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1980 750H bare bones for mattylight 26 Jun 2017 07:58 #765413

  • Tristan
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i went through this thread and found it super helpful! I just came into a 82 KZ 1000 That I'm doing a hardtail conversion on. Is it going to be close to the same diagram? i can handle everything else but when it comes to wires i am clueless. Thanks!
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1980 750H bare bones for mattylight 26 Jun 2017 08:33 #765416

  • martin_csr
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Is your bike a KZ1000-K2 Ltd? If so, the first diagram on pg. 17 of this topic is for the 81 1000-K1 which is probably a close match.
If you have to replace any terminal pins, you could get open barrel terminals & a ratcheting open barrel crimper. the crimps are the same as stock & very strong. Cycleterminal.com has a good assortment of stock type electrical connectors, terminal pins & tools. also Z1Enterprises.com & Z1E has colored wire.

ps: I wouldn't use generic connectors n stuff from radio shack or the auto parts store or do mash crimps using a cheap generic crimper on a motorcycle.

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1980 750H bare bones for mattylight 26 Jun 2017 09:22 #765418

  • loudhvx
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martin_csr wrote: ps: I wouldn't use generic connectors n stuff from radio shack or the auto parts store or do mash crimps on a motorcycle.


D'oh, :(
That's how I've done every re-wire. (But with using high-quality automatic strippers and ratcheting crimpers.) I do it the same way I did it on diesel locomotives 25 years ago. I used to wire the motor control systems for Conrail and EMD. It was all simple, plastic-coated spade connectors (but pretty decent quality ones). Once the ratchet crimper is set properly, and you are using the correct size terminal for the wire at hand, they work pretty well, and hold tight. (Soldering greatly weakens the copper, so that was almost never used fro anything.) The only drawback is that it is not weatherproof (the locomotive control units were in water-tight enclosures). But Kz connectors were not really weatherproof either.

I will say, some generic spade connectors are better than others. You should regularly plan on sacrificial tests on some terminals by intentionally pulling them off... just make sure the crimps are good. I used to think Panduit were the best, but I'm not sure of that now. There is another common brand that I think I like better, but the name escapes me.

Now, using factory style connectors are definitely a step-up in neatness and style, but I'm not convinced it's any more reliable. I have some re-wire jobs that are probably 25 years old without any hiccups. I do route the harness differently in the critical areas, though, especially near the frame-to-handle-bar-headlight area. The factory setup is not very well thought out for an area that needs to be in motion. I try to run the harness in a direction parallel to the rotation axis, That way the harness is trying to twist along a straight section rather than bend and fold like an accordion. (Again, from the locomotive days, where a harness needed to extend from the enclosure to the surface of a movable door.) The copper seems to like to evenly spread the twist along the wire, whereas the bending seems to get confined to tiny spots that get weak over time. Any wrapping material also effects the bending and can cause kinking. That's the type of damage I come acroos most commonly in factory harnesses, and it's almost always at the steering stem.

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1980 750H bare bones for mattylight 26 Jun 2017 09:30 #765419

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Thanks. I'm kinda biased without very much real experience to back it up. hee. but there's plenty of generic rewiring around that doesn't look too good. The open barrel crimps are nice. Early on I redid the grounding rings on the front turn signals using cruddy terminals & I sealed the crimps using Permatex liquid metal. it kinda dries to a hard plastic. The connections seem pretty strong, are water-proof & have held up well, so I never bothered redoing them. hee.

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1980 750H bare bones for mattylight 26 Jun 2017 10:47 #765424

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I agree that my method definitely is not going to win any beauty contest, and there are plenty of ways it can go wrong, but the probably the most common mistake I find is in routing and securing the wires.

For show, multi-pin connectors do look nicer. I'm sure anything you wired looks way better than what I've done. I have to re-wire quickly, but still reliably so I don't have to rework.

When I'm rewiring bikes, I never really know what I'll be working on, and it would be too much to keep a full inventory of all of the connector types out there. So I just keep a stock of general purpose connectors and wires and then I can pretty much rewire any Japanese bike, working out of one toolbox full of supplies. I find I'm always making house-calls rather than having the bikes come to me so I have to be portable.

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1980 750H bare bones for mattylight 26 Jun 2017 22:07 #765472

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Since we're on the subject lol....im gonna finally do mine right, how many piece connector set would you recommend for a one time shot? And which crimpers that won't break the bank? Thanks guys!
1980 kz550ltd

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1980 750H bare bones for mattylight 27 Jun 2017 04:53 #765478

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The connector sets I recall seeing were rather expensive, so i just bought the parts separately.
CycleTerminal.com is where I get most of my stuff. The Sumitomo .250 & the .110 connectors are very similar to stock.
get extra terminal pins to practice crimping or in case you mess up. The connectors & pins are sized to match each other.
Some connectors use large terminal pins (voltage regulator) & some are small (fuel level switch). Z1Enterprises.com has colored wire.

Tools. Cycleterminal has a $32 crimper which is as about as cheap as they get. I already had a HF ratcheting crimper but the dies were wrong, so I got an open barrel die set off of amazon.com. the total cost ended up being about $30T for the crimper & dies..
cycleterminal also has a nice terminal pin extractor set which is very handy to have. white handles. keep in mind that after you buy a tool, especially a good one, you never have to buy it again. :)

cycleterminal.com

cycleterminal --- connectors

cycleterminal --- tools ... scroll down to bottom of page for crimping info.

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1980 750H bare bones for mattylight 27 Jun 2017 05:12 #765481

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Here are some other suppliers in case Cycle Terminal doesn't have a piece you need. Ed

hvccycle.net/electrical-connectors-wire/

www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Elec__Product...tors/connectors.html

vintageconnections.com/
1977 KZ650-C1 Original Owner - Stock (with additional invisible FIAMM horn)

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1980 750H bare bones for mattylight 27 Jun 2017 05:16 #765482

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Also, you can wrap the wiring loom or secure the ends of the old tape on the loom with F4 tape. It is a non-adhesive self-fusing silicone tape. This stuff sticks only to itself when stretched and it stays put, but it has no adhesives to turn gooey when exposed to heat and time. It insulates and is not affected by heat, and since you stretch it to activate it, one roll goes a long way. Because it sticks only to itself it works on anything and can be removed without making a mess. I have used it for a variety of applications and it works GREAT! It is available on Amazon and eBay. Once you use it you will never go back to using electrical tape again. Ed

www.f4tape.com/
1977 KZ650-C1 Original Owner - Stock (with additional invisible FIAMM horn)

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1980 750H bare bones for mattylight 27 Jun 2017 07:36 #765494

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Awesome guys thanks!
1980 kz550ltd

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1980 750H bare bones for mattylight 27 Jun 2017 09:10 #765506

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This is what I use most, but as I said, it's all general purpose stuff to handle most situations without requiring special connectors. Special connectors do make for a prettier job, but I try to hide the wires completely.

www.harborfreight.com/ratcheting-crimping-tool-97420.html

www.mscdirect.com/product/details/88535125


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1980 750H bare bones for mattylight 28 Jun 2017 05:25 #765564

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That Harbor-Freight crimper is the one I have. the dies are replaceable/interchangeable.
I also have an inexpensive wire-strippe/crimper for stripping the wires. it's not very good for crimping.

HF crimper --- imgur.com/XHlbV3R

Die set from Aircraft tool supply on amazon.com:
Amzn --- open barrel dies --- E300-039


... .... cheap generic crimper. doesn't crimp very good.
....
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