Simple Wiring Question

[Fare]

I recently bought a GS850GZ and it needs a little work (key word on little). There is moderate rust, paint issues, and the wires are old as dirt. i was looking to redo the wires (and set up the tail lights) but i can't find what gauge wire to use. At the auto places, they sell 12, 14, 16 and 18 and they dont know what i should use. I am probably getting hung up on something minute, but i don't want to take that risk. I think i can check max amp to find it out, but i don't know where to look for that.

also, when the blinkers work, they are slooooow. is that a simple wiring issue or is it more than that?

Thank you,

Fare

[Steve]

Most of the lights on the bike would be served well by 18- or 16-gauge wiring. Stock is probably 20- or 18-gauge. Your biggest load on a stock bike would be the turn signal wire from the battery to the flasher, then from the flasher to where it splits front and rear. That will be about 5 amps, the same as the headlight. If you have a two-bulb tail/brake light, that will be a similar draw. (I have an L model, so don't know about the 'standard' model.) The headlight might have 14 from the factory, but if you are re-wiring that, go for the 12. The reason for heavier wire here is that the headlight is on virtually all of the time, where the turn signals are only on part-time.

When checking/changing the wiring, don't forget the ground wires, too.


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[kurifu]

12 Gauage for everything but the main leads coming off the battery and connecting the starter should be fine. As long as you use a thicker wire you won't cause any problems (12 is pretty much the thickest used on these bikes).

I have rewired most of my bike with 12 guage and it works well.

[Fare]

12 Gauage for everything but the main leads coming off the battery and connecting the starter should be fine. As long as you use a thicker wire you won't cause any problems (12 is pretty much the thickest used on these bikes).

I have rewired most of my bike with 12 guage and it works well.

Thank you, but i need a little clarification (I'm a very literal person and unless something isn't spelled directly for me, i worry I'm doing it slightly wrong). I'm new to the whole auto maintenance thing and I don't know everything (or anything?) quite yet. As i pull out my clymer service manual and turn to the 1980 GS850GT wiring diagram (mine is a 82' GS850GZ, but i don't think that matters) and look at the battery, it looks like one part is connected to ground and the other is connected to a fuse and the starter. So...you mean that these three wires shouldn't be 12 guage? what should they be.

Thank you,

Fare

::ON AN UNRELATED NOTE::
Ever since finding this fourm I'm glad I bought the bike. Not knowing a whole lot about motorcycles and basic auto maintenance made me very leary of my purchase. I feel that I can really enjoy this new experience to a whole new level. Anyone (with alot of money(which I don't have)) can buy a new bike and get away with doing little to nothing with their bike and get by easily, but if you have to put alot of effort into restoring (even on a small scale) a bike, it really becomes yours...
/end rant

[robertbarr]

it looks like one part is connected to ground and the other is connected to a fuse and the starter. So...you mean that these three wires shouldn't be 12 guage? what should they be.

Those are much heavier because obviously they have to carry the current the starter draws. Probably #6 AWG, maybe #4. Why mess with these? Unless the terminals are shot, in which case you'd replace them with duplicates.

I wouldn't want home-brew for these cables, unless you have access to some kind of industrial crimp equipment, in which case you wouldn't be asking in the first place.

[Steve]

As i pull out my clymer service manual and turn to the 1980 GS850GT wiring diagram (mine is a 82' GS850GZ, but i don't think that matters) and look at the battery, it looks like one part is connected to ground and the other is connected to a fuse and the starter. So...you mean that these three wires shouldn't be 12 guage? what should they be.

The wire from the battery to the starter solenoid (not fuse), the one from the solenoid to the starter, and the ground wire from the battery to the engine/chassis are the only ones you will find on the bike that are larger than 12-gauge. As Robert Barr mentioned, they are probably 6-gauge. I have only seen 12- or 14-gauge used for the headlight, everything else is smaller. With the exception of the starter-related wires mentioned above, you could replace anything necessary with 12-gauge, if you have the room to run the larger wire. The factory uses the smallest possible wire that will carry the intended load in an effort to keep cost and weight down.

My Pocket Ref shows the following guidelines for current capacity:
6-gauge - 55 amps
8-gauge - 40 amps
10-gauge - 30 amps
12-gauge - 25 amps
14-gauge - 20 amps
16-gauge - 14 amps
18-gauge - 10 amps

These numbers are for wires in a bundle, with ambient temp of 86F.
From this you can see that the wires they chose are not unsafe, they are just the absolute minimum. :?


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