Replacement loom / rewire everything?

[Bhud]

On the subject of old looms, I was just wondering what you guys' thoughts are on very old wiring looms full of issues.

Situation:

Wiring loom works but it's total bullshit (decades of repairs, modifications, relocations, bypassed connectors, etc.) Ugly and would be a pain to diagnose even a simple problem, as the wiring diagram is no longer much use, colours are all wrong, etc. Plus it's got things like a modern fuse box, alarm system, relocation of electrical components, etc.

Possible to replace with an intact original loom. Intact looms are available, but they are also very old, they look crap, would need fresh connectors, continuity testing, etc. Plus would need a bit of modification and thought, because the colours are different in between model years.

Proposed solution:

Don't get replacement loom. Instead get big spool of cable (single colour) and bag of connectors. Old loom straight into the bin, then cut sections of fresh cable to correct length and make a loom, cleaning up everything. Include hardwiring and connector deletes in the process. Tag every wire with a little note saying what it is.

What do you think? The whole bike is being stripped down anyway.

[Nobby the Bastard]

Sounds like you want to make a rod for your own back.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[Islander]

Fix the issues in the standard loom it isn't that hard to do.

Using a single colour? Do you honestly think your tags will survive any length of time? How do you envisage fault finding say 5 years hence? I

You'd have to use the heaviest gauge needed throughout too which would bulk the loom up considerably. Madness!

[Bhud]

Everything works - it's just a mess. It doesn't look like one of those bikes at bike meets, and it might even reflect badly if you looked closely and saw the insulating tape, excess wiring lengths, etc.

My instinct is to rip everything out and start afresh. I looked into M-Unit, but it doesn't actually do very much (you still need the ignition wiring, rectifier, etc.)

But you're probably right and I think for now I'll just keep it and try to hide the guff.

[sickpup]

Cut off insulation, pin to a board and replicate, not too difficult just time consuming to do it right.

[Bhud]

[Ste]

I'm sure there's a thread somewhere about making a replacement loom and I think it might have been posted by stinkwheel.

Closest I can find is this: https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=4673083#4673083

[Bhud]

[Islander]

I used to design looms for electronic equipment professionally. We used to use a piece of plywood, draw the shape of the loom on acetate, print it 1:1 and stick the print down on the board. Then we stretched and screwed springs across the endpoints to hold the wires and put rows of nails along the edge of the design to hold the wires in shape. Then it's just a case of running each wire endpoint to endpoint along the correct route and finally lacing the loom together - lacing is the most flexible but using loom wrap is better for bike looms - extra protection.

Seriously, it'll be a lot more expensive in bits, pieces and cable than you realise and a huge PITA to build and get right. If your original loom is really in that bad a way (and I honestly doubt it is), then buy a second hand one and use that.

[A100man]

Depends on the bike and what you want the end result to do.

With a re-wire you can omit (at your risk) lots of the safety features
such as clutch and side-stand interlocks etc..

the older the bike teh simpler it will be.

On the XJ bikes forum for example they post a 'basic minimum wiring diagram' for people in your situation.

As already said single colour wire of one gauge is daft thought.
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Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

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[Evil Hans]

I was in this situation with my Bandit loom several years back. Several dodgy connectors and a failed alarm/immobiliser.

I found a second hand loom from a low-mileage donor bike. An hour or two to strip and refit, and I never had any more issues with it.

Making your own sounds like a lot of faff to me.
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Triumph Sprint ST 1050. And it's Red.

[stinkwheel]

If you buy a decent length of 13 core thinwall trailer cable, you get 13 different colours. 5 thick and 8 thin.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.