78 GS1000E Wiring Questions

[dluszcz]

I just finished redoing the wiring harness. Lot's of old wire that was burned up and the grounds weren't that good.

I rewired all the grounds with brand spanking new wire and mounted all of them to the chassis using ring terminals. I sanded to the metal the screw location that holds the stock air box in place over the battery and used a longer screw and some washers to make a good connection and still hold the air box in place.

I also ran a wire from the ground of the battery to the same location on the chassis were the other ring terminals are located.

Everything works as it should. However, my question is how hot or warm should the wires get? Specifically, the wires to the headlight are warmer than I think they should be.

Nothing is melting and I can touch them without burning myself. I have 10amp fuses for each circuit. The bike is not running yet and I'm only using the battery to test everything to make sure they function as they should.

Are these wires supposed to be getting warm like this? 2 weekends ago is when I finished removing all the old wires and replacing them with new wires similar in color. The only wires I'm concerned with are the wires from the headlight.

The headlight is an aftermarket and I don't recall those wires getting that hot before I started fixing (or possibly hacking) the old wiring harness.

Here is a pic of the headlights, if that helps at all.

 

[koolaid_kid]

Warmth is an indication that there is too much current flowing for the gauge wire used. What gauge did you use, and what is the wattage of your lamps?

 

[dluszcz]

14 gauge wire and both lights are H4, 60/55W.

Is there anyway to reduce the amount of power being drawn by the headlights?

Is it possible that because I went from 1 headlight to 2 headlights that I may be drawing too much power to keep the lights at the current rate?

Those are the only wires that are getting warm now. If I have to buy something to regulate the draw, I have no problem wiring something like that into the circuit.

 

[Steve]

Is it possible that because I went from 1 headlight to 2 headlights that I may be drawing too much power to keep the lights at the current rate?

That is exactly your problem. The stock wires were barely adequate to handle the load of ONE light, and you are now running TWO.

It would be better to use a heavy-duty headlight harness from Electrical Connection or make one up for yourself. Basically, you will use the stock wires to trigger relays that will provide power through properly-sized wires to the headlights. If you know how to wire relays (it's not that hard), you can do it yourself and save a bunch of money.

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[dluszcz]

I found this on the internet. Says it's a simple plug 'n play H4 heavy duty ceramic wiring harness that withstands the heat. They even have a youtube video with their harness and a heavy duty plastic harness both with a torch being applied. For almost 1 minute, the plastic is completely melted and the ceramic is still perfect. Would this work just as well?

Circuit Performance H4 Heavy Duty Harness - $7.99.

If this will work, I'd rather go this route instead of running more wires.

 

[Steve]

I found this on the internet.

"The internet" has recently expanded and is now more than two pages long.

Please give us a clue where you found that. ray:

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[dluszcz]

I included a thumbnail on my last post but when I click on it after I posted this one, I noticed that it didn't bring it up. Here is the URL to the website since I don't think I'm doing the attachments correctly:

http://www.buyheadlightbulbs.com/H4-Heavy-Duty-Wiring-Harness-p/cir-9102.htm

Here is their answers to the FAQ if you don't want to go to the URL above:

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why do I need a Circuit Performance Heavy Duty Harness?
A: Aftermarket upgrade halogen bulbs can create additional heat that can damage your factory headlight bulb harness. Circuit Performance Heavy Duty Wiring Harnesses are designed to install easily to protect your wiring from the additional heat generated by aftermarket upgrade bulbs.

Q: Do I have to modify my factory wiring?
A: No. Circuit Performance harnesses are a plug-n-play design which means the harness acts as a little extension cord and simply snaps in between your stock socket and the bulb. The harness can be installed or removed within seconds, great for leased vehicles!

Q: Do I need to replace all of my factory wiring?
A: No. The heat generated by high performance bulbs is isolated near the base of the bulb. Circuit Performance harnesses are made of a ceramic material that is designed to withstand that heat. As long as the rest of the vehicle's wiring is properly fused, no other upgrades should be necessary.

Q: My aftermarket bulb is stock wattage, would you still recommend upgrading the harness?
A: Yes! It's always a good idea to upgrade your harness when installing any aftermarket bulb, because whether you're turbocharging your motor, or improving light output, nothing is ever as safe as your stock equipment.

Q: Why should I choose Circuit Performance harnesses over another brand?
A: Circuit Performance harnesses are made to a much higher quality standard than other aftermarket harnesses. Circuit Performance uses a ceramic base that plugs onto the bulb while other brands still use plastic. The ceramic connector resists heat to a much higher temperature than any plastic connector. Circuit Performance harnesses also use the thickest gauge wire possible for each application (14GA in most applications).

Q: Will this harness fit my vehicle?
A: Circuit Performance H4 Heavy Duty Harnesses will work in any vehicle where an H4 bulb is used.

My question is if this will work? My guess is no since the reason I have heated wires is because the draw to power my twin headlights is too much. I don't really want to spend $55 for a harness and add more wires.

I don't know what gauge the wires are on the electricalconnection.com website, but they appear to be the same as mine. The only thing that the Circuit Performance wouldn't have is the relays.

I'm not an expert on electrical so I'm not really sure what purpose the relays would serve. The $55 solution looks much more complete but if the cheaper solution provides the same end result, I'd rather go that route.

 

[Steve]

Thanks for the link.

Please note that simply using that harness will not address the problem with your wires heating up. That harness will only change what happens at the back of the bulb, at the connector. You are still using all the stock wiring to feed a load that is double of what was intended by the factory.

My recommendation would be to use two of those harnesses, but cut off the male end that plugs into the stock wiring harness. Use the stock harness to trigger relays (one for low-beam, one for high-beam) that are fed by the battery, then go straight to the lights through the new high-temp connectors.

I included a thumbnail on my last post but when I click on it after I posted this one, I noticed that it didn't bring it up.

This is exactly why I hit the "Preview Post" button EVERY TIME to see how it will look, before hitting the "Submit Reply" button.

It also gives me a chance to proofread what I just typed.

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[dluszcz]

OK, so if I cut off the male end from the new heavy duty harness and cut off the female end from the factory wiring and just use the insulated spade connectors to connect the wires for the headlights?

Following the wires on the diagram and on the bike, the yellow and white wires are 16 gauge and feed directly to the handle bar controls for low and high beams. Do I need to replace any of those wires with new 14 gauge?

Or, will using the ceramic material harness at the headlight and eliminating the factory plastic harness be enough to no longer cause the wires to get hot?

Or did I miss something due to lack of hydration from working all day in the 95 degree heat?

It just seems too easy, that's why I'm asking.

 

[koolaid_kid]

Yes. You missed the word RELAY. I'm not trying to be an azz or give you a hard time, but you need 2 relays.
Go to the Popular Technical Info section of the Technical Forums section. Read FAQ RELAYS; how they work and how to wire it up.
Until you understand this, you will not have satisfactory performance from your headlight system.
Steve has given some excellent advice, I strongly suggest that you first understand relays and then heed his advice. You will be tickled pink with the results. Well, at least mauve.

 

[dluszcz]

I found some 5 pin bosch relays in my car stereo odds and ends box. After reading the FAQ on relays, I believe these should work.

But, I just want to make sure that I can leave 87a open. I found a diagram online for using a 5 pin relay for fog/driving lights. 87a does not have a wire attached.

Link is http://www.gizmosforall.com/photos/Relay Wiring.jpg

From what I've read and according to the diagram, 30 will be going directly to the battery with an inline fuse and holder. Will a 10amp fuse be good for this particular application?

85 goes to the handlebar switch for the headlights

86 goes to ground, either on the bike frame or to the negative of the battery.

87 goes to power the headlights

Very easy and straight forward. And, yes, the key word that I missed was "Relays".

If the above is incorrect, I'll be back asking for more help.

Thanks to all for your help.

 

[Steve]

Steve has given some excellent advice, I strongly suggest that you first understand relays and then heed his advice. You will be tickled pink with the results. Well, at least mauve.

If he's really pleased, he may go PLAID.

I found some 5 pin bosch relays in my car stereo odds and ends box. After reading the FAQ on relays, I believe these should work.
Yes, they will.

But, I just want to make sure that I can leave 87a open. I found a diagram online for using a 5 pin relay for fog/driving lights. 87a does not have a wire attached.
Yes, you can leave 87a unconnected

Link is http://www.gizmosforall.com/photos/Relay Wiring.jpg

From what I've read and according to the diagram, 30 will be going directly to the battery with an inline fuse and holder. Will a 10amp fuse be good for this particular application?
Yes, 10 amp will be adequate.

85 goes to the handlebar switch for the headlights
See next comment.
86 goes to ground, either on the bike frame or to the negative of the battery.
For ease of mounting and simplicity, mount your relays where you also have access to the original headlight connector. It might be easiest to mount them near the steering stem, under the tank. Run a ground wire to #86 on both relays. Run a wire from the white wire in the original headlight connector (low beam) to #85 on one relay and another wire from the yellow wire on the original headlight connector to #85 on the other relay. Connect the #87 terminals of the relays to the appropriate wires for the lights that they are going to power. There is no need to go to the handlebar switch for power when the headlight connector is right there.

87 goes to power the headlights

Very easy and straight forward. And, yes, the key word that I missed was "Relays".

If the above is incorrect, I'll be back asking for more help.

Thanks to all for your help.

 

[dluszcz]

OK, I have the relays hooked up per Steve's instructions and all works as it should.

The only concern I have is the low beam relay hot wire from the battery with the 10amp fuse.

When I was taping the wires up and zip tying them to the frame, the fuse and fuse holder is warm. Not as warm as the wires were before, but warmer than the rest of the wires.

My question is this: Is that normal? I'm figuring that it may be since the current is going through there all the time unless I turn the high beams on.

I didn't think of turning the high beams on for 10 minutes to see if the same thing happens to that fuse. I'll try that tomorrow if any replies I get state that this is not normal or to give that a try.

Anyway, I was just wondering. Thanks to all for the help in getting to this point.

 

[koolaid_kid]

Ummm, it is interesting that the diagram shows 86 as ground and 85 as the switch. Standard Bosch relay wiring shows the opposite, 85 as ground, 86 as switch. It will work either way, but following standard useage helps prevent confusion.
Normal relay wiring is:
30 - 12v fused power in
85 - ground
86 - switch (activates the relay)
87 - 12v to the device when activated (in this case, the headlight)
87a - not used (it supplies 12v from terminal 30 when the relay is not activated, but there are few uses for it)

Just a note, I have seen relays wired up in some strange ways, and usually they work, but if you follow the convention it will always work.

 

[dluszcz]

Could that be why the wire is getting warm?

If I'm using the wrong wire to ground, wouldn't that be considered a bad ground and cause the wire to get warm?

Would I be better suited to just cut the wires before the current butt connections and switching them so that 85 is now the ground or should I let it be since the headlights work?

 

[dluszcz]

Well, decided to switch the low beam relay 85 and 86 wires to see if that makes a difference.

No difference. Wire is still warm, but not hot like before. Maybe this is just normal.

I figured that since there was no change in the temp on the wire, I didn't do the same thing to the high beam relay.

Should I leave well enough alone or should I do the same thing to the high beam relay?

 

[koolaid_kid]

Electrically it won't make a difference. However, it is a good rule of thumb to always follow convention. That way, if you need to troubleshoot in the future you know how it should be connected.

 

[Steve]

Ummm, it is interesting that the diagram shows 86 as ground and 85 as the switch. Standard Bosch relay wiring shows the opposite, 85 as ground, 86 as switch. It will work either way, but following standard useage helps prevent confusion. ...

I believe the only time it will really make a difference is if you have a protection diode across the switched and ground terminals.

Some pre-wired harnesses are available with a diode, but most of us don't bother to install one when wiring a relay directly.

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[Flyboy]

When installing the relay mod, did you go up in wire thickness from battery to relay, and from relay to headlamp to handle the extra draw?
If you are still using 14 gauge wire, that there is your problem, even with the relay in place, the wires from battery to relay, and from relay to headlamp still have to carry enough juice to power the bulbs.

 

[Steve]

14 gauge wire is rated for about 15 amps. With two headlights drawing from the relay, the draw will only be about 10 amps, max.

Actually, according to this table, if you keep the length under 10 feet, 14 gauge wire is good for 30 amps.

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