A local independent Harley shop told me nobody would pay a shop to do what Im doing to my bike either! Its a labour of love more often than not but its the only way you'll get what you want. And its fun
No one, especially someone you pay, is ever going to do it as well as you do it. Guys in shop gotta get your bike out and get to the next one, it is a job for them. For us, things not going right, walk away, have a beer, think about it, then go back when you have your mind correct. Sometimes that is a week for me, contemplating how to do it the way I want. You just can't pay someone for that kind of time and thinking. Carry on.
The only downside is my wife is saying I have a 'garage addiction' lol.
While she was out I cleaned and polished the rear fender, plate holder and tail light. It's hard to see in this picture, but I polished it with 3M swirl remover and it really brought out the color.
Everything all waxed and polished and ready to install:
Looking good. Next I can start the re-wiring project.
Got some time in the garage and started tackling the wiring. This is a stripped down bike without turn signals or most other wiring, but I wanted to keep as much original wiring as I could, especially the color codes. I spent a lot of time with the harness and wiring diagrams to figure it out.First thing is to clean the old mess in paint thinner, and see what badness lurks. I found a few sections of hard cracked insulation that will need the wires replaced.
The headlight bucket was rusted out so I will use this chrome one that I had laying around:
That meant removing the harness. I only had to remove the plug that goes to the original dash. I bought this tool and some connectors at a yard sale last year. It worked pretty well, once I got the hang of it. Push the tool over the pin, push up on the wire, twist and wiggle the tool, then pull the wire out. I have a similar tool for the sockets too.
Harley uses connectors for the same reason an electrician uses wire nuts, so there is quite a rats nest inside the headlight bucket. But I won't need most of it, and the prior owner cut a lot of them off:
As I took things apart, I drew a schematic showing where the wires go inside and out of the headlight bucket. I'll only need one of the orange accessory power wires, not the whole connector full. I already drew a simplified wiring diagram too. I circled one of the bad wires:
Once it was all separated and clean, I started laying out where the wires go. Once they are all figured out, I'll put some plastic sleeves on the main runs.
Because I am using those mini-buttons on the handlebars, I will need to make a little relay panel under the gas tank. They'll mount using an expanding rubber plug in the hole the original speedometer cable went thru, and some hard plastic:
Using the existing wiring? You're a braver man than I am. I applaud keeping the same layout and color codes. But no way I'm keeping original wiring in a 40 yr old bike. Weathered, corroded, brittle wire. Even the stuff that seems ok is one road bump away from breaking off. The weakest link on any bike (or car or boat) will always be the electrical connections. The wires, and more specifically, the interfaces. Where the wires meet connectors and connectors meet other connectors. I'm rewiring my 1980 with all new harnesses. But that's me.
Last edited by scooper321; 06-04-2018 at 09:33 PM.
05-26-2018, 07:29 PM
I cleaned and polished the rear fender, plate holder and tail light. It's hard to see in this picture, but I polished it with 3M swirl remover and it really brought out the color.
