Basic Wiring Question...

[jstrain]

Hey guys, getting closer to finishing up a cafe CB450, which is my first real project. Also have a Savage that I just started turning into a basic soft tail bobber.

Anyway, the wiring on the CB is mostly done and works fine at the moment, but I'm wondering if there is a better way to do it. All the wiring is new and done from scratch. My biggest question is how to deal with the multitude of ground and power connections?

Currently, I ran single ground and power wires towards the front of the bike (power coming off the ignition and ground coming from the rear of the bike). At the end of each main wire, I stripped back a few inches of insulation and twisted / soldered / shrink tubed on a bunch of short wires that feed the different components like lights, signals, coils, etc. I'm using soldered / shrink tubed bullet connectors for all the connections between everything.

Like I said, everything works at this point (headlight comes on, engine turns over, brake light works, idiot lights work, etc), but I'm wondering if there is a better way than my "trunk" and "branches" method. The biggest problem is that where the power and ground wires split out into the branches, it's a big thick mess of wires that are hard to control and keep clean once stuffed under the tank.

How are you guys doing things? Looms, multiple power / ground wires? Terminal blocks?

[bobscogin]

I ground components to the frame, as near to the component as possible using existing attachment points such as fender mounting bolts. There are pros and cons to that, but I find it simpler on home shop wiring jobs than trying to run ground wires in a harness to a common point. It's been working for me for decades.

Bob

[Dowski]

Bob said it. Just make sure the ground from the battery to the frame is a good one. Than all you need to do is get a ground wire from the thing you need grounded attached to the frame.

[jstrain]

Yup, that's pretty much what I've got now. The ground wire that everything shares runs back to a bolt going into the frame under the seat hump.

Seems to work well enough now, although it's still up on the lift. Who knows what'll happen when I hit the road with it.

[krb]

I agree, but I'd emphasize the phrase "to the frame." I've had issues with stuff on the bars or in the headlight bucket that were resolved by running a grounding strap back the frame under the tank.