wiring harness replacement

[mushman]

After two years of chasing down electrical gremlins over and over I'm thinking about replacing the wiring harness. I've already checked out the the R/R and stator(Electrex), cleaned up lots of ground connections, replaced a warning lamp outage relay, soldered the stator connections, and still I worry about the bike giving out on me miles from home. Maybe new a Dyna S and coils might help. It's all trial and error for me these days and it's adding up. Anyway, has anyone done a wiring harness replacement and how much difficulty can I expect? I mean these wires (and insulation) are 25 years old. Maybe a short hidden in there is the cause of my random intermittent power losses. Do ya think this is a good next step?

Mushman

82 GS1100EZ
95 Daytona 1200
06 KLR650

[Dink]

Random intermittent power loss?? Bike cutting out etc tell us more details.
Run resistance checks on the wires from the ignition pick-ups/points to the coils, especially if you are abble to do these tests when the "power loss" occurs, to compare to your baseline. If there is a differenceyou just found your damaged wire & can replace it rather than the entire loom.

Dink

[mushman]

Two summers ago when the "power loss" occurred I tracked it down to melted wires from the stator at the nylon block connecting to the R/R. I replaced with clean spade clips. The bike ran great for the rest of the year and I was always checking for a re-meltdown. All 'Stator Papers' tests checked out okay. Eventually it happened again, the wires partially melting so this time I soldered them together and shrink tubed to ensure a quality connection. At the end of last summer after two long road trips had been completed it started happening again. Going to work one day power loss was evident like being starved for fuel. I limped home, about 6 miles, and it felt like it was outta gas. Maybe running on two cylinders. Barely kept it going, keeping the revs up and downshifting like crazy to get that sucker home. Half a mile from the house it FIXED itself. Started running clean and strong like reserve had kicked in or like all four cylinders were powered up. The gas tank was full. I checked the petcock and all fuel flow was normal. The three stator wires that were always melting before were fine. No sign of shorting or overheating and melting. I'm snow and iced in for now so I can't really test ride, but it fires up and runs, idles, and revs clean in the garage. I did one quick three mile ride last October before the snow fell and there was no problem. The point is I don't trust it. I'm afraid to ride it very far this spring (I have to ride it 180 miles to a new home) until I can find the ghost in the machine, fix it and ride off confident I've found the problem. Could a bad coil be an intermittent problem? Or would it be bad and not work all of the time? My electrical experience with a multitester is limited so I've been reduced to cleaning up all connections and inspecting as much of the wiring as I can. That's why I thought a new harness might be in order. Thanks for the reply.

Mushman

82 GS1100EZ
95 Daytona 1200
06 KLR 650

[argonsagas]

Why not do your self a large favour and simply disassemble the harness?

This will not be easier then replacing it, but unless you are extremely fortunate, you may not find a new one (they retail for $200 to $300 if available) and a used one is an unknown, perhaps worse than what you have,

Before doing anything at all, take photos of your existing wiring set-up. Not just one, but several and from several angles, so you get the spacing/distance and colours clearly.

A snap-off tye of blade works well for removing the tape, but you still must be careful. Start from the back connectors and work forward.

Expect to find many splices inside, which is where you will likely find your problem. You may fee a tendency to replace some of the smaller-gauge wires for larger ones, which is actually a good idea, but you have to be careful with that as there is limited space tothread the completed unit through and around the rame etc.

Inside you will find ALL connectors are butt/bullet and sleeve.

You will also likely find they are in good condition, as they have been kept free from exposure to all elements. If you find something other than that, you can repair it.


When any repairs/adjustments are completed start your taping at the front of the main harness and work back. Each of the "legs" can and should be wrapped separately, before the main wrap begins, but you will over-wrap part of them as your taping comes toward the back later on.

Use a good quality electrical-rated tape, and be generous.

[gustovh]

I had a similar starvation issue with my LT, ultimately it was a gas tank vent problem. The vent was dirty and the tank would form a partial vacume and barely let gas flow. Take apart your gas cap and clean everything.
It fixed my problem.

[denydog]

Mushman, I have no idea if your problem was due to your wiring harness.

I had a meltdown of the R/R connector also, and did the Electrex R/R replacement.

I also wanted a reliable bike, so I ordered a new wiring harness for my 1982 GS1100E from http://www.flatoutmotorcycles.com/default.asp for $125 + $14 shipping.

Took me about two hours to thread the new harness in, starting in the headlight shell, while pulling the old harness out. I did one connector at a time, unplugging the old one, and plugging in the new one. It wasn't too hard of a job, although when I tried to start things up, it didn't work right. After screwing around with it for another hour or two, I realized I had mixed up two of the connectors in the headlight shell. I was able to sort out my problem by careful study of my Suzki shop manual's schematic diagram. Popped in a new fuse, and everything worked perfectly!

My old harness wasn't in that bad of shape. My bike had never sat out in the rain or weather for any length of time. But it was nice to be able to replace at least the harness side of all the connectors, for peace of mind.

I was glad to just replace the harness, instead of trying to rework it.

[Mike McNaney]

Yep, I replaced my entire wiring harness last year also. Seems to me it was about $125 or so. Still available maybe....

That gas tank vent idea is a good one.

Maybe take the coils off and check the cases for cracks

[mushman]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'll probably replace it and drop in some new Dyna coils, plug wires and caps, and also check out the gas tank vent. I love dropping the do-re-mi on this baby, wrenching, and riding that good ride with a constant smile. Fourteen years ago I rode it from Spokane over the North Cascade Highway, then all the way down the coast to Cabo San Lucas (and back!). It took six weeks to ride the 6400 miles and it was by far the greatest time in my life. Fixed my broken heart and head in no time. Back then the bike never missed a beat and only now are the occasional gremlins appearing. I'm gonna keep this bike 'til I leave this earth and hopefully be riding it 'til I'm a little old man, still grinning like a butcher's dog when I crack that throttle open.
FlatOut Motorcycles has a better price on the harness than http://www.mrcycles.com/, another good source for parts.
And Denydog and Mike, next trip over your way I'll drop an e-mail first and hope to come check out your scooters. I'm re-locating to Walla Walla so if you're in that area drop me an e-mail and I'll point you towards some great roads to ride on the eastside.
Again thanks for your help all.

Mushman

82 GS1100EZ
95 Daytona 1200
06 KLR 650

[83GSrider]

wiring harness

Just did a harness on my 83 GS1100E this past weekend. Not to hard to do but try to have a helper, the extra set of hands come in handy. And take LOTS of pictures before you start,they might come in handy when you think you will remember how something was but you WILL forget. Trust me!!!!!:-D Good luck