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Sup guys need some advise/tips on shortening a wiring harness for a vt600. Ordered the tjstyles e-tank and gonna hide all this shit in there. Trying to get rid of all the connector in font of the tank and hide everything inside the tank. Any tips or anything you guys have done? Thank you!
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Tips sure no problem.... Do you have a Manual with a wiring diagram??? If not buy one.... Do you know what your wanting to take out of the harness??? If not you need to decide..... Drawn a wiring diagram of what you need....
There you go that's what you need to know.... Now get at it..... -
Have you looked at TJ's videos on YouTube?
He has a bunch of good info on thereComment
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I have but my problem is how the hell donibstart chopping everything? I got a diagram for a short chop but idk how to start it if that makes sense?Comment
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Got all my wiring out, now I’m trying to figure out where to start first lol. I’m so lostAttached FilesComment
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There is some great info right here; only 2 years ago this same thing was asked:
How To Tech Thread: VT600 Rewiring (Absolute Newb)
"...Trying to decide what can be removed, what can't be removed, what should be spliced, grounded, connected... I feel that I'm in over my head. Hah!"
and here is excellent tech info from farmall:
"SAVE AND PRINT THIS PAGE. Keep it with your wiring kit you are about to assemble. (Plastic tackle boxes etc work great.)
Using your service manual schematic, draw the systems you wish to preserve. You can scan the schematic then print copies to write on. On the copies you can use colored hi-liters to map what you mean to keep. Don't change any of the manual pages so they remain an unfucked reference.
Now, I've seen a few wiring diagrams but to be honest, it all looks like Spanish to me.
Decide you will learn Spanish. What one man can learn, another can learn. You can't expect to learn without study. The internet is your friend. You must learn what every component does to understand how they work as a system.
If you start the right way you can quickly learn to do PROPER wiring on most anything. You will not only not mind wiring, you'll look forward to wiring things your way. It's a life skill.
Don't start cutting up the stock harness until you have a plan including a diagram of what goes where. A large sheet of cardboard for notes (take notes, fuck memory) works for me.
Practice cutting, stripping, crimp splicing etc on SCRAP wire and not your work. At least your harness is relatively new and not some 1970s shit turning to dust in your hand..
Review the charging system, ignition system, indicating systems and lighting systems so you know what you can do without.
Get good strippers, good crimpers and a heat gun (heat gun can be cheap, I grab all I can get for like five bucks at yard sales) for shrinking tubing.
Solder splicing is not required. Crimps work fine on fighters pulling 9 G's in combat. Soldering to switches is often required but there isn't a lot of that.
Bare splices and connectors plus applied heat shrink, or those with built on heat shrink are best. Not the auto store shit with heavy plastic sleeves.
Supplies are cheap on Ebay. Polyolefin adhesive lined heat shrink is best, but plain PVC heat shrink is acceptable.
A decent soldering iron, flux core solder, liquid flux, and a solder sucker will cover soldering tasks. Practice on scrap. Check Youtube for soldering and crimping videos.
You need a cheap incandescent test light (bulbs are a load) and a multimeter.
Not really a lot of stuff but wiring is easy with the right tools and miserable without them.
Learn ways to wrap wire harness. AVOID typical shit electrical tape. 3M or Scotch is preferred if you must tape something. Harness should be covered in heat shrink tubing instead.
Route wiring so it doesn't chafe on sharp edges or hot surfaces.
Use CIRCUIT BREAKERS, not fuses. Fuck hunting fuses when you need one. Harley style or blade style are fine. Blade are compact and tough holders are common and inexpensive.
You can buy large diameter tubing off Ebay. PRACTICE with any tubing you get so you KNOW its shrunken size. THINK about leaving room when you make harness to get tubing over the harness.
For example if you have a two-foot length of harness with connectors on both ends, you need room to make the connections. If you cut several sections of heat shrink whose total length is LONGER than the harness you can telescope them over each other while building the harness, then slide them to finished length with some overlap at the ends.
Slide all but the first out of the way, shrink the first. Overlap the shrunk end of the first with the second. Shrink that. Repeat and your harness length is covered and sealed. Always have MUCH more heatshrink and supplies than you think you will need. Store them in an ORDERLY manner for ease of use.
Digital pics are good references so take many, sort later.
Decide which switches you want in what locations. Select quality switches of correct type for each location. Then you can "reconnect the dots". Nearly all complex wiring jobs break down into simple steps. SEE THE STEPS.
Know how systems work you want to change, for example know the path of current through the ignition switch, kill switch and starter button. A good way to think visually is grab some printer paper and sketch all over it. Don't try to save paper.
If you have a sidestand safety switch and a clutch handle safety switch, consider how to bypass all that directly.
If you can take CLEAR pics of your schematic or find a .pdf or image of it online you can post images for advice.
Make a checklist (killing trees saves labor!):
Example: Left side switch cluster relocation. List the switches you want to keep and those you don't need along with required actions.
Clutch safety switch - delete but must be bypassed to start.
Hi-Lo beam switch - relocate or use sexy aftermarket switch
Left turn signal - delete or change (no one can see hand signals and night and only incredibly old people know what they mean. Others may mistake them for a wave-on. Your call.
Horn - keep or delete
Right switch cluster relocation:
Kill switch and starter switch - (these work together and modern kill switches interrupt power to starter and ignition systems) You can relocate their FUNCTIONS to a key switch OR a key switch and separate starter button. I like separate buttons because you can put them anywhere and use them with ignition off to spin engine for maintenance. Know how key switches are wired and how to test one you aren't sure of with a battery and test light.
Turn signal- delete or change.
Diagram all your final changes because memory is unreliable.
As you need them make test leads etc with wire and connectors or alligator and crocodile clips. You can buy clips cheep on Ebay.
Don't make wiring harness bowstring tight, especially where it moves (front end etc) or where you need some slack for maintenance. A little slack leaves room for future repair.
Many factory connectors exist for assembly line convenience. Know which those are. You may choose to permanently splice that connection for cleanliness. The electricity won't care.
When you change the color of a wire, note that.
Go slow and you'll finish quicker."
and, here's what farmall copy and pasta from a post on harleytechtalk:
I could not post as too much info...
and still more from farmall:
"Somebody needs to read my posts again. I explained what the switches on the right control do.
Right switch cluster relocation:
Kill switch and starter switch - (these work together and modern kill switches interrupt power to starter and ignition systems) You can relocate their FUNCTIONS to a key switch OR a key switch and separate starter button. I like separate buttons because you can put them anywhere and use them with ignition off to spin engine for maintenance. Know how key switches are wired...
READ THE SCHEMATIC. Understand where power goes. No shortcuts or you won't learn shit.
The answer is in front of you in the schematic. What do those switches DO? THINK OF A SWITCH AS ITS FUNCTION(s).
Also, do I need the clutch switch or can I removed that wire? Have no idea where the wire went.
You aren't FOLLOWING THE SCHEMATIC to learn what you need to know.
Draw the path of those wires out on a separate sheet of paper. Your question is easy for you to answer if you do that.
It is important to learn. If you don't learn how shit works, you won't be able to fix your ride.
Many shop don't work on choppers because most of them are abortions. You don't want an abortion.
When you can't find a wire, you can find what it is supposed to connect then figure things out that way.
You can't get the result you want or the skills you need by shortcuts. Forget how YOU want to learn it. Learn it as described if you want results and knowledge.
TEST QUESTIONS:
What does the run/kill (however one cares to name it) switch do and how does it relate to the starter button?
What does the starter button do?
What does the clutch safety switch do?
What year is the VT600? If you can post a pic of the schematic or link to a .pdf manual or I can find one that will assist training. There's a NASTY fucking heat wave where I live so I've got plenty of computer time.
Find the closest manual to your motorcycle here:
Answer the test questions (I'm not expecting perfection, just show comprehension) and we'll get ya sorted out.
I've trained many Air Force techs and mechs. What one human can learn, another can learn."
and, still more from farmall in this same thread: I could not add this as there was too much info to post...
Tattooo commented:"Damn it farmall............ You out did yourself.............."
See the rest of the ChopCult How To Tech thread here:
If buildin' old school choppers was easy, anyone could do it... ain't nobody said it's gonna be easy...Comment
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