With the bike now basically running the wiring needs completing – there’s actually not that much to do really – wire the headlamp hi low feed from the right switch, wire the headlamp and tail lamps, the horn and the rear brake light switch – all pretty simple stuff, it’s just a matter of getting on with it. Just as a point of interest here, I am trying to wire to separate fuses where I can. The side and head circuits are separate, that way if I ever get a blown fuse at night I will at least have one light to get me home. Likewise the brake light is separate from the headlight – I figure a headlight fuse is most likely to blow ie in the case of the bulb shorting when it blows, it’s good practice keep them on different circuits. There isn’t much in the way of kit on this bike so 3 fuses plus the main 30 amp one seems plenty to me. I am not fitting indicators but I have left the wires coming from the switch in case I decide to fit them in phase two. Just laying the wires out to start with I will tidy it all up when I have tested everything ans will do it all up with loom tape.
Perhaps one of the larger jobs left to do is the exhaust – the headers run down to where I need them but I don’t yet have the link pipe to join the two 29mm header pipes each side to the 35mm silencers. I have a Hayabusa downpipe that I should be able to cut up, I will need to make some adapters up to make it all fit. As there is virtually nothing left in the budget now I need to be cunning.
Meanwhile, in a workshop near Boston, my level of despair has reached a whole new level. Things were going so well until I went over to my tool cabinet for something or other and I looked back at the bike. In the light I noticed what looked like deep score marks in the tank – the very same tank I had spent a whole 2 days rubbing back after the last paint fiasco. When I had a closer look I realised the paint had somehow reacted – it’s weird because it’s over a week since I did it and it was fine yesterday. This really pissed me off – I have spent so many days on that tank now and it’s all been wasted again, I had no idea what had gone wrong so I posted the question on a couple of forums that tolerate me as a member.
The concensus was that the petrol proof lacquer had reacted with the Halfords colour coat and if it hadn’t got to the primer layer I should be ok to rub it right back and try again, so that’s what I am in the process of doing. This time I am using all Halfords products so it should be ok – they do a lacquer specifically for petrol tanks so I should be good to go, I will let you know how I get on.
Those of you that are reading these articles in order will know that I have had the bike running but as it only had the headers on it was nothing short of deafening. Rather than subjecting my fragile ears to any more of that treatment I am leaving any engine work until I have the exhausts connected up. In the mean time I am completing the wiring – everything is now done except the rear brake switch and light, side light and tail light. Wires are run for most of it, there is a couple of hours work left to do at most. I need to plumb the rear brake cable and bracket in first – easy job as I took it off as an assembly when I stripped the bike for paint.
The headlight low and hi, instruments, horn etc all work except that I have just realised I haven’t wired in the neutral light or the high beam light – Dooohhh!! In my defence I had some money earning work to do and so my concentration got broken. As soon as I have finished this cup of coffee and eaten some more life sustaining biscuits I shall go and rectify my over sights. The other thing I must do is to come up with an idea for an oil warning light – the instrument panel doesn’t have provision for one, which I find disturbing as I have never driven or ridden any vehicle without one and if I lose oil pressure for whatever reason I really want to know about it quickly, the engine has a sensor and a wire that is currently in danglymode so all I need is a simple bracket with an indicator light mounted in it. I think I might look at a super bright flashing LED one. I shall ponder that.
Article provided by David Powell of Boston Bike Bits.
