New member. Beginning build.

Yesterday, I had the change to inspect the wiring situation and decided to just buy a new harness. Tires are in dire shape as well.
 
Yesterday, I had the change to inspect the wiring situation and decided to just buy a new harness. Tires are in dire shape as well.
If there was an "unlike" button I would press it right now over that statement. It ranks right up there with "I removed the headlight and saw a wiring nest so I ripped out the wiring", or "I just bought and installed a carb rebuild KIT". Just have seen too many newbies make the FATAL decision to axe the wiring instead of fixing it as they go.
 
Yes . Be careful not to "throw the baby out with the bath water. " Yamaha used many high quality parts as OE on these bikes. One area that will need attention is the fuse box. Even if it looks OK, the tabs become brittle and are bound to give you trouble. Most switch to blade type fuses. Otherwise, cleaning up the contacts , verifying grounds and spot repairs on any poorly doe past repairs will go a long ways to getting you on the road. Replacement harnesses can be of questionable quality and not always plug and play.
 
Time is a biggest factor. I work 60 hours a week. But appreciate the feedback.
If the wiring has been molested by previous owners, at some point, replacement is certainly more efficient.
Especially if you see stuff like this:
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I agree with most, if not all, of the above but I would add..............GIVE IT A BATH. No one likes to work on a dirty bike.
Not to mention how many issues/problems/needed maint items you find and fix while cleaning.
Almost always the sane mechanic's first step in bringing a bike back from the edge.
 
If there was an "unlike" button I would press it right now over that statement. It ranks right up there with "I removed the headlight and saw a wiring nest so I ripped out the wiring", or "I just bought and installed a carb rebuild KIT". Just have seen too many newbies make the FATAL decision to axe the wiring instead of fixing it as they go.

Add on the "I read about the problematic charging system on these bikes so I got a __________. Can somebody help me because it won't run now?"
 
Add on the "I read about the problematic charging system on these bikes so I got a __________. Can somebody help me because it won't run now?"
Or.....the CV carbs were junk so I got a set of "VM style" and I can't get it jetted......it keeps fouling.....and runs hot

Note to OP: We're not picking on you personally; just having a little fun with what passes for "common knowledge" on the internet nowadays (also see old farts that are bored this AM)
 
I’m not trying to pile on, I really do want to help you. I know going through your harness seems like a tedious task, but it’s really not that bad. Get yourself a nice place to work, grab a little stool and put on some music and then just get in the zone and go through your wiring , plug by plug.
I bought a Black and Decker brand (Dremel ) and ordered a box of various size wire wheels and brushes, and just started pulling apart all the connections and shining them up.
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Don’t forget the headlight bucket, where as @gggGary says, the smoke lives! 😄 Look for things like pinched wiring, bare spots, and bad connections. I try to replace electrical tape with heat shrink tubing, it seals much better.
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I think the factory harness is worth saving, a lot of the times replacement harnesses don’t have the right connections, or they have extra connections, and it’s a lot of head scratching.
 
Some good pics of the wiring would be helpful.
Just pics in general helps us see what you're seeing. As mentioned above, it's highly unlikely you're gonna run across something one of us has seen multiple time. We're a wealth of info and knowledge here.
Use us, but give us pics to help you.

Fwiw, unless the harness has been severely hacked, I'm in the use it camp. New harnesses are usually more work than fixing the old. And with you working 60 hrs/week, saving time is a bonus.
 
While I've never been a fan of the Specials over the Standards, other than dust this one is in such good condition it would truly be a shame to butcher it.
"As Is" it would turn heads and draw attention anywhere you ride it.
 
Wire colors, I never give a RA about the correct color wires to use in a repair. What I do try to do is have the proper wire colors on both ends of the repair. You'll hardly ever find white wires in a MC harness, so that's what I do. I use white wire to make repairs when needed. If I may run across white wire while checking out a harness, light goes off, I've made a repair here in the past yet the ends of that wire are the proper colors. I've never sold a motorcycle, couldn't bring myself to do that. So I don't care about a future owner not understanding my secret code repair.
 
Sorry I'm late to this party!

To be fair I agree with the knowledgable guys here, and would always try and salvage a standard loom in the first instance. Yamaha knew what they were doing. My bike was a customised USA import, and the loom had been butchered with god knows what crimps and spurs going everywhere (and no where!).

In the end I stripped it out intact for reference and decided to install a Motogadget M-Unit and built my own loom around it with all new wires and components. The old loom was invaluable for reference; and I still have it labeled and tagged. Took loads of photos before removal.
I followed the basic XS650 1980 wire diagram (From the Tech section) and adapted it to the Revival / M-Gadget diagram.
When unsure the guys here always had an answer for me.

I had never done any auto-electric work before; but ended up with a new loom that works. And I know every centimetre of it.
My build is here if it helps: https://www.xs650.com/threads/welsh-flat-track-revival.60449/
And it shows the support this forum offers.

Either option is valid; just dont be afraid of the task at hand as we are all here to help.

Ads.
 
9400 miles. I put a new battery in it and new gas. Took a while but it kicked over. It ran kinda rough but it seems to be working it’s self out.
Bike ran. Great start to being able to trouble shoot and to get the bike running good

I’ll sell it to you…
Proberbly the best thing you could do after reading through this thread

Im leaning toward cafe. Money isn’t really a concern, but I still have to justify it to the wife. Any suggestion on reputable websites for parts?
Lot of info and link given


Yesterday, I had the change to inspect the wiring situation and decided to just buy a new harness. Tires are in dire shape as well.
The bike ran..............why the new harness. .....................What did you find to make the decision to buy a new one.


Time is a biggest factor. I work 60 hours a week. But appreciate the feedback.
I'm going to be blunt and you may take offense but i have seen this so many times when the potential to get a bike sorted, especially when it will run from the get go.............. When people strip, change , buy new parts, and ignore advice asked and given, before doing things, then running into problems and getting frustrated when the advice is confusing due to so many changes have been done without a structure. Then the advice is all over the place because different people are giving advice for the different parts of the changes that have been made, that could be the source of problem that are arising

Complaining about the amount of time you have, or don't have, to work on the bike, tells me you are taking on a project that will not get finished. Especially when your going to throw money at a problem while your having an ongoing thread/conversation about what is the best thing to do, or more importantly what to do, .............. Maybe your questioning why you have to ask first..........Because your first post tells us you don't have the experience or knowledge, then you go and buy a harness and complain about time restraints.

Maybe you should revisit the second quote i posted so someone can work on the bike who will listen or know what they are doing

Straight up. I think your going to mess this up......................I would love, and hope you prove me wrong
 
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