'78 KZ1000 Ugly Duckling

sleep is for old people and those with nothing to do ! 

I am old people.

But, I've got stuff to do.

Lately, that stuff has mostly been electrical—soldering, crimping, putting in weather pac connectors...

It was a nervous process drilling out my beautiful Tarozzi clip-ons for momentary switches (I kept reminding myself that Z1 Enterprises sells the bars a la carte), but I think they came out pretty nice:

 

And they get along just fine with the Mo.Unit 

 

Just a little more head scratching and I'll be able to stop looking at rainbow spaghetti

 


I'm really glad I got the Mo.Unit, as I think it lends itself to the kind of build I'm after. I'm keen to get the electrics all tucked away (I opted to mount the Shindengen RR under the seat so it gets plenty of cooling, but it's hidden between the frame rails) and the Mo.Unit Blue eliminates fuse boxes, flasher relays, resistors (All my lights are LED now), and a key switch—because it's Bluetooth enabled, my phone is the key.

I'm a little less taken with the M Button for this bike. Since I'm running clip-ons, it's stashed inside the headlight bucket instead of the handlebars, so it doesn't really make a big difference in terms of cleaning things up. I'm sure there are applications that would make it a worthwhile investment, but this ain't it. It just makes it so that I'm running one thin wire aft along with a whole bunch of thick wires instead of a few thin wires running aft along with a bunch of thick ones. That's $50 I could have spent on something more useful...

Looking good Buzz, don't scrimp on the wire gauge with the starter solenoid back there 

I've been pondering that. Do you think 10 gauge is good to go, or should I go a little stouter than that?

wrote:

I've been pondering that. Do you think 10 gauge is good to go, or should I go a little stouter than that?

I have put some numbers into the calculator (below) in my "electrical fault finding guide"  Electrical fault finding guide - KZRider Forum - KZRider, KZ, Z1 & Z Motorcycle Enthusiast's Forum
Worth checking the manual for cold cranking amps but I think 90a is "there or there abouts" (will be higher than stock if over-bored or compression is increased) I have also gone with 1.2 meters (battery to solonoid to starter) also don't forget the main ground from the engine back to the battery needs to be the same gauge (what goes *out needs to come back - like kids on a field trip !) On this basis it is saying 6 gauge to keep the volt drop below 3%. If you punch in your own numbers from the manual you may find 8 gauge is ok. (when you look at the stock wiring you can understand why so many people have cold starting issues when they get a little older, no car I have ever seen even with a 1000cc motor has ever had starter wires that thin !!)


 

Thanks so much; that is an absolutely fascinating web page and a great calculator. According to the calculator, a distance of .15 (or 15 cm, or about 6 inches) makes a tremendous difference in the necessary AWG. According to the calculator, even 14 gauge would result in a voltage drop of a mere 2.12%. I'm certainly not putting that to the test, but it sounds like 10 gauge should be plenty robust since the battery is right next to the solenoid. I hadn't realized that the wire length was such a vital part of these calculations.

Obviously, I'm in no danger of being mistaken for an electrician. If there's a flaw in my understanding, please let me know. 

You need to include the distance to the starter from the solenoid and back again on the earth line, hence why I put in 1.2 meters each way  Bear in mind with your current set up you have doubled the distance between the battery and the starter (not an issue with the correct size cable)

I"m shopping for some 6 guage wire. Thanks so much for the heads-up!

The magnetic reed switch that informs the Motoscope speedo needs to be mounted with a non-ferrous material, so I made this aluminum bracket

 

That will mount with the left rear fender bolt:

 

wrote:

I'm a little less taken with the M Button for this bike. Since I'm running clip-ons, it's stashed inside the headlight bucket instead of the handlebars, so it doesn't really make a big difference in terms of cleaning things up. I'm sure there are applications that would make it a worthwhile investment, but this ain't it. It just makes it so that I'm running one thin wire aft along with a whole bunch of thick wires instead of a few thin wires running aft along with a bunch of thick ones. That's $50 I could have spent on something more useful...

Interesting observation/opinion. I am planning to do similar wiring.. I won't have clip ons, I want to keep stock bars with controls and wiring inside tubes (OE). But I was going to route all controls into headlight bucket and use M Button there so I don't have bunch of wires between electrics (near battery where stock stuff is) and headlight.
 

Hi Buzz, don't want to be a kill joy but does this sensor require a trigger magnet ? If so how are you planning to mount it to the wheel so it stays where it should ?

With stock bars, I think the M-Button makes a lot more sense if a "cleaned up" look is what you're after. The M--Button and its attendant wires will fit inside the bars, saving a little clutter from routing it into the headlight bucket.