Best Wiring & Cable Practices

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ezrider

Member
May 18, 2016
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Indiana
Always here about getting wires and cables out of the way, but thats not good enough. Could use a good photo that could save me alot of hassles and headaches in the future.
 

KCvale

Well-Known Member
Feb 28, 2010
3,966
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Phoenix,AZ
Always here about getting wires and cables out of the way, but thats not good enough. Could use a good photo that could save me alot of hassles and headaches in the future.
I think I can help, I pride myself with my cable work as nothing bugs me more than sloppy cables.

About the only cable you can't size is a 2-stroke throttle, it has a connector on each end, otherwise it's a barrel connector on one end, and nothing on the other.

It's the outer sheath you size to fit, but you need a cable cutter like this to do it so you don't mess up the end, and then put a new end back on it.
http://www.amazon.com/ELITESRS-8-In...5055706&sr=8-11&keywords=bicycle+cable+cutter

It all starts at the handlebars with ALL pull cables connected to they levers, including the bikes brakes and gears, unhook everything they connect to, then use temp 'zip-ties' to make it 'look pretty' in front as you test fit.

I just use bread twist ties at this stage.

Temp fit all cables along your bike where they look the best until you get their ends to determine how much outer sheath you need to cut off each one.

You asked for example pics...
Heck, my sig link has over a hundred so I'll just show a couple really hard ones ;-}





With 4-stroke engines it even easier, even the throttle cable be cut.



The trick with cutting a pull cable is to pull as much as you will need hanging out the end from the barrel side so when you cut it, you can push it back in and have enough for what it hooks to.

Hope that helps you build better looking bikes, it works for me ;-}
 
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bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
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living the dream in southern california
If you look thru a bunch of my old threads and the pictures on my profile page, you'll get some good ideas. I can't link posts or post pics from my phone (I mean, I could, but it'd take forever.)

Throttle cables can be (and should be) shortened. There's a sticky thread on that.

I came up with a clutch cable mod using a "brake noodle" (also a sticky thread.)

The best mod, and what makes a clean looking bike, is hiding that ugly cdi box.

Mount it under the motor on the seat tube. You need to shorten and resolder the wires, and get a longer plug wire, but it really looks great when you get rid of all that crap that's usually just ziptied to the downtube with all haphazardly.

Here's my racebike. No visible wires, clean, short cables, and no zipties.
 

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KCvale

Well-Known Member
Feb 28, 2010
3,966
57
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Phoenix,AZ
The best mod, and what makes a clean looking bike, is hiding that ugly cdi box.
You do great looking builds bairdco, I enjoy your build posts.

I totally agree that the ignition system is the hardest thing to make look good, darn hard actually and the first thing I look at with any build.

We are swaying off the cable topic but what the heck, it's related....
Make it look pretty, and maybe more ;-}







What all of them have in common is the stock wiring is replaced right from the magneto with 16g double insulated black cable, and then I cap the top of the CDI with a special box to hide the connection to the CDI wires.

But by special, I mean it's just big enough to fit a keylock too...



The keylock switch simply shorts out the magneto wires like your kill button.

Turn the key, the engine won't start.
The box is epoxied to the top of the CDI.
The the CDI wires are cut down hard wired to the maneto.
Break the box off and the epoxy takes the last of the CDI wires with it.

Even if some thug makes off with your ride it won't be with engine power.
It may never run for him, it' not like he can just buy a new CDI and plug it in, the wire coming out of the engine has red and white wires and no connections on it ;-}
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
A quick tip on zipties. I worked in the telecommunications industry, and we'd use hubdreds of zipties at each jobsite. There's a simple tool called a "flush cutter" which snips off the end of a ziptie without leaving a razor sharp chunk on the end.

This was industry standard, and now and then some low rent company or lazy tech would just cut then off with dykes, and when you're running your cables, the exposed ends would slice your arms and hands like a knife.

If you don't cut enough zipties to fit a 5-15 dollar pair of flush cutters into your budget, use a stanley razor knife and carefully cut the ends off your zipties flush with the end.

Looks clean, no sharp edges, and you don't look like a hack.
 

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ezrider

Member
May 18, 2016
121
2
16
Indiana
Folks seriously, these are not motorbikes.....they're exquisite WORKS OF ART ! Thanks for sharing and posting pics.
 

KCvale

Well-Known Member
Feb 28, 2010
3,966
57
48
Phoenix,AZ
Folks seriously, these are not motorbikes.....they're exquisite WORKS OF ART ! Thanks for sharing and posting pics.
Ya, there are a few really talented builders around that take a great deal of pride in their work, and it shows.

I have a great deal of respect for the builders that take the time to do 'the little stuff' to not just make an MB functional, but pretty too.