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Finding positive wire running from battery to ignition switch

A

atBike22

Forum Newbie
Hello, I have been working to restore a 1985 GS450L, but I have been having trouble locating a specific wire. Among other problems, the bike is missing the positive terminal wire and fuse completely. I made a new wire to connect to the starter relay, but I am having trouble with the smaller gauge wire. As pictured below, it seems a smaller wire runs from the battery and splits, one way going to the fuse and then rectifier and the other to the ignition switch. On the bike, I can see the bullet connector next to the rectifier where I should connect one of the ends of the wire to. However, I don't see anywhere where I would be able to connect it to the ignition switch. I have the headlight off, and I can see that the positive wire does come from the ignition switch, but it disappears into the wiring harness and I cannot find where it lets out. I would appreciate if anyone could help me locate the wire. I also can provide photos of the connectors if that will help.example.png
 

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The red wire goes to the key switch and then the power leaves the switch via yellow, gray and brown wires. The reason why is that the contacts inside the switch can only handle a certain amount of power so it splits off into three separate circuits. There is no red wire coming back out of the switch. Not sure that this answers your question or not but keep asking.
 
Yes, I was wondering where the red wire that goes to the key switch starts? I can see where exits the wiring harness near the ignition, but I cannot see where it enters it. It seems there should be a bullet connector on this wire that I can connect the battery to, but I cannot find where it is.
 
atBike22 said:
On the bike, I can see the bullet connector next to the rectifier where I should connect one of the ends of the wire to. However, I don't see anywhere where I would be able to connect it to the ignition switch. I have the headlight off, and I can see that the positive wire does come from the ignition switch, but it disappears into the wiring harness and I cannot find where it lets out. I would appreciate if anyone could help me locate the wire.]
Click to expand...
I hope I can help without making it even more confusing.
Look at Rich’s nice color wiring diagram. (Thanks Rich!)
Lets start at the ignition switch and follow the red wire
“backward” from the way the voltage flows.
(That’s because I’m left handed :-)
That other end of that red wire is the bullet connector you found by the R/R

The smaller gauge red wire coming off the positive battery post goes through a bullet connector.
From the bullet connector it goes through a 15A fuse and goes into the wiring harness.

If you unwind maybe 6” of the wiring harness where that fused wire goes into the wiring harness you will see where the red wire is then spliced into the red wire inside the harness
(That splice is represented as a black dot on Rich’s wiring diagram.)

Hope that helps and is clearer than mud!

Just as an FYI, when I uncovered that splice on my GS750E, it was all green crud and was dropping like 1.5 volts, IFIRC.

And I can see where that 15A fuse protects the battery from a run away R/R, but the red wire going up to the ignition switch is not protected, nor is the………WAIT! Where IS the fuse block on this machine?
 
Last edited:
Full disclosure, the wiring diagram I posted is from a 450 file on BikeCliffs. It appears to be the same as the OPs thumbnail. I can not confirm that this is the OPs exact year/model.
 
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