1984 Katana 7/11

[Guest]

Sure are! Hopefully I can keep some momentum going although getting started on this harness is throwing me a bit... never done a made from scratch one before so getting the starting point is a challenge. Might just have to start laying down some wire instead of over thinking it. I've managed to drain the Kat fund temporarily with all this recent progress so time to go back to working on stuff I've got half finished or at least have the bits to start.

 

[Guest]

Got a bit further along yesterday... bit hard to get pic's of the progress when it's drilling holes but here's what I got.

Relays, fuse box, and starter solenoid all mounted up. The R/R will go underneath the tray once I get a chance to steal the SH775 from the 450 for 10 minutes to work out the location. I have a mock up Shorai battery in there also.

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All the electrical bits at the rear mounted up temporarily including the number plate mounting bolt LED's.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

Now I'm trying to figure out the front indicator mounting. I had a closer look at another fella's Kat on Saturday who has his indicators mounted from the frame rails, and my frame doesn't have the same mounts available as his, so there's no support available out along the vertical frame rails.

I basically ended up with two options... a bar across the front from the horn mount or a bracket on each side coming down from the front cowling subframe mounts.

I think the bracket on each side will be neater and I reckon I can squeeze a nut in behind the bottom of the mounts on the frame so each bracket would have two mount points, however I'm not convinced there won't be too much flex with that setup.

The alternative would be a P clamp around the vertical frame rail, but there's a welded seem on the inside that might make a P clamp a bit tricky to use. I also havent' found any that are wide enough to take the 10mm threaded end of the indicators.

I have enough 2.5mm thick aluminium around to make two brackets, so I might just make one up and see how it feels. There's no bending involved so there's no reason vibration should be an issue for the aluminium strength/cracking wise.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

 

[Guest]

Front indicator mounts sorted. Definitely need to smooth and reshape a little and they'll need to be satin black, but the idea works. They'll be better with a second bolt through the bottom of the cowling subframe bracket though.

I've made a rectangular hole in them the same as the rear mounts so I can use the mounting rubbers, and a second piece of the 2.5mm aluminium behind the brackets makes the right width so they bolt in nicely too.

My paranoia made me check the ADR's for the mounting location and as far as I can tell they'll be fine... 600mm above the ground and 320mm apart. There's a requirement for viewing 20 degrees inwards, however there's no way the stock Kat indicators would meet that anyway, so I don't think that's of concern. These are also the current ADR's which technically don't apply...

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

 

[Guest]

Spaghetti anyone?

All the main wiring is laid out, time to start doing the short runs between the fuse box and relays.

Then I can do some splices off the main runs to get to all the components.

I still need to sort the location for the USB charger I want in there as a just in case for my phone or GoPro too.

I also need to put some rubber under the fuse box and relays. While none of the fuse holders or spade terminals in the fuse box touch the tray it's a bit close for comfort so I want some insulating material just in case. The relay wiring will come out underneath at a 90 degree angle so same deal there.

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[Guest]

My inner post whore requires I post something even though I don't have much to show. Haven't had a heap of time and this harness is proving slow work as I work out how I need to run the wires and plan for splices etc.

While I had the 450 apart for servicing on the weekend I took the SH775 R/R out and worked out the mounting. I need to move the fuse box a bit to cater for it and the connectors underneath.

Harness wise I've laid down all the main runs and have cut lengths for some of the splices off to the components. I've started on simple stuff like the horn circuit which comprises the purple wires below.

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High and low beam connections done to the relays.

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I didn't get pic's of the two others but the indicator relay connector is on the splices but I haven't connected it to the main runs yet, and the side cover accessory switch is sorted also.

Much work to do... a bit at a time and it'll be a complete wiring harness before you know it!

 

[Guest]

Still looks like a bunch of spaghetti but it's getting there. Most of the left side terminations and splices are done now along with most in the electrics tray.

I need to figure out where I'm running the control block wires so I can terminate those, then that'll be the bulk of it, the right side doesn't have as much as the left.

I had to do some revisions of the diagram after realising some things running up either side of the frame ended in the same connector... meaning it would be a little impossible to remove the harness without taking the pins out of the connectors.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

 

[Guest]

This doesn't look particularly exciting, but for me it is!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvfX2_2CPCo&feature=youtu.be

The other front indicator doesn't have a working bulb so I just chucked that one on.

The left side is all but terminated and I started bundling the wires last night as well. I've got some extra wire length to neaten up yet though. There's just the oil pressure switch and neutral switch to get terminated, and of course I can't do the dash end until I get that purchased later on.

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[Big Rich]

Haven't checked in for a while Pete - sorry. Everything is looking great though!

Good luck on your wiring.....thats a job that can make your eyes cross.

 

[nvr2old]

Yeah, electricity always has been and always will be a foreign language to me.."look at it as running water, Larry..wah wa, wah wah wa.." I admire your stick-to-it-ness, Pete.

 

[steve murdoch]

I'm with you on that, Larry.
The proper spelling of the word electrics is "Kryptonite".

 

[Guest]

Haha cheers guys! Electrickery is just that... but at least when it comes to 12V stuff I still have a small clue. The real fun I've discovered is how to make the wires long enough without being too long... and how to lay them out so you don't end up with a harness that's become a permanent part of the frame without having to cut it off again...

It's certainly a different world to modifying a stock harness to suit one's needs, but hopefully in the end it will mean a neater job than a hacked up stock one.

Plus, this buys me time while I wait for the funds to build up again. I have a few bits to order next pay but the pay after that I'm hoping will pay for the tank dent repair, which will then mean everything's ready for paint prep once the front cowl is repaired (next step once the harness is done).

 

[Charlie G]

Pete, Some how I got unsubscribed to your thread and boy have you made some progress! Nice to be back.

 

[Guest]

Cheers Charlie! Yep it's awesome to actually be getting somewhere again, hopefully I can keep the momentum going this time.

 

[laxcdn]

Nice layout for the box. I want to do something like that for my project, but am also going to go with an RFID ignition to get rid of the key, so will need to have a bit bigger box.

 

[Guest]

Cheers! A fella on another Kat I ride with has done that with his. The way he fitted it in was to have a flat tray all the way under his seat which is where all his electrics have gone, and his battery is in the tail piece.

The big thing with his setup though is that he's running a Kawasaki ZX front end and swingarm/wheels etc. which actually gives him a lot more clearance above the rear wheel and it doesn't bottom out on the flat tray.

If you have stock running gear, typically a flat tray is not possible as the wheel will hit it before the shocks bottom out, which is why you can see the rear inner guard on mine isn't flat. I've checked that there's still a little clearance between the top of the tyre and the tray with the springs removed and the shocks against the bump stops.

 

[Guest]

Got the left indicator bracket sorted. Bent and shortened what I'd made earlier and now it sits much nicer. I also checked against a loaned front cowl and it will sit just behind the shark fins.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

Bit hard to see but there's plenty of clearance to the fork leg. Now to make it's mirror.

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I also picked up a horn and made the mount for it so I can do that bit of the harness also. It's a Stebel and actually has a really good tone, no meep meep on the Kat!

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[Guest]

Technically if I had a motor I could have fired the Kat up this week as the harness is really close. Of course the dodgy Motobatt I'm testing with wouldn't even crank the 450 let alone a Kat...

All the lights are functional and the ignitor and coils are hooked up.

The horn, oil pressure switch, and neutral wires are the only ones left to terminate aside from the battery wires themselves, although of course there's no dash yet so there's a bunch of loose wires ready for that.

I tried to get a video but it's a bit hard in the shed so will do that on the weekend with a horn sound test as well. I just got some dodgy pic's for the moment.

I also need to see how that tail light is in the sun.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

 

[Guest]

Excellent build and a great thread! I just picked up a 1982 GSX750 Katana myself. It's currently in several pieces in my garage as I clean things up and do the maintenance required of a 35 year old bike. Your build is inspirational and I'm looking forward to seeing the final product.

Cheers!
K

 

[Guest]

Cheers mate! Yep, saw your Kat purchase, good score! This is basically my dream bike, have wanted a Kat for years and I'm finally making it a reality. I'm fortunate enough to have a bunch of guys locally here who all have Kats and we meet and ride regularly, so it'll be great to finally have my own in amongst them.

 

[Guest]

I haven't done an update for a while, but only due to not having much to actually get pic's of. I've still been doing stuff.

I decided to not start the bodywork just yet and instead focus on actually finishing some stuff off as it's bugging me being in the middle of several things.

The battery/electrics tray, inner guard, rear guard, tail light bracket, etc. were all in need of a little finishing and paint so I figured I'd make the indicator brackets and centre stand bump stop, then paint it all so something else was actually complete.

Bump stop is made, pretty sure it will let the stand come up high enough so there won't be any clearance issues.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

I also made the little storage box for under the "pillion" area. This will be foam lined later on and lets me charge a phone, GoPro battery, whatever while on the move. I've yet to make a lid but that's not a big issue.

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The job this week is to prep everything for paint and hope like hell it's not a wet weekend next weekend so I can actually get it done.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr