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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Tom on June 29, 2022, 05:35:36 PM

Title: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: Tom on June 29, 2022, 05:35:36 PM
Some good tips for electrical work.  Home and/or automotive/motorcycle.  Some I knew and some that I didn't. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hlo87E_GdQ
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: Dirk_S on June 29, 2022, 06:35:24 PM
Love the splicing technique. No more twisting for me!
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: larrys on June 30, 2022, 07:28:09 AM
Forty years ago I made a little extra money building custom wiring harnesses for choppers. I do boat wiring projects occasionally these days. Shrink tubing and crimp type terminal ends are the way to go. I buy plain terminals and the tubing in bulk. Cost works out to about .15 per terminal. I have found that the 3 to 1 shrink tubing with the glue inside makes a pretty darn weatherproof job. You can buy terminals with shrink tubing already on them, but they're a buck apiece.
Larry
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: Old Jock on June 30, 2022, 08:07:24 AM
Some good tips

Never came across the Reef knot techique to join wires before, quite ingenous. In the past I've just pushed the stripped conducters together, meshing them, then twisting, followed by solder and heat shrink

The "lever nuts" are good although I've never heard them called that before. I've heard them referred to as Wago connectors, the company that seems to make most of them. Used them before and like them, I believe most commonly used on domestic wiring schemes.

Only other things I can think of are
1) Don't use pre-insulated terminals, use the all metal variety with separate boot insulators that slide over.
2) Get a decent set of crimpers
3) Use "Thinwall" wire for the conductors, they can carry higher current for a given CSA.
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: berniebee on June 30, 2022, 02:03:53 PM

Wait a minute, is the cute knot the ONLY thing connecting and holding the two wires together? NO. Solder it! Otherwise, vibration and heat/cool cycles will almost certainly work the knot loose and allow corrosion to form on the mating surfaces, resulting in a high resistance joint.

Also, I wish people would stop showing the shrinking of heat shrink tubing with a match (Or any open flame)- use a heat gun unless you like black soot, sagging, charred insulation and surprise fires.


Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: Tom on June 30, 2022, 02:51:52 PM
That knot was for more home electrical not for a bike.  I'd definitely solder it too.   :thumb:  I'm rethinking my wire strippers.   :huh:
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: Tom on June 30, 2022, 02:57:44 PM
 :grin:  The wife did tell me that I have a pass if I want to go to a strip club.  BTDT  Not interested.  Now a motorcycle show..... :thumb:   :grin:  Brewery tour.   :thumb:
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: s1120 on July 01, 2022, 06:49:30 AM
Wait a minute, is the cute knot the ONLY thing connecting and holding the two wires together? NO. Solder it! Otherwise, vibration and heat/cool cycles will almost certainly work the knot loose and allow corrosion to form on the mating surfaces, resulting in a high resistance joint.

Also, I wish people would stop showing the shrinking of heat shrink tubing with a match (Or any open flame)- use a heat gun unless you like black soot, sagging, charred insulation and surprise fires.

Ya, i really dont like that knot thing also. Just seems wrong. OK, maybe its better then the "twist it, and tape it" procedure we see so much on old cars and bikes that have been around the block... but that doesnt make it good. As for the wire strippers. Ive had those for years, and its really the only way to go!! 
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: Old Jock on July 01, 2022, 07:56:09 AM
Years ago I got asked to help a mate with a Suzuzki 750

Most of it had been rewired by somebody using almost exclusively domestic wiring including a large proportion of the wires with solid core conductors, simply unbelievable.

About the only thing that wasn't domestic was a large number of splices covered in black PVC tape.

Much to my mate's protests, we evetualy ripped it all out and made a custom loom using proper cable and connectors.
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: Dirk_S on July 01, 2022, 08:01:20 AM
I see the knot splice appears to not be a favorable splicing technique, but I'm not seeing why. Enlighten us naive folks! Seems to me like it would resist being separated. Is there just too much chance for air gaps between wires?

I just don't want o have to solder everything. I don't have a garage, and I just get lazy pulling all these tools outside, so I'd rather deal with a nice, tight knot or a PosiTap.
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: larrys on July 01, 2022, 08:30:21 AM
I see the knot splice appears to not be a favorable splicing technique, but I'm not seeing why. Enlighten us naive folks! Seems to me like it would resist being separated. Is there just too much chance for air gaps between wires?

I just don't want o have to solder everything. I don't have a garage, and I just get lazy pulling all these tools outside, so I'd rather deal with a nice, tight knot or a PosiTap.

A correctly sized barrel connecter, properly crimped with shrink tubing over it is magnitudes better than that knot thing. YMMV.
Larry
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: n3303j on July 01, 2022, 09:12:15 AM
Video was a tease.
I ended up buying the Klien version of the stripper from Amazon $19.
I believe an orderly applied wire nut gives you more wire surface area connected then that cam clamp device. More area equals less resistance.
But, anyway my strippers show up Sunday!
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: malik on July 01, 2022, 06:54:37 PM
The reef knot join works well, but it is often awkward in automotive wiring. I first learnt the technique with the Army setting up field telephones (remember them?) but not for 12V & not intended for permanent installations.
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: s1120 on July 02, 2022, 06:11:30 AM
We have in excess of 300 electricians at work and I doubt that any of them have ever used this technique for splicing wire. That is what junction boxes are for. Tying wires in a square know, pulling tight and then sliding a bit of shrink tubing over it might be okay for low voltage wiring but not for home power wiring.

Honestly with the invention of Posi-Taps if you spend a few dollars, you'll get a far superior product that is removable and reusable if reconfigure accessories.

I cringe every time i get a new to me bike and see all the wiring techniques used by the shade tree 12v electricians using cheap connectors from the $4 variety pack picked up at the local auto parts store. Usually, the 1st thing I do is rip all this goodness out and redo it properly with quality connectors.

Here's a bundle of joy I removed from a bike I bought a year or so ago. If they would have knotted all the splices it would have looked like a macrame plant holder. 


(https://i.ibb.co/1fkNxpQ/PW1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/1fkNxpQ)


A few years ago I picked up a pop up camper that needed some work. Well I was re wiring it all, and could not get the tail lights to work. Dug into the back panel of the trailer, and found 10 scotchlocks and all mismatched wire, dead ends, and loops everywhere..  I cut it all out, and used half the wire, with GOOD connectors, and its been fine since. Sad part is I think it was factory! 
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: guzziart on July 02, 2022, 07:04:05 AM
I've been using a Snap-On GA-116 for stripping stranded wire since the early '70's but may have to retire it for one of those new fangled automatic strippers that guy was using in the video.
Title: Re: DIY Electrical tips some may help with motorcycle repair wiring.
Post by: Rich A on July 02, 2022, 09:55:24 AM
I think the reef knot connection with some duct tape would be ok for an emergency repair although a posi-lock (or even a wire nut) would be better.

Rich A