In some cases, depending on the nature of the electrical problem, the motorcycle may be immobilized. The flow of electricity can be thought of as being of two main types. One is the circuit from the generation of electricity to the charging system to "charge the battery". The other is a circuit that uses the electricity charged into the battery and then consumes it. If we think of it as "electricity income" and "electricity expenditure," it is easier to understand how to troubleshoot problems when they occur if we think of it as the function of the equipment itself, which is related to electricity, and the electrical circuits that transmit that function to each part. On the other hand, there are some electrical problems that are not symptoms of a problem, but can be "visually detected". In this article, I have tried to repair the problems that we "accidentally" noticed during washing and wiping down.
The white wire coupler was burnt brown and the harness was discolored, so I pulled on it and it came off easily. It would have been tempting to rewire the entire motorcycle, but I repaired it.
Specially designed terminals for connecting the opposite wires
I found a wire that had turned from yellow to brown, so I tried to pull on it, but it came off quickly. It seemed that the caulking part of the wiring terminals had been burned and melted the cord jacket, which caused the caulking to loosen and the wire came off. I think the coupler had turned brown due to the burned wires. This time, I re-covered a part of the wiring. One of the fittings to connect such wiring securely is the "splice". I had the 1.25-2.00sq (thickness) sizes for wiring on hand, so I decided to use it.
Only the coupler seemed to be burned, so I cut through the protective tape and tubes to check the wiring condition. There was no damage to the part away from the coupler. So I prepared a cord of the same thickness and the same color and secured the core wires at both ends of the cord with crimp caulk using splices facing each other. I decided to replace it with a new cord with the burnt wiring part plus the length of the cord.
Soldering the splice connection
Apply the paste for the solder to the caulked area by splicing. When the soldering iron (200W this time) was warmed up, I applied it lightly to melt the paste. This paste makes it easier to work with the solder. Here, I used the paste for sheet metal soldering, but you can also use general soldering paste and flux.
Apply the solder to the tip of the warmed iron and check that it melts smoothly. Next, the tip of the warm iron is applied to the caulking side of the splice and a very small amount of solder is melted and poured into the gap between the splices. A small amount is enough for the splice. Be careful not to pour too much into the splice because it will damage the vinyl cord coat.
The cord core wires were stacked on top of each other and spliced together with caulking. After that, I added solder to reinforce the process this time. In fact, when the core wires were exposed, solder was melted on both core wires and placed on a thin layer (solder plated), then the core wires were overlapped and pushed together with pliers and spliced together with a splice to secure them in place. Furthermore, by heating the splice with a soldering iron, the thinly-placed solder plating melts and the splice is unified with the splice, increasing its strength. This method seems to be much easier to work with.
Let's protect the connections with shrinkable tubing.
It is a rule to install a protective cover on the connector terminals. This is because the metal parts where the electricity flows through are exposed and can cause a short circuit or other problems. In this case, I used heat shrink tubing to protect the part that was spliced in.
- Point 1 - When washing and polishing the motorcycle, make sure there is nothing wrong with the couplers on the various harnesses.
- Point 2 - Since there are various types of connection terminals for wire repair, timely maintenance is possible if you have several types in stock.
- Point 3 - Be sure to use special pliers for caulking terminals.
- Point 4 - When using heat shrink tubing, it is best to use an industrial heater, not a lighter.
There are various symptoms of electrical problems, but this repair point, "burnt coupler wiring" is one of the most common problems that are relatively easy to occur. This problem occurred when the AC current output from the generator was converted to DC by the regulator/rectifier and charged to the battery. Specifically, one of the rising wires of the three-phase alternating current was scorched and burned. From moped class motorcycles to large vehicles, there are many cases of burned and scorched rising wires from the generator. In the case of this model, more than 50 volts are output from three coils, which are converted to DC and controlled by a regulator.
Typically, for a 12-volt DC vehicle, the battery terminal voltage is around 12.4 volts before the engine starts. At idle after engine start, it rises to around 12.6 to 12.8 volts (depending on the battery condition and regulator settings), and even higher DC volts as the engine revs up. If the battery is weak, the charging voltage can be increased to nearly 14.5 volts DC. Such a generator's rising wiring is a trouble-prone part of the generator because of the high current.
Why are carburetors prone to trouble? The smooth flow of electricity tends to change at the joints of the wiring. The causes are, quite frankly, dirt, corrosion and foreign matter in the contact area. These causes slow down the flow of electricity and at the same time cause heat and damage to the surroundings.
I noticed the coupler discoloration when I wiped it off after washing the motorcycle. The contact area of the terminals was dirty and must have given off heat, causing trouble. If you don't notice the problem, you may have to replace all the related harnesses, or get a puncture in the generator, or worse, have a harness fire. In fact, in some cases, "driving in the rain" is the cause. While older models are equipped with waterproof couplers, older motorcycles were usually equipped with connectors and couplers. This is probably due to the rainwater collecting on those connections. After washing the motorcycle, I took off the exterior parts and wiped them down with a rag while checking the harness and the coupler, and at the same time pulled out the coupler! This corrosion problem can be avoided by simply blowing hard on the coupler and inserting and removing it. Ideally, you should use an air gun to blow compressed air at the harness coupler after driving in the rain or after washing the motorcycle. If you find any dirt, you can use contact revival spray chemicals. This kind of maintenance is better than nothing.
