The problem is, even if the bike is well taken care of, there are spots where the wiring gets a lot of stress, most notably where the harness goes from frame to headlight.
Buying a good used harness has the same problems. A brand new harness would be fine, but $$$$$$$$$$$$$.
The wires may look fine on the outside, but the problem is on the inside. Through repeated bending, the copper breaks before the insulation. The only sign may be what appears to be a small insignificant bump in the wire. The bump may indicate internal breakage of the copper strands. It's hard to find all of the bumps without totally dissassembling the harness. By then, you may as well replace the wires.
It's definitely something you wouldn't want to do as a beginner unless you have a ton of time to study it. However, if you're pretty experienced and understand the way the ignition and charging system works, it should be pretty easy.
You can get rid of a lot of things if you want, as well, like the reserve lighting unit, as long as you somewhat understand their functions.
But either way, if the bike is ratty or nice, I wouldn't replace the harness if you're not having any problems (how often does THAT condition last, though
).
Post edited by: loudhvx, at: 2006/07/21 15:16