custom harnesses

I am curious how many folks out there (Besides Lou!) have tried their hand at making a custom wiring harness for their Z-bike. I'm doing the preliminary brainwork for my 900 A4 and want to know where you folks source your connectors and such.

Radio Shack carries an OK supply of connectors, but one of those "mom 'n pop" electrical specialty stores would be a better bet.

I saw WiredGeorge post that he's on good terms with a local shop that installs auto alarms, stereos, etc and usually buys particular connectors through them in bulk. Cheaper than what he might pay if he bought them on his own from the manufacturer/supplier, and not having to wait on shipping is a plus.

Have you tried a Google search for "automotive electrical connectors" yet?
I'm willing to bet there are a lot of online suppliers out there that sell retail.

Let us know what you find.
I'd like to have a completely new harness as well as eliminate all of the redundant wiring on my KZ650 if/when I finally decide to tear it all down this winter, so will probably be on the hunt for good connectors too.

I have been poking 'round here and there, 4R...I'll let you know how I make out. I know about the Molex-type connectors RadioShack carries---that stuff is okay, but I worry about their longevity on my A4! Until then, the rest of you folks keep yer peepers open for this stuff!

Post edited by: Kawozaki, at: 2006/11/19 11:46

reuse the origionals if they arent broke;)

wireman wrote:

reuse the origionals if they arent broke;)

That's a good idea too.

And to prevent from buggering 'em up, just get one of THESE from Z1 Enterprises.
I believe Radio Shack also carries them, but any of the tools they carry I could buy better for less at a swap meet. :ohmy: :whistle:

Post edited by: RetroRiceRocketRider, at: 2006/11/19 12:16

Oh, Wireman! I'd expect better from you...especially considering you're a 'lecky, too The whole POINT of this exercise is to simplify/IMPROVE on the sh!tt% original!

oh im the most anal retentive prick youll ever meet when it comes to doing stuff especially wiring(wireman:evil: )but i think you are gonna be really hard pressed to find anything better than the stock style plugs.im not a big fan of butt connectors or any kind of crimp on connection i like to solder whenever possible i also like to use teflon coated wire that i have a secret stash of that i aquired many years ago.you can also dye white zipties to match the color of your bike(an other secret anal retentive prick skill i learned over years!pts gonna love that one!:S ):whistle:

Dyeing ziptyes!?!? Jeez-louise...you ARE an anal retentive prick! :woohoo: :lol: I have some good 16AWG 12 conductor that'll work just fine and, yes, I like to at least tin the connections, I'm just curious as to sourcing good connectors. Also, if anybody has a decent design already tried and true, I'd be willing to give it a try...saves me some time!!

Sorry OZ, I meant to respond to the PM, but got side tracked. I get pretty much everything at Pep Boys. They have the biggest selection of wire. You'll need 12, 14, and 16 gauge. 12 is hard to work with and is only needed in a few spots.

I mostly use red and blue spade connectors. i use bullet connectors if I have to connect to parts of the original wiring, but you have to teak the bullet connectors to get a tight fit.

I posted this in the 550 bare bones thread.
If you want to do it right, you need THIS
tool. A cheap crimper will only cause headaches.
Soldering is not good for normal connections. Solder heats the wire making it weaker at the joint. That plus flux makes it corode faster. The stiffness of the solder joint creates a stress point which causes the wire to break. Good crimp joints will outlast the solder joints.

Post edited by: loudhvx, at: 2006/11/19 14:20

loudhvx wrote:
Soldering is not good for normal connections. Solder heats the wire making it weaker at the joint. That plus flux makes it corode faster. The stiffness of the solder joint creates a stress point which causes the wire to break. Good crimp joints will outlast the solder joints[/quote]

Well that might explain some things that I've noticed in the past. Do you believe in using a small amount of dielectric grease in the bullet connectors?

KZ_Rage wrote:

loudhvx wrote:
Soldering is not good for normal connections. Solder heats the wire making it weaker at the joint. That plus flux makes it corode faster. The stiffness of the solder joint creates a stress point which causes the wire to break. Good crimp joints will outlast the solder joints

Well that might explain some things that I've noticed in the past. Do you believe in using a small amount of dielectric grease in the bullet connectors?[/quote]allright heres where mine starts ..........................in my personal experiance i have fixed a lot more electrical issues caused by crimp on connectors being installed wrong by people who didnt know how to use a crimping tool than i ever saw from problems caused by soldering.up untill i quit working i was still soldering all my connections on residential wiring i have seen plenty of wire nuts that have failed over the years for same reason i dont like crimp connectors lose connection creates resistance ,creating heat which creates failure.i have also wired more very high strung 100 plus mile an hour drag boats than id like to remember without a failed soldered connection,and i can guarantee there is no comparison in the amount of abuse the wiring a boat takes bouncing across the water at 120 mph compared to what little bit of vibration a motorcycle is subjected to.either way will work if done properly the biggest thing is to have wires tied up and supported i dont care how good you crimp something or solder something if it is dangling you are gonna have problems with it:whistle:

Post edited by: wireman, at: 2006/11/19 18:50

Post edited by: wireman, at: 2006/11/19 18:50

Jeez-US! I'm not even gonna bother with bustin' yer agates 'bout soldering residential stuff...were you working when knob-and-tube was still around!?!?!?:ohmy: :woohoo: :lol: :silly: Just joshin', man...but I'm still laughing about the zip-ties;)