Tackling the Wiring Nightmare.

At the last minute before tackling the wiring jumble I had to send for some proper wire strippers. Amazing how cheap they are . Adjustable for insulation thickness too . Like the man says "Made in China " .My plan is to disconnect the ABS fuse box and store that behind the seat. If I leave a few inches attached to the box it will be available if a later owner wants to resurrect the ABS system .That leaves enough room beside the battery for the normal fuses with a better fuse box (case ).I have a collection of "crimp and heat shrink "connectors to take away all the wire stretching and crushing . One other obstruction was a very large white plastic plug connector inside a soft plastic bonnet. That is not wired up to anything so I may cut that short too .The ABS has a huge built in collection of connectors sprouting out of the main loom . Most ABS plug ends are tied up in bundles behind the seat .
 
After avoiding the garage on cold days I might be avoiding it on hot days too . My son`s ST 1100 is still there . He seems to have forgotten it altogether . The tupperware is still decorating the walls . The seat has forgotten how it fits . I struggled to get it on today . On both sides above the mudguard are thick cables and they are stopping the plastic hooks engaging the metal cross piece . The rubber buffers at the front sides know where to touch the frame. But the cables get in the way of the two plastic hooks. Then it`s struggle to make the lock work . Should those cables be tied at the sides or kept in the centre ? The left side cable forms into a big lump inside the wrinkly protection cover .But movement and pressure shows where the protection is wearing away to expose the wire colours .
 
The last post describes what must have been a mistake by the previous owner(s).This was an ABS model with the police and normally on a non ABS machine the only wires going behind the seat are stop lights and winkers. In the free space behind the seat there are a collection of chunky plugs connected to nothing .I was going to unscrew all the back frame and lights but it would be better to just unwind anything not connected back from there .I have a selection of cutting and snipping tools to do all that . The two cables running over the mudguard are about 1/2 an inch thick in tough plastic tubing and the plastic seat base will not allow that much room .To make the lock catch work I have to bend the seat .Most times it won`t work .
 
Today I worked hard to get rid of all the spare wires and plugs that operated the ABS. Just enough to clear the clutter under the seat which could not fit with 2 thick cables in the way.The rule was to take away any cables with blank plugs at the end . There was one black box that looked like a fuse so that was left alone . The spare leads were shortened so each wire cut was 1/4 inch longer than the last one .Then I wrapped the collection in loom tape. The remaining wires were held aside with cable ties . The seat fitted very well . The key worked to release it . Just to finish off I smeared some graphite grease under the plastic hooks and a dab on the locking catch . That was all done. Put the seat back in place. Just to test how smoothly it worked I tried the key again . Nothing . I can hear clicking but the seat will not shift . Now I have to take all the rear plastic off to get at the locking cable . A perfect waste of all that effort .
 
The wiring job produced a useful result for the sticky seat catch . To get at the cable you need to extract two small bolts holding the parking handle .The handle on the left that hinges outwards against a spring . That bracket holds the cable lock and the plastic cable fixing can be seen with the seat in place. The basic problem was the metal bracket that holds the outer cable was bent over on one side. Once you can get at the cable end it`s easy to release the seat. Here are some tips to stop the seat nuisance .
The seat plastic and rubber buffers resting on the frame produce a pressure upwards on the lock catch . It`s important to press down on the seat (with your elbow ) before turning the release key. Press down , turn the key keep the key there and pull the seat up enough to release it. That saves the key getting bent.
Putting the seat back needs another trick . There are two big plastic hooks and six rubber buffers under the seat. That adds up to some resistance plus the front end rubs on a slightly rusty petrol tank . So I rubbed Graphite grerase on all the buffers as well as the hooks and petrol tank . Now it works smooth and quick .
To get rid of the key use ,you could throw away the cable and lock. Just tie some string on the catch mechanism and push it through a frame hole. Then add a small rubber ball hiding under the plastic rear end. One quick pull will get the seat released . I might add that to the bike to save the bother next time. I noticed the key I used in the lock was not very straight . Mickey mouse metal . No good for fighting large plastic seats .
This part should be shown as a separate topic .Cross reference and duplication would be better .
 
John the photos of the locking mechanism are good but you have left out the most vital detail. The end of the cable where the key operates needs to be uncovered first .
The lock is part of the parking handle bracket which is fixed with two 10 mm bolts .
Pull back the parking handle and you can see the second bolt . Take out the two 10mm bolts and you can get at the cable end . The cable bracket on my bike had been bent so the key movement pulled outer and inner together . To bend the bracket with a key must have been difficult . The catch mechanism can be safely left alone . It`s out of the weather under there . The cable at the key end is more exposed .The bad feature is the way the cable takes a sharp turn after it goes through the frame . If you replace that small cable try to keep a smooth bend there . The plastic/foam materials of the seat apply an upward force on the seat catch which stops the catch slider from moving . Imagine opening your house door while pressing as hard as you can with your shoulder before turning the key . The door catch would not like it .
 
The wiring repair and tidy up has begun , like emerging from an ice age . All to reattach the correct coloured wires to the fuse box instead of a jumbled mass of thick , stiff , red wires I thought crimp connectors would be suitable . But there is not much room to work in the restricted space near the battery compartment . One or two carefully joined wires simply fell apart . So I abandoned the crimper and bought some screw connectors that would be used in the home inside an extension box . Now I am waiting for heat shrink sleeves to arrive . If I want to extend the connection I can use a screw driver . Soldering is too much of a hassle . Part of this ABS wiring is a collection of stubby black fuses spouting out with no indication what they connect to .It looks as if they are the original fittings . They are about 3/4 inch square .I don`t want to squeeze another fuse box in there .No numbers or labels on them .Very untidy . Angels fear to tread .
My old crimper never gave me any trouble with the pressure applied at the end of the tool . A new Chinese stripper /crimper has the pressure jaws set in the handle behind the stripper part . That is what made the job impossible. I could not position it without the wires moving . And when they were connected ,they fell apart . Only 100 % correct is good enough .
 
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I tried an old crimper I`ve used many times . The ones I had fitted , squashed in a lot more but one still came apart so I removed all of them and fitted screw type connectors with heat shrink plastic sleeves to warm up tomorrow .
Red for the right side .Black for the left .Untidy crossovers and tangles were sorted out .
 
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