Triumphrat

Topher

Hi All,

Just got back from a 200 mile trip up the coast on my Tiger. It was an amazing ride however on the trip home some vibration issues started in. First the tabs that hold my ignition side panel on broke off. No problem, I took some bungee cables with and was glad I did.

After completing this road side task I noticed the ignition lights wouldn't illuminate with the ignition on. I figured something had wiggled loose in the ignition panel when it broke. But all the connections were fine and the bike still kicked right over and I was able to get home.

Once home the ignition went completely dead. The wiring under the engine where the harness is held to the crankcase had rubbed through and the wires were exposed. The problem is the wires are broken right at the point where they enter the hard outer cable. Any tips on how to fix these would be much appreciated. It seems impossible to strip any outer cable away without damaging the wires as they are packed in tight.

Also, I'd like to weld the side panel but I have never welded. Feasible? Or would picking up another panel be cheaper?

Thanks! -topher-

pookybear

Topher,

Well no one has picked this one up and I would say it is because
no one is getting the mental picture of what you are asking.

So easy one first, welding, if you have not done it before, just
buy a used part on Ebay. Nice looking and strong welds are some-
thing that just does not happen right away.

Second problem, I can not quite picture the wire with the outer
case unless you are talking about the stator wires. Either way,
you can take a small manicure scissors and snipe up the outer
cover say about and inch or so. The small sicssors shall give you
the control needed as not to damage the wire any further. You
should be able to get the one point of the scissor into the end
of the case between some of the wires.

I hope this helps you out,

Pookybear

Snakeoil

Topher,

A generic comment regarding fixing your wiring. I'm not familiar with the cable you are talking about, but it sounds like a stout plastic outer sheath with a cable bundle packed tightly inside. What pookybear recommended to get in there goes along with that mental picture.

I would suggest a couple of things to do when you fix these wires. First get yourself a decent selection of shrink tubing. Cut piece to cover your repairs and keep them far enough away from the heat when you solder your connections to prevent the tubing from shrink prematurely.

After you have made all your connections and insulated them with shrink tubing, you now have two choices to repair that outside sheath. I would suggest you use both. Go to Radio Shack or a marine supply house and get a bottle of liquid electrical tape. It looks like melted plastic in a bottle. Brush it on and let is dry. It will dry to a flexible plastic coating to further protect your work. Now, I would cover the repaired area with self-vulcanizing electrical tape. This is a rubber tape used in high voltage work. It is more like rubber than plastic. You start it on the old sheath, and stretch it as you wrap it. There is a backing that peels of as you take it off the roll. When you stretch it and lay it (half lap) over the tape from the last turn, it will vulcanize itself to that previous turn. It will make a waterproof and chafe resistant package. When you get to the end of the run, just pull it with a snap and it will stretch and break and stick like it was glued in place. You can buy this tape in a good electrical store. Not cheap stuff, but hard to beat for repairs like this.

Good luck,
Rob

Topher

Thanks very much for the advice fellas.

I was afraid that would be the case with welding Pookybear. I'll keep the old side panel to get repaired at a later date.

pookybear

Sorry about the welding Topher,

Do let that put you off, but it really is something that takes a lot
of practice to do right. And you want to practice on scrapmetal
and not your parts!

Let us know how the wiring turns out,

Pookybear

Topher

I'll check with Raber's for a side panel, maybe e-bay. I definitely want to learn how to weld at some point though. I'll keep the old panel around and sometime I'll get it welded up so when my new one cracks I'll have a spare!

As for the wiring, I spent a couple hours this afternoon prying and cutting very carefully. That plastic outer sheath is a pain in the a@*! But I made lots of progress and think I've got plenty of wire free for a repair tomorrow morning. If all goes well, a ride and a Guiness too.

I remember an article in Classic Bike on using bullet connectors to repair frayed and broken wiring. Ever use those?

Thanks again for the advice Pookybear and Snake. It was very helpful.

NickL

As the other guys said, solder is the best way. The self amalgamating tape that was mentioned is excellent stuff too.
Avoid 'bullet' type connectors if you can, they constitute 3 seperate connections for one joint......use solder = one connection.

Cheers
Nick

pookybear

Like Nick stated if you can soder is the best repair you can do.
But in a pinch the bullet connector would work.

Pookybear

coloradobob

I prefer the plastic sheathed spade terminals (more surface area and less contaminants) for disconnecting in the future or isolating a problem. Solder is best otherwise. I also use the spiral and split wire looms where abrasion and vibration are a problem but future work might be needed. Radio shack and Home Depot have all those things described by others. Most of it is made in China tho. Bob

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RidingDonkeys

Although I've never tried it on a motorcycle, I've learned that a little bit of heat shrink tubing works great for those higher friction areas for military applications.

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