Can anyone recommend a good wiring loom / harness supplier - or has anyone made a new one themselves?

Tried to order one off Draganfly but they are out of stock (and will be for weeks).

email (option): adh325@hotmail.com

Make it yourself! Quite easy, and you can adapt it to your specific needs, like wiring for a brake light.

email (option): viaconsu # planet dot nl

I dont think I would know where to start Hans!

Is there a standard size wire I would need to use?

Also, my soldering skills leave alot to desire!

email (option): adh325@hotmail.com

Motorcycle Electrical Services will probably sort you out. I did a feature on them for Classic Bike magazine a few years ago, and they seem to know their stuff and have thousands of patterns, etc. They can modify and custom make looms. No website. They're in Warwickshire, England.

Ask for Sue

01926 499 756

email (option): dannydefazio@sumpmagazine.com

Simple task to make yourself.
Follow the diagram and add extra wires for brake stop light,switch.
I use special fabric stretch and bond electrical tape which forms to the harness after applied made for the job looks authentic as well.
Rear Number Plate Light, Battery and brake switch etc adapt some electrical cable couple of meters from electrical supplier type used on Electrical Iron Flex its Cloth covered and looks authentic spray it either black or green.( Code the inner 3 Wires to suit your harness )
Improvise its easy to do!good fun doing it!

Andy, you've got a ready-made jig (the motorcycle) which will be far more accurate than any of the pin boards that the harness makers use and you can leave it long until you're sure that it fits.

The wiring diagrams on a magdyno bike are dead simple if you take it one step at a time. The only remotely complicated bit can be wiring the main lighting switch, depending on what you have.

There is no soldering involved - mostly grub screws or push on ferrules.

The wiring on military bikes was originally rubber coated. I cheated by scuffing modern black cable with 'Scotch-Brite' and it looks fine. As modern insulation is thinner, you have the chance to go up a size on the cable.

If you do intend to do it yourself, I can let you have a note of the materials that I used, copying my original harness. On Lex's suggestion, I used a section of bicycle inner tube as sheathing for the main loom round the headstock.

I'd suggest having a good look at a wiring diagram and making sure that you understand what goes where. If you get it wrong, it's no big deal, just re-do it. Be careful though that everything is correct before you connect a modern voltage regulator (they don't like it up 'em !)

This would be the time to decide what sort of bulbs you're going to use. Several of us are using LED rears and this can be done using a resistor with only one wire to the lamp unit if you're running a WD lamp.

You might all have inspired me to give this a go! Couple questions though - do I need to watch what thickness wire I use to cope with the current, or does normal 13a rated flex cable do the trick?

Also, on the wiring diagram it shows lots of connections to what looks like an earth symbol, does the frame act as common earth, or should there be a common earth wire?

Apologies for the stupid questions!

email (option): Adh325@hotmail.com

email (option): ferrarakias@hotmail.com

Kostas

Rik

If you do intend to do it yourself, I can let you have a note of the materials that I used, copying my original harness.

Rik,
I could use your notes too! Besides you never sent them to me...
Kostas

email (option): viaconsu # planet dot nl

The short dynamo puts out a max of 45 watts. At 6 volts that's 7.5 amps. In fact, however, the voltage at max rpms of the dynamo is about 7 volts which would make the max amps 6.5 amps. The long dynamo puts out 60 watts max, meaning 10 amps at 6 volts or 8.6 amps at 7 volts. That's the long way of saying that, even assuming all of the electrical system's output goes through only one of the wires, a 13 amp rated wire is more than sufficient. From a more realistic viewpoint, a DU42 headlamp bulb would be 24 watts originally or 35 watts in a modern equivalent. That works out to either 4 amps or 6 amps. Your 13 amp rated wire again far more than sufficient for ordinary use.

If you have a short and all of the battery's output is dumping to ground, clearly you can have more than a total of 13 amps, which would fry your wiring, but there is no way to allow for all contingencies.

As for voltage, household wire is obviously rated at mains voltage so the measely 6 or 7 volts it would encounter in an M20 would not be a problem. Both as for voltage and as for amperage, I think if using modern (i.e., non-antique and non-NOS) wiring would mean that you can use both thinner copper as well as thinner insulation. The suggestion of using thicker wiring seems counterproductive because, not only you don't need it but also thicker wiring is less flexible and would be slightly more difficult to install but also more difficult to tame - keep tight in bends and tight against the cycle elements.

email (option): jonny.rudge@verizon.net

13 amp house cable tends to be not very flexable and breaks near to a soldered joints maybe trailer light cable might be better and it gives you 5 or 7 colours to play with that is if you are not looking for 100% authenticity

email (option): roger.beck@node6.com

I have found the best source for good auto/bike wires comes from knackered British cars and bikes. Over here we do not have ready access to the stuff you have, so we salvage a lot of materials.

The advantages of recycling the wire are numerous: Proper size and gage(s), bullet connectors, color coded, and it's free! Since most of you are in UK, there should be a decent supply of Ripaults tools and connectors around.

House wire, machine tool wire etc are not made for automotive use. They are too stiff and thick. They also have a tendancy to break at soldered connections.

I've just finished wiring a 1958 Metropolitan using new wire and connectors I get from a buddy in the business. I have a Bugeye Sprite to do next. My MGA was the first project. I did my Command and BSA B20 too.

Basic tools are cheap, get a continuity tester, a decent soldering iron, and some VERY thin gage lead & acid free solder. You will need some sort of clamp arrangement to hold the subject wire & connector too. In your tool box you should already have a wire cutter & stripper tool. That's about it.

Why pay someone to do what is an easy skill to learn?

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

Use the wire thats on a domestic iron its cloth coated can buy it from an electrical store 2-3 meters and looks authentic spray it black or green 3 core cable just code the colours to your diagram.
Its not solid its braided fine copper wire,does the job on mine from Battery to Rear Light and Brake light.
Ideal to work with and to solder as well.
Looks great!! Looks authentic as well at the rear end.
Improvise....the materials are staring at you!
Main Harness made new wires bundled tight with Webb Cloth self Bonding Sheath ...
Over the whole main harness for the really authentic look.
Beals is a good supplier of electrical fittings cables.sheath,shrink cable covering etc. etc.
Car breakers is a great source for wire supply and harness providers.
Check some of the cars,trucks etc...be something there that you can make one from.

Up to recently used wiring harness with fabric covers from paul bruschan, mail is paulbruschan@hotmail.com He comes from Maidstone in kent, overhauls mags, and dynos to, and is very good,and fair prices, But on my fleas, only three wires, LOL,so am using black butyl rubber covered wire, with coloured rubber sleeves on the wire ends bought from radio spares, and will try out my own wiring on the bsa m20 bought last year from USA before I bring it to normandy,, There is a post last year on this, and henk has posted a link about wiring that might help Andrew.h.

email (option): warbikes@gmail.com

I have just bought one of Pauls wiring harnesses and it is very nice indeed. It comes already prepared for a brake light switch. However, not being careful enough when I pulled the bike apart, can anyone let me have a schematic or photos of the routing used on the wiring loom? Also, what is it held to the frame with? I know its pretty easy to find a route, but dont want to do it all then find some bright spark ( no pun intended) points out the error of my ways on my first outing!

email (option): andrew.honychurch@btinternet.com

email (option): teladelujo@msn.com

thanks John, indeed they do but if I am not pushing my luck too far, perhaps you could e mail them to me as I cannot enlarge them, and with my aged eyesight some of he detail is a bit tricky to see, thanks a lot. AH

email (option): andrew.honychurch@btinternet.com

I will email...sorry, did not know that they could not be enlarged to view...

JDE

email (option): teladelujo@msn.com