now intend doing is rerouting the orange/white wire coming from the harness to operate a relay and wire the relay contact directly to a new battery positive supply and connect the coils Orange/White wires to the dual pin #87, so that the coil battery positive is not fed via the ignition switch and old wiring. The ignition switch now operates the relay and the relay switches the 12 volt positive from the new wire to the relay.
13) Now carefully loosen the wiring harness from the frame so that you can get to the area where the orange/white wires go into it and under the tape wound around it.
14) Carefully unwind the black tape and you may find a smooth plastic protection sleeve that is used to keep the engine heat from the wires. If so then continue unwinding until you get to the the end of this plastic sleeve.
15) Remove the black sleeve and you may now again have to unwrap some black tape for a couple if inches following the orange white wire, until you come to a spot where four
Orange/White wires are soldered together and wrapped in insulation tape. This is the T-off of the coils positive via the ignition switch.
16) Open up this connection and disconnect the two shorter Orange /White wires going to the coil plug connectors.
17) Left in the harness you now have two Orange/White wires, one going back to the igniter and the other going towards the front to the kill switch. Attach a new short piece of orange/white wire that will reach the relay to these and solder and insulate with heat shrink or insulation tape and push back into the harness. I used a light piece of Orange wire.
18) This new Orange wire, brings the old battery positive that used to supply the coils out to the new coil relay and is terminated on the relay coil terminal #85 to operate the relay when the ignition is on. Label it #85.
19) In the harness you will also find a common negative heavy Black/White wire which at places has some lighter black/white wires connected to it and taped up.
20) Locate this wire and connect a short piece of Black/White wire to it, solder and insulate with heat shrink or insulation tape. This is now your negative (ground) for the the other side of the relay coil terminal #86. Label it #86. I used a light piece of black wire.
21) Now run a new wire (I used gray) back to the fuse box for your new direct positive feed, (assuming a new fuse box has already been fitted) with a separate fuse for the coils or alternatively to a single separate in-line fuse connected directly to the battery positive.
22) This gray wire is now your new direct battery positive that goes to the coils via the relay contacts, leave enough slack at the relay side and label it #30. The idea is to get this new gray wire taped up with all the other wires and not to hang loose.
23) Label both the two old loose ends Orange/White coming from the coil connector plugs #87.
24) You should now have 5 wires that need to be neatly routed to the relay, Gray #30, Black #86, Orange #85, Orange/White #87, Orange/White #87.
25) Now proceed to tape up the wires in the harness, fit the plastic sleeve back and tape over that. Push and bend the harness and fix with cable ties to the frame until it is neat again and following the same path into the headlamp as before.
26) You should have the connector plugs for the ignition coils plugged into each other as before and enough slack and neatness on you wiring harness as you want it.
27) The final part of the new 5 wire leg of the harness now has to be terminated on the relay.
28) Bend the cables and give yourself enough slack to allow plugging and unplugging on the base of the relay. Then cut all 5 wires off at the same length and tape the 5 wires nearly to the end.
29) Strip the ends off all 5 wires and fit a female, brass spade connector with a small tang in the center for use in multiple plugs. Crimp them, but also solder the wire lightly.
30) If you have a relay base connector socket (highly recommended) for the relay with tails,

I'm impressed and also shocked. Pictures/schematics would help alot. As the saying goes " .............a picture is worth a thousand words".

[salty_monk]

Is there any particular reason that one (or maybe both if the voltage is low) of the orange/whites isn't being used as the trigger line for the relay?

Seems sensible to me, use one of the orange whites as the trigger, and Y branch off of the output of the relay straight into the coils.

Is there something I'm missing? Granted, I'm a software engineer not an electrical engineer, but it seems like it would work just as well as digging around for the kill switch wire without the nightmare.

No reason at all... that's exactly what I did on my 1000G except I ran one line from relay to one coil & then a loop from coil to coil.
I cut the orange white wires back to where they exit the loom & soldered the trigger wire from relay to both of them at that point. All they are is a switched live, just an extension of the kill switch wire in essence.

The 1000G has at least 10,000 miles on it with that setup now...

Dan