frame internal wiring
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Road Master
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,100
Likes: 0
From: Marietta, Ohio
hey, thanks joe, great tutorial. I'll have to look into that. I'm already ahead of the curve on wiring though, my bike is an '87 and the main wiring harness up the spine of the bike is about the size of my pinky. I'm still waiting to hear back from a couple people about what drilling holes will do to my frame, so I may be doing something more along the lines of what you're doing.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,408
Likes: 56
From: Vallejo, California
Warning... if your FOB key is attached to your iginition key then the FOb key is going to be hitting / rattling because is going to be resting on the primary case... so you should get a longer L bracket (perhaps 2 x 2) and cut it to meet your needs.. I hope this helps...
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Virginia
If you do plan on running all the wires inside the frame you better know how to read and rewrite a wiring diagram. I don't think it takes a degree to do it tho. I is a stupid jarhead, and was able to figure it out. I was worried about drilling the frame but tried to drill in places that really seem to have no structural support of the bike. For the wires coming off of the fuse panel I drilled up into the bottom of the back bone where it comes out down by the rubber mount. It was a pain, and I had to use a drimel and a lot of bits because of the clearance issues, but there is already a hole there to start with. As for the ones going to the ECM and rear lights, just careful positioning between the oil tank, battery, and "kidneys" does the trick. I did have to lengthen a few to get them routed the way I wanted. The only one I'm worried about is the 1" hole I drilled into the top of the backbone under the tank where all the wires for the controls come out. If the frame ends up cracking it will be there. There is also a lot of lengthening and soldering that goes into doing this. I left the harness for the FI alone, and will be the only wires visible when it is done. It looks very clean. If the frame does end up cracking then I guess I have a reason to give the wife why I bought a ridgid frame. Haha.
Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 138
Likes: 1
From: North East of England
Awesome....
Thanks going to add that to the long list of mods you and MReed have given me ^.^
Thanks going to add that to the long list of mods you and MReed have given me ^.^
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 666
Likes: 1
From: Cavendish, Pei
Whenever you drill any frame you need to reinforce it around the holes drilled. Take a washer with the same inside diameter as the hole you are drilling and weld the washer around the hole . That way it can never crack ..
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,408
Likes: 56
From: Vallejo, California
Crack is Whack!!
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 136
Likes: 2
From: CNY
Engineer I am....Electrical I am NOT! I hated my circuits class! 
But thanks for the kind words BMX.
Just wanted to jump on here really quick and give my $0.02 for anyone considering doing this.
I agree with VM here...knowing your way around a wiring schematic is critical. They are fairly easy to understand....and he is right...don't need a degree to understand them for sure.
BTW...thank you for your service to our country VM!
Sound advice. I did mine a little differently as I drilled two holes about 5/8" in diameter where the backbone slides inside another tube that the neck is welded too...so the tube is twice the normal wall thickness in that area. I also drilled past where the the two tubes are puddle welded together (you can see the dimple from the puddle weld just to the right of my holes).
You also want to make sure you remove any sharp edges in those holes with a dremel or file and protect the wires as they come out of any hole in the frame.
Here is the clutch side of the bike where the following wires come out for the speedo, indicator strip, headlight and turn signals:
This is the throttle side of the bike where all the wires for the controls on the handlebars come ouf of the frame:
But thanks for the kind words BMX.Just wanted to jump on here really quick and give my $0.02 for anyone considering doing this.
BTW...thank you for your service to our country VM!
I was worried about drilling the frame but tried to drill in places that really seem to have no structural support of the bike. The only one I'm worried about is the 1" hole I drilled into the top of the backbone under the tank where all the wires for the controls come out.
You also want to make sure you remove any sharp edges in those holes with a dremel or file and protect the wires as they come out of any hole in the frame.
Here is the clutch side of the bike where the following wires come out for the speedo, indicator strip, headlight and turn signals:
This is the throttle side of the bike where all the wires for the controls on the handlebars come ouf of the frame:
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hey cosmo....glad you took the time to join. great community here like xlforums and everyone is very helpful. you gotta post a pic of your bike though so everyone can see how smooth and clean that thing is! welcome to the hood!
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Road Master
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,100
Likes: 0
From: Marietta, Ohio
That's a great idea, I think I'll be using that one.
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