The new battery is waiting to be charged but first the massive tangle of wires to the fuse case (case not box ) has to be sorted out . This is an ABS 2002 ST 1100 model . ABS is a mystery to me but I will rely on the original Honda wiring colours. Coming out of the wiring loom for a few inches are various coloured wires . They have been reconnected with some narrow connectors and covered with black heat shrink rubber . Sadly the colours have been mostly changed to Red and a few Blue ,regardless of the original colour . The extensions are about as long as my forearm and end up with badly fitted terminal connectors . The shear volume of the twisted wires was the biggest problem . 3 of the connectors have already dropped off the wires. They were probably not using a crimping tool to compress the metal and plastic together . One thin black wire was piggy backing and twisted onto the terminal before the slide on connector . There is one extension that began as a thicker wire and ended up thinner .
So I started to disconnect each terminal ,adding a fuse case terminal number (Left or Right ) and taking out all the bends and twists . The fuse case has a label for Top and L/R. I could just shorten them with new connectors but I want the original wire colours to be there . If push comes to shove I will solder the damn things in place . There are some familiar Honda connectors they have been used since early Honda 50 days . They can stay there . There is a cube shaped component with a soft plastic bonnet ,but the wide open end faces upwards . That seems wrong if you ever ride in the rain . Part of the loom drops down to a square black box (The ABS fuse case). That cable run was reshaped to reduce the way it crossed all the other wires. Now it runs horizontal and turns straight down to it`s designed space .
This fuse box has open terminals sprouting out on both sides . It does not look like a very safe design . Partzilla may help there .
Some of the new red wires have an untidy (and tight ) double back connection to chunky black rubber connectors . I had one single mystery black wire drifting around near the fuses with some electrical tape stuck on it . My son will enjoy the thorough circuit testing session in a few days .
Just as I was squeezing past the bike there was a loud clatter . Nothing on the floor and then I saw the flasher lamp assembly dangling from the winker wires . Lets chalk that fairing connection as a Honda design abberation . But why is that plug connection such a sod to disconnect ? Happily the mirror sits there as solid as a rock . The left side flasher assembly is plastered in place with unsightly black Gorrilla tape . A nice contrast with the silver fairing . They must have been in a hurry to repair that one . The right side has some kind of soft rubber compound vainly trying to hold one plastic button . Maybe it was designed by a Russian (Vladimir Popoff ). Mainly the stubborn wiring connector has done it`s life saver duty there.
I used to be a Panel Wireman and worked on big metal boxes the size of a room for North Sea Oil Rigs . They controlled the Concorde style jet engines pumping gas ashore in Maggie Thatcher`s days. Recently they showed the rigs being closed down and there was one of my panels being yanked out . The end of an era . But with this bike it`s like Deja Vu all over again .
Searching through Partzilla the original fuse cases are unavailable. On ebay the case fitted is a marine design with bare metal tabs poking out. That would be safer in a closable box.
With a colour coded set of wires I might extend them all to live behind the seat and buy a box with a proper cover on it .
I feel at home with a full circuit diagram even though the symbols look nothing like the physical objects . But I may need to draw parts of the diagram larger by hand .I can`t get the laptop in the garage .
So I started to disconnect each terminal ,adding a fuse case terminal number (Left or Right ) and taking out all the bends and twists . The fuse case has a label for Top and L/R. I could just shorten them with new connectors but I want the original wire colours to be there . If push comes to shove I will solder the damn things in place . There are some familiar Honda connectors they have been used since early Honda 50 days . They can stay there . There is a cube shaped component with a soft plastic bonnet ,but the wide open end faces upwards . That seems wrong if you ever ride in the rain . Part of the loom drops down to a square black box (The ABS fuse case). That cable run was reshaped to reduce the way it crossed all the other wires. Now it runs horizontal and turns straight down to it`s designed space .
This fuse box has open terminals sprouting out on both sides . It does not look like a very safe design . Partzilla may help there .
Some of the new red wires have an untidy (and tight ) double back connection to chunky black rubber connectors . I had one single mystery black wire drifting around near the fuses with some electrical tape stuck on it . My son will enjoy the thorough circuit testing session in a few days .
Just as I was squeezing past the bike there was a loud clatter . Nothing on the floor and then I saw the flasher lamp assembly dangling from the winker wires . Lets chalk that fairing connection as a Honda design abberation . But why is that plug connection such a sod to disconnect ? Happily the mirror sits there as solid as a rock . The left side flasher assembly is plastered in place with unsightly black Gorrilla tape . A nice contrast with the silver fairing . They must have been in a hurry to repair that one . The right side has some kind of soft rubber compound vainly trying to hold one plastic button . Maybe it was designed by a Russian (Vladimir Popoff ). Mainly the stubborn wiring connector has done it`s life saver duty there.
I used to be a Panel Wireman and worked on big metal boxes the size of a room for North Sea Oil Rigs . They controlled the Concorde style jet engines pumping gas ashore in Maggie Thatcher`s days. Recently they showed the rigs being closed down and there was one of my panels being yanked out . The end of an era . But with this bike it`s like Deja Vu all over again .
Searching through Partzilla the original fuse cases are unavailable. On ebay the case fitted is a marine design with bare metal tabs poking out. That would be safer in a closable box.
With a colour coded set of wires I might extend them all to live behind the seat and buy a box with a proper cover on it .
I feel at home with a full circuit diagram even though the symbols look nothing like the physical objects . But I may need to draw parts of the diagram larger by hand .I can`t get the laptop in the garage .
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