sp838 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I am contemplating this undertaking, to clean up and simplify the loom, which I've modified quite a bit by adding a power commander, dual headlights, gps instrument cluster, updated tank, keyless ignition etc., and has become a bit of a crazy thing to manage. I've found a used harness from an '03 as a backup to harvest wires and connectors from. Thinking this would be a good winter project once the roads become un-rideable. Curious to know what anyone's experience with a re-wire might be. Things to streamline, things to keep as stock. Down the rabbit hole! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docc Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 You first! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 I have been considering this for a while. I would probably go with an mUnit. That gets rid of all of the really weak parts of the Guzzi system. Could even go to a more reliable VR. The only reason I want to do it is that the harness up under the tank is a total mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scud Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 What is this "winter project" concept? I got a used harness a while back too, let me know if you need duplicate connectors or something. I can imagine the wiring got messy with all the add-ons. I am still not 100% satisfied with the wiring behind my fairing - due to adding the 4 Speedhut gauges. More zip ties and electrical tape than I care for - but it's mostly invisible behind the LeMans fairing. Buddy of mine just rewired an early Ford Bronco. He got a spool of heat shrink tubing somewhere. I think one of the keys to getting it right was to layout all the wires, then zip tie where he wanted the sleeves to start/stop, then thread everything through, shrink it, and finally remove the zip ties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Another thing to remember is to get a proper crimping tool. Using the stock connectors will probably require you to splice to wires already crimped into the pins. Good splices require good crimps. Soldering is not the best solution for a wiring harness. I have this crimper set because I am often adding weatherpack connectors to things as well as the cheap insulated connectors you can get at a hardware store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footgoose Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 "Soldering is not the best solution for a wiring harness." why not Graig? I would have thought the opposite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_Roy Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 The reason I haven't rewired my bike is I'm only the caretaker, just imagine you bought a used guzzi, the previous owner never documented any of the changes he made and the wiring is a real mess. Well that and the fact sourcing the connectors would be a nightmare. I am guilty of making some changes but I have documented them in the handbook, my Eldorado on the other hand was rescued from the scrap heap, the wiring is a work in progress, every wire is the same colour, black. the headlight is wired across the generator and I made my own switches. If you do decide to go ahead I suggest you retain all the wiring around the ECU as stock, it's very robust and really separate from the rest of the bike. The way the charging circuit relies on the headlight relay sucks big time, that could certainly be improved. LED idiot lights are a no brainer, throw away the crappy sockets and solder them in. Headlight relay/s Side-stand switch, would you keep that? Throw away the Power Commander and use Guzzi Diag or a MyECU Does the Motogadget unit really save on wires, it seems to have one input for every output. Will it handle 40 Amps for the starter soleniod You still need the ECU and all it's wiring http://motogadget.com/media/downloads/plan/fahrzeugschaltplan_en.pdf 359 Euros with M button and wire kit, that's too spendy for me, buy the right crimpers and connectors and wire your own. Let me know if you need a hand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_Roy Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 "Soldering is not the best solution for a wiring harness." why not Graig? I would have thought the opposite If there's any flexing of the wires near a soldered joint they quickly work harden and snap off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sp838 Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 Thanks everyone. Yes, I have a proper crimping tool, that's how I got myself into this mess! Adding and removing stuff willy nilly! I've added relays to the system, so had to learn to make my own bases, with the tank swap I've had to make new sealable OEM style connectors, keyless ignition switch, little vintage japanese style bullet connectors all over the place. etc etc... Definitely intend to leave as much of the ECU wiring stock, as well as all the related sensors, and ignition wires. I am keeping the Power Commander, because it is so easy to use, the interface is fast, it just works (for fueling) and mainly because the guy I use for dyno-tuning uses Dynojet products. It just makes things easy. He builds AMA and MotoAmerica race bikes, so I have faith in his abilities and recommendations. I want to clean up everything else, and like you say Roy, the weird routing of power from the starter relay to the headlight relay to the charging system etc., too complicated. Also removing the sidestand switch circuit and relay, I've already jumpered it off on the harness. It would be a big undertaking, but I think it would be worth it in the end. That's what winters are for, Scud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuzziMoto Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I did something like this for my Daytona. I bought a stock guzzi wiring harness from a similar bike and used that to make a custom wiring harness. Either I am not as good at wiring as I thought or it was harder than I thought. Either way, it was a serious project. But it was worth it for mae as I had made some considerable changes to the bike and the stock harness was not going to work well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sp838 Posted October 1, 2015 Author Share Posted October 1, 2015 I am honestly kind of looking forward to this. I know wiring scares a lot of people, or they find it tedious. To me it feels like a ticking time bomb, not to mention how ugly it looks, and big bundles of wires all over make it hard to clean and maintain the machine. Getting it all not just sorted out but re-designed to be simpler will be like flushing the toilet. Leaving the ECU and everything relating to the FI and ignition alone, there should be plenty of opportunity to improve and simplify the bike's wiring, also important is to design it in such a way as to make -future- additions cleaner and better integrated into the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scud Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 ...and I hope you post pics and let us "watch" while you're doing it. I really had to fight my LeMans' wiring harness to get all the stock parts back on - and the aftermarket gauges installed. If you can get to 15% less bulky, incorporate your modifications, and eliminate the few known flaws - it seems a worthy winter workshop activity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danl Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 What is this "winter project" concept? That is just cruel! Don't you have some bats you can watch fly out of a cave or something instead of torturing us northerners!? I think I consider rewiring my bike every time I look at the diagram or think about adding another accessory to the battery terminals! Powering the headlight through the NC side of the start relay allows the headlight to shut off during cranking. What did you do with your ignition switch when you did the fork swap? If you aren't using it for the steering lock anymore you could relocate it to the frame to eliminate flexing of some critical wires. I always liked the key location on earlier Guzzis directly behind the headstock. The tank cutout might be just the right size. Headlight relays straight from the battery are one of the best mods I've made by far. You might want to integrate those into your plan. Relays for the Horns might be nice too. I've wished for louder horns a couple of times recently. Are you going to draw up a wiring harness? Please share if you do! I keep thinking about drawing something up in Illustrator to document changes I've made. It would be cool to have a template to share on the forum for people to copy and customize. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danl Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 Oh, I'm an idiot. Wrong Carlsbad! http://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/bat_flight_program.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scud Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Tourists here often ask where the Carlsbad Caverns are. "You just go South on the 5 to the 8. Then go East for two days. If you get to Texas, you went too far." Back to wiring - it does seem that you could reduce it a bit -especially if you use smaller connectors - of if you don't worry about making the main harness compatible with a front-end sub harness. What I mean is: just make it one harness without a huge under-tank connector to separate the two sections. Of course, if you eliminate things like side-stand or clutch switches, you don't need anything in-harness to accommodate those. What if relays and fuses were in-line where you need them, instead of in one location under the seat? Would that reduce or increase the amount of wire? But would that also potentially expose them to heat and/or elements? Just for comparison, you should see the wire harness I pulled out of the 2000 BMW R100RT. Amazing - with the emphasis on maze. ABS, power accessories, lots of gauges, connectors for stuff you might add - stereo, etc. The fuse/relay box is as big as the V11 airbox. The V11 wiring looks svelte by comparison. Run a spool of wire down the "rabbit-hole" so you can find your way back out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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