Vetter Windjammer wiring harness question

[dead_mike]

Hello, new to the forum. What I'm looking for is someone with past experience dealing with the wiring setup for a Vetter farring kit. REASON is I'm looking to eliminate it off my bike.

See i bought am 83' GS650GL with a Vetter system already installed. It's just not my style. Upon unbolting it from the bike i realized how much of the OEM wiring harness had been nipped and tucked. I've sat staring at the harness trying to match wire for wire up... but most of the diagrams I've come across are slightly off. All i want to do is revert back to the STOCK setup.

I know this is a very loaded question. But any help with this would help me to get the bike back to its stock setup.

-Mike

 

[Burque73]

Howdy dead_mike. Welcome aboard.

I'm not as electrical savvy as a lot of the other folks around here but I'll try to help. Is the headlight plug still there? Can't tell from that pic. Maybe you could separate the wires and show which connectors are open still and post another pic. Also, do you have a test light? If you clip one end of a test light on a ground (black) and poke the others, with the key and blinker turned on, one by one you should be able to figure out the blinkers.

If I remember correctly not all of the connectors in my 1100L were used even after both blinkers and the headlight were installed.

Good luck

 

[Guest]

Do you have a wiring diagram for your bike? Going from memory the vetter only connects to your headlight and your signals, and most of the time they only have to splice into the headlight, the signals they plug into. The vetter may have spliced into a hot power wire as well if it needed it for something, ie; stereo, lighter or what ever. All the wires within your headlight bucket will be colour matched with possibly the exception of the right turn signal which might be green to black, but again follow your electrical diagram.

 

[850 Combat]

I've removed a number of Windjammers and other fairings. I don'r remember any difficulty. I like the big color GS850 wiring diagram on Basscliff's site. I've been lucky and found that the stock headlight ears were still intact, and not that lucky. One even had the stock headlight shell intact. Remember to put external ground rings on the turn signal nuts or they won't work.

Windjammers work. They are definitely better than my 1000 Concours had, and better than my BMR R80RT.

I prefer no fairing in the end though.

 

[Steve]

From that picture, I don't see anything butchered, so it should be an easy task.

Click HERE for a very good color wiring diagram. Don't be put off by the fact that it is for an '80 850, there are very few differences between that bike and yours. None of the differences will be in the headlight bucket area.

Your hardest part will be to source headlight mounting ears and a headlight (with bucket). I can make that rather easy for you, I have it all, if you need it.

.

 

[dead_mike]

Thank chaps for the help and replies... I'm going to break up my responses per person. That way I'm NOT replying to 4 different people in 4 different posts.

Burque73 - Thank you for the welcome. I believe the connector is still there. I am going to post photos I snapped last night. I believe I found the headlight wires... WHICH is marked with masking tape. I personally do NOT have a test light or testing tool. BUT if I have to I'll run out and nab one. IF not a buddy may have one. I've done a VERY minimal amount of testing on wiring harnesses before. I used to work for a company that did maintenance on planes AND I've worked on the engine wiring harnesses. Obviously in that case I had the harness laid out in front of me NOT installed on the item.

azr - I have the wiring diagram via the Clymers book. I don't know how accurate the wiring diagram is? I mean I would believe it to be accurate. BUT obviously its a WEE confusing. BUT obviously a few folks have redone the wiring diagrams for ease of understanding. There are quite a few splices on the bike I'm finding. There are a few under the seat, a few up front, etc... Also there are two wires going NOWHERE under the seat. The bike doesn't have a horn or front blinkers... Well I believe the front blinkers ran through the Vetter kit.

850 Combat - Ok... Yeah I was trying to get the diagram via Bikecliffs website... AND it for some reason wasn't coming up. I don't know why? I don't know if it was something to due with the website OR the computer I was on? How different is the 850 from the 650 on wiring?

Steve - I've had to source parts for the bike from Ebay. Luckily I nabbed a bucket and ears for about $15 a piece. Most run from about $30 to about $60 for a clean one. The only thing I am missing from the bucket is the outer headlight ring AND the bulb itself. Those should be easy finds. I also nabbed new grommets for the bottom of the headlight bucket. May as well. Also thank you for the wiring diagram. This will help make MORE sense of the wiring harness.

 

[dead_mike]

I guess what I'm lost on is this... This is the connector for the Windjammer. Its spliced into a few different wires. WHICH I'm sure just connect to the front blinkers and what not. I just have no clue where or what they connect to. Thats why I'm confused.

 

[Guest]

Start at the actual blinker, you will see 2 wires coming from them, follow them down to what ever they connect to and disconnect them. Then find a black with a white strip wire that is part of the main harness (all black with a white stripe wires are ground wires), it will have a connector at the end of it that will allow you to plug 3 connectors into it of the same colour. Your signals should each have one wire that is the same colour, ie your ground wire, connect each one to the main ground wire connector. On the left signal the other wire should be light green, you should be able to find the same colour wire coming from the main harness and for the right signal you should have a solid black wire, and again you should be able to find a signal black wire in the main harness to connect to. The headlight is well marked, disconnect the vetter harness from it and it will plug directly into your new bulb. Buy and H4 bulb it's better. As well, since you're in there, do some maintenance. Clean all the connectors with Deoxit and then use a dab of dialectric grease when you put them back together, they'll be good for years that way. Start reading the wiring harness, it's like algebra, repeat, repeat, repeat and then you brain turns to math mode.

 

[Steve]

When you unplug the Vetter harness, set it aside, ignore it. Unless you know what Vetter's color code is, it won't make a bit of sense and has NO relation to Suzuki's color code.

Look at the diagram I linked for you, those colors are what you will find on your bike.

.

 

[dead_mike]

Azr thanks for the advice. Will do. The headlight connector is functional... plugged in the light and i have hi and low beams... Weird sorta unrelated to electrical question. How big a difference is the 81' headlight bucket to an 83' headlight bucket? It seems similar... but finding the headlight rim is getting pricey. Just curious. I nabbed an 81' bucket for cheaper than a 83'... and some 82' mounts. But now all i need is the bracket to hold the dang lightbulb in. Parts should be here in the next few days.

 

[dead_mike]

Thanks Steve... Yeah I'm gonna remove the Vetter wiring connector after i get off work. I was worried it was spliced into other major wires was my concern. I'm new to all this. That's why i wanted to check. This is my first bike btw

 

[Gorminrider]

Maybe part of the Vetter confusion will arise because they have "running lights" so that might explain some of those extra splices you see in your harness.

 

[Steve]

I was worried it was spliced into other major wires was my concern.

The only wires that it should be connected to would be wires that would power things in the fairing. Most of the items were removed from the bike and replaced by items in the fairing, but there were a couple of additions. Headlight and turn signals are obvious. Depending on your bike, you might have had running lights in the front signals. There might have been a brown or gray wire in the harness to power them. The Vetter uses that function, so it might have also been connected. If your bike does not have that option, don't worry about the loose brown or gray wire. Vetter had an optional horn on some of the later models, so there would have been a wire for that, which would have had to be spliced into your horn wiring, but was likely not done. An accessory port (cigarette lighter) might have been wired into the fairing, power for that would have to be spliced into the bike wiring.

Bottom line: not all of the Vetter wires might have been connected to the bike, and if they were, they might have been for functions that did not exist on the stock bike. Follow the wiring diagram, you will be good.

.

 

[850 Combat]

The biggest difference is that the 1983 should have dual filaments in the front turn signal lights. One is running lights, one is the turn signals. The 1980 didn't have running lights. That change was made in 1981. I got a used pre-running light wiring harness for my 1981 GS1000G, (The previous owner had improved the original too much for my liking) and had little trouble making something up off of the headlight circuit to power the running lights. The color coding should be the same.

I believe that all of the GS 7" headlight shells will interchange. Some have the holes in the back of the shell a little different, but it hasn't made any practical difference in my case. I changed my nephew's GS850 over from standard incandescent to Halogen. It wasn't a problem.

 

[Redman]

I dont think any difference between 81 and 82 or 83 headlight.
Will be difference between G and E and L (GL) headlight buckets and or rings.
And will be some differences between 80/after (halogen) and 79/prior (sealed beam).

.

 

[dead_mike]

Thanks again for all your help and knowledge guys...

Gorminrider - I'm sure it had a few extra bells and whistles... WELL no it probably had running lights. BUT beyond that I believe it was pretty basic.

Steve - Ok... Noted... The bike is minus a horn right now. WHICH may explain the loose wires under the seat. Maybe? Maybe not? I have a random black and a random green wire going NOWHERE! I've marked them so I remember they had no destination from the beginning. I also have a random yellow/green wire taped into itself in the front going nowhere. Its a rather long wire, coming off the OEM wiring harness. See thats the trouble I'm having. I have a few random wires going NOWHERE and I'm like "Ok these have to go to something... BUT what?" Obviously I want to make sure everything is nice and tucked up before I start out on the bike. Once I eliminate all of the Vetter wiring I'll look into what is OEM. Just tracking everything down and buttoning it all up.

850 Combat - Ok... noted... Currently I am without front blinkers. The Vetter kit handled the blinkers. I'll be looking soon for some new ones. Ok good deal on the bucket... I feel it'll work. Just waiting on the mounting brackets. They should be here today OR tomorrow. I didn't think there would be a huge difference between them. I mean ENOUGH that it would deem the part unusable. I mean I can make it work if I have to. As long as it holds the light securely on the front of the bike... Its fulfilling its duty.

Redman - Ok... noted... The attached photo is the picture of the one I nabbed. I sand blasted all of the rust outta the interior last night. I'm planning on rattle canning the interior to just clean it all up and help keep it from rusting. Its the interior... SO no one will see it. I also have the interior brackets. I just haven't put them back in yet. I nabbed the headlight off the Vetter kit. BUT with the brakets in it... The light doesn't fit. BUT I'm sure I'm trying to shove the wrong bulb into the wrong bracket. Without the clips everything fits. Just need the light rim to hold the light in.

 

[dead_mike]

**UPDATE** I've removed the Vetter plug and everything is still functional. I've gotta repair 3 wires... they had those blue clip on splices. It's damaged the wire something good. Other than that everything is marked for the most part. There are a few plugs under the seat that i haven't marked. Only because i wasn't finding them on the wiring diagram. But looking at the backside i have the number off the electrical part they connect to.

Still missing a horn though. I have two random wires up front that connected to an orange wire on the Vetter unit. But these two wires are black. From the diagram they're supposed to be black and green. So we shall see. I still need to drain the tank and get a good look at the underside. Other than that we are Vetter free.

Thanks again for all the help guys. It's helped IMMENSELY!!!

 

[Steve]

Just waiting on the mounting brackets. They should be here today OR tomorrow. I didn't think there would be a huge difference between them. I mean ENOUGH that it would deem the part unusable. I mean I can make it work if I have to. As long as it holds the light securely on the front of the bike... Its fulfilling its duty.

Good luck with THAT thought, because there ARE differences in the mounting brackets. :-k

You have a GL. It comes standard with a smaller headlight, so the mounting brackets are shaped to fit that. If you install G brackets with an L headlight bucket, the brackets need to angle inward a bit, which will change the angle of the turn signals. Similarly, if you install a G bucket on L brackets, the brackets will be angled outward, forcing the signals to angle out a bit.

About your loose wires: is the green wire under the seat a lighter green? If so, it and the black wire are the turn signals, likely for the rear. The GL signals had long wires on them that connected to bullet connectors on the front of the fender, just behind the battery box. If, by "yellow/green" you mean "yellow wire with a green stripe", that is the wire from the starter button to the "safety" switch at the clutch and on to the starter solenoid.

What puzzles me is the fact that you have long wires that are not bundled in the harness. The only long, unbundled wires that I am familiar with are the ones from the rear turn signals and tail light. They reach all the way to the battery area, which is not quite 2 feet away. Any other wire should not be more than a few inches sticking out of a bundle.

.

 

[Burque73]

If you decide the mix match of headlight ears and bucket don't work, here's a thought. I used some aftermarket stuff to get by for a while. These brackets just clamp on.

This was an 82 GS 1100 GL with GS 750 (?) bucket, yamaha (?) blinkers, and some aftermarket brackets. I picked through a box for parts to get it going. It's a file pic and photobucket won't load on my laptop.

 

[Steve]

I have chrome ears from an L, as well as a full bucket, trim ring and headlight. Let me know what parts you need.

.