78 KZ650 Mono Rear Shock Cafe/Brat Style

kaw-a-holic wrote: Once again great work Gordy. I really like the dual exhaust, makes it look tough. I have bought the M-unit, M-button (to help clean up the wiring) myself along with 3 button M-switches. Wiring seems to be pretty easy. I have decided to do the RFID ignition also. No keys to worry about unless I need to get under the seat. It's spendy stuff but we'll built an designed. Keep up the great work and keep posting those pics!

Thanks

I'd love an m-unit one day to clear out a ton of wiring hell, but its a little bit too pricey. I think the motogadget stuff is worth the money, but it's a luxury for me sadly. The m switch is more in my price range and my birthday is coming soon.... I'm hoping it will be easy to wire, as this current ignition key setup is a mess and doesn't fit in the key hole properly.

lookin good gordy :evil: !
won't be long now.
keep us posted,

leon

Well the headlight has turned up this morning and it looks great.



There is one thing that I wasn't expecting. That is this headlamp has no space for the tons of wiring in the current one! Arggggh! Add to that the mounting system I'm currently using will not work as this uses smaller bolts and has no way for the indicator wires to go.



So I will have to think whether this can work, or do I have to modify it too heavily. I think I can work out moving the current wiring to somewhere else. The issue is where and how then do I mount the headlamp and indicators.

That's a bummer Gordy. I went LED for a head light from Truck-Lights. It is just a 7" sealed light replacement that goes in your existing bucket.
Here is a link to what I used on my KZ1000 www.drivetrainamerica.com/p-15587-truck-...rIhdQ1QEIxoCJRTw_wcB
Hope this helps.

kaw-a-holic wrote: That's a bummer Gordy. I went LED for a head light from Truck-Lights. It is just a 7" sealed light replacement that goes in your existing bucket.
Here is a link to what I used on my KZ1000 www.drivetrainamerica.com/p-15587-truck-...rIhdQ1QEIxoCJRTw_wcB
Hope this helps.

Thanks very much.

The existing bucket has had it. The previous owner has drilled extra holes in the top and now the speedo has been moved it's not going to do anything but fill with water.

I've had a planning brainstorm last night and I think I can come up with a way to keep my existing headlight bracket s and the indicators without having to modify the new headlight. I will try it out over the weekend to see if it's going to work.

Strange you have no space for the wiring,the headlight shell looks pretty deep from the photo. Are you sure you cant go through the wiring and tidy it up a bit so itll tuck up better? Maybe whack off some block connectors and solder in
individual bullet connections. That might give you a bit more space.
Also,with your new speedo set up,maybe there are some unnessecary wires in there .(My bike has a wire coming from the clutch lever,no idea whats thats for.) Give it a good spring clean and get rid of what you dont need.
Sort it out please and let us know.Im in the market for a new headlight and I was quite partial to something nice and slim.I also didnt consder the spaghetti that has to fit in the back of it.
Im going to wait and see how you get out of this one before I buy anything.
Good luck

davido wrote: Strange you have no space for the wiring,the headlight shell looks pretty deep from the photo. Are you sure you cant go through the wiring and tidy it up a bit so itll tuck up better? Maybe whack off some block connectors and solder in
individual bullet connections. That might give you a bit more space.
Also,with your new speedo set up,maybe there are some unnessecary wires in there .(My bike has a wire coming from the clutch lever,no idea whats thats for.) Give it a good spring clean and get rid of what you dont need.
Sort it out please and let us know.Im in the market for a new headlight and I was quite partial to something nice and slim.I also didnt consder the spaghetti that has to fit in the back of it.
Im going to wait and see how you get out of this one before I buy anything.
Good luck

That's the problem, I didn't consider it either hehe!

Currently here is the problem. As it stands now there is all this mess of cabling in the current shell. Which is 7.5inches in diameter. As you can see it's a total mess. I've cleaned up the speedo cabling, which was the worst of the looms, but there is still more that needs to be attacked.



The new headlight has a ring of LED's around the outside just inside the shell casing. You can make them out in this picture here:



The whole thing is designed as a sealed unit that is not used to hide the cabling. So I think moving the cables back towards the tank area is the best plan of attack.



If the weathers not tipping it down, I will try to find some places to hide the wiring mess. I'm thinking maybe somewhere underneath the tank would be the best place. As it is hidden from view, but is close to where the existing wiring is. Maybe even in some kind of box to keep the connectors out of the worst of the weather.

Well the first hurdle is over. I've found a new mounting point for the indicators. I actually prefer them here instead of attached to the headlamp brackets. All I did was remove one of the fork bolts and make a bracket for the indicators on each side, using the bolt to attach them directly to the fork. I will need to dress the wiring and make that as hidden for each indicator next.

1: Remove the existing headlight and all wiring


2. Mock up some little brackets


3. Brackets done and in place


4. Fit the indicators and see how it looks.



I also held the new headlamp in place to see how it looks on the bike.




The weather has now turned, so I'm not sure if I can get anything else done this weekend. I'd like to see to some of the wiring spaghetti if I can.

Well I managed to get some more progress as the weather held off for 30mins. What I managed to get done was test mounting the headlight to make sure the brackets would work and they do!

First up some comparison shots of the old and new headlight. You can see just how much smaller the new one is.





I fitted the bracket off the bike first, to test it would work



Then I got it fitted to the bike. I love it! The pictures came out blurry unfortunately. I will have to take some better ones when I'm next out there.

and what have you gone done with all them pesky cables and connectors?

davido wrote: and what have you gone done with all them pesky cables and connectors?

So far nothing, I've just pulled them back and labelled them. You can see the spaghetti in the last picture. I think there will be loads I can remove and I've found a lovely space under the tank to hide all the connectors and cabling. I think that should work in theory, but I will have to see how the theory matches reality!

I've started work on the cable spaghetti, it's not pleasant work, but who said it would be all fun!.

First job of the week so far was to sleeve the two indicators so that the cables would be less obvious. I also did the same to the new headlamp.



Next up I fitted them back on the bike. I was originally going to reuse the bolts from before, but in the end I decided to get some new ones so that I could use an allen key instead of a socket wrench. It makes fitting the indicators much easier. I also moved them to the bottom bolt so that the cable runs underneath and is more hidden.





Next I stripped back the loom so that I could see what is going on and if I can make any improvements.



There were a few iffy connections which I am working through. If I get good weather this weekend I will try to finish the wiring loom changes.