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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Kent Larson on April 20, 2026, 03:08:22 PM

Title: 1996 California 1100i Unknown Wire
Post by: Kent Larson on April 20, 2026, 03:08:22 PM

Hello all,

New here and glad to be aboard.  Been working to get my 96 Cali running for over a year.  Bought it new in 96 but haven't ridden it in 10 or 15 years.  Had to buy a new fuel tank it was so bad.  Yeah, and not very focused and numerous side trips getting parts.  Didn't realize replacing the fuel lines was going to end up leading to numerous other projects and basically took the winter off.

Even though I took what I thought were enough pictures along the way, I never seem to take enough.  I have a wire bundle I think goes to the positive terminal of the battery but I'm not sure.  It comes out from under the relay block.  See image below.  Any help in identifying where this lead connects would be most helpful.  Would like to get it right before I try starting it for the first time.

Thanks!  Kent


(https://i.ibb.co/q34KNtR2/IMG-0504.jpg) (https://ibb.co/q34KNtR2)

Title: Re: 1996 California 1100i Unknown Wire
Post by: turboguzzi on April 20, 2026, 03:19:49 PM

black would usually go to the -/ground terminal of batt,

"I think goes" not good enough. confirm precisely what is connected to.

Title: Re: 1996 California 1100i Unknown Wire
Post by: Kent Larson on April 20, 2026, 03:31:40 PM

Thanks for the quick comeback!

That's what we were thinking but we can not trace where the wire bundle connects even after starting to the remove master cylinder.  We (a friend is helping who has an electrical engineering background and a couple of motorcycles) also figured if it were a ground it would  probably be grounded to the chassis instead of running back to the battery ground.  Alllso, it looks like one of my heat shrink jobs.  Not bad, just not factory.  It's been so long I can't remember.  I did a lot of electrical work on the bike back in the day which I removed.

Title: Re: 1996 California 1100i Unknown Wire
Post by: fotoguzzi on April 21, 2026, 08:29:29 AM

If a ground wire could you use an ohm meter (wire to frame) and see continuity?

Title: Re: 1996 California 1100i Unknown Wire
Post by: Kent Larson on April 21, 2026, 08:43:54 AM

I think we tried that with no joy, but will try again.  The bike is not at my house so I do not have easy access.  It’s sometimes like starting over every time I get around to working on it.  Will advise.

Thanks!

Title: Re: 1996 California 1100i Unknown Wire
Post by: malik on April 21, 2026, 04:49:14 PM

The ground on the smallblocks is earthed to the bellhosing, RHS, if that helps.