TOPIC:

Since I'm going to replace BIG chunks of the wiring on this bike-
I'm a neat freak about wiring, don't like oil and dirt on it so am cleaning up as well as replacing bad stuff.

What would you suggest for wrapping the new wires? Electrical tape? Some kind of tubing? How about that ribbed split tubing they have at the parts store for gathering car wires together?

THanks.
ZN700Ltd

I don't know what it is called, but how about the stuff that is like "chinese fingers" ? It stretches, can be pushed together to allow access to a wire at any point, keeps the wires pretty clean, keeps the wires together. comes in different colors and sizes, On my 2000 Dodge Dakota, factory used it under the hood for various wires. I used some for my axcillary wiring under the hood and in the cab (dash and headliner). Will use it again when I get to the wiring stage of the AMEN. Don't use tape, it is very messy and gets worse with age...TFH

tfh903 wrote:

I don't know what it is called, but how about the stuff that is like "chinese fingers" ? It stretches, can be pushed together to allow access to a wire at any point, keeps the wires pretty clean, keeps the wires together. comes in different colors and sizes, On my 2000 Dodge Dakota, factory used it under the hood for various wires. I used some for my axcillary wiring under the hood and in the cab (dash and headliner). Will use it again when I get to the wiring stage of the AMEN. Don't use tape, it is very messy and gets worse with age...TFH

Chinese finger TRAPS, not Chinese fingers.

I just use tape, but it's definitely messy especially if you have to do any re-wiring for mods etc. If you can find tape without the adhesive, that would be ideal.

chinese fingercuffs?i always use 3Ms super33 tape for everything,it goes on and stays put!if you are worried about a particular section of wire wrap it seperately and leave a tail on it so you can take it back off easier.im not a fan off crimp on connectors i prefer to solder things and use heat shrink on them before taping.yeah im an anally retentive electrical contractor you can have the best of everything else on your bike, but it only takes one bad connection to shut it down or burn it down!good luck,happy wrenching!

I prefer to solder as well, but over the years, I found that crimp connections lasted longer because the flux on the solder joints seem to be corrosive with water. Over time I find the solder joints brittle and weak whereas the crimp joints are in better shape. If it never gets wet, I think the solder may be better.

I bought a really good ratchetting crimper and have started using that more often.

1) Don't use home electrical wire. Find something with more strands. It's less likely to fatigue.
2) Braided sleeve or braided tubing.
www.alphawire.com/pages/mouser.cfm?pn=GRP
is one example. Fire resistant/proof might be nice.

You can purchase wire and sleeve from here:
www.mouser.com/

here is the categories link:
www.mouser.com/index.cfm?D=240&Ne=0&hand...a.listcategory&N=240
click on 'tubing sleeving'

you can then search for 'braided' and find a whole mess of stuff.

I order stuff from these guys from time to time for projects and they are friendly, reasonable prices, and fast.
They don't mind small orders.
They are also a good source for connectors, relays, and such.

-Duck

For a really sanitary wiring job, you can use 'heat shrink' tubing. You have to run all your wires thru the tubing, then you hit it with a hair dryer (on hot). The heat will shrink the tubing around the the wire bundle. Its pretty strong, and fairly chafe-resistant. Electrical supply stores usually sell it. I comes in different sizes, depending on how many wires you want to run.

Thanks for the suggestions.
The only thing I'd come up with was heat shrink, but then couldn't figure out how to get it over some of the devices at the ends of the wiring.
I just got another rectifier, fuse box and (just in case) wiring harness. I'll start testing everything this weekend and let you all know how it goes.

ZN700LTD