Topic: What's the best way to re-wrap engine wires?

[Tugboat]

I have this extra motor, and some of the stock wire wrapping/insulation has been removed from the two sets of wires that exit the motor at the sprocket cover. Not from the wires themselves, but from the "bundles". Both have plugs on the end, so I can't slide heat-shrink tubing over it. Is there a better way to wrap these back up other than electrical tape?

[CycleRanger]

You can remove the plugs.
There are tiny pins that hold the spade connectors in place.
You can use a small screwdriver to reach in and push in the pins so you can pull out the connectors. 
Once you have the plugs off you can use shrink tubing.
Or you can leave the plugs on and use silicone tape.

[matt mattison]

Harbor freight sells a waterproof self adhearing type of tape. I forgot exactly what it's called,but it looks like a roll of electrical tape. This stuff is similar to the factory wrapping.

[BobbyR]

It is a self bonding silcone tape. Looks like electrical tape but it only sticks to itself. If you need to remove it you can carefully slit it and it comes right off. Good stuff. Home depot carrries it in the plumbing section.

[Tugboat]

This stuff?
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-x-10-ft-self-bonding-super-tape-68401.html

[matt mattison]

That's it

[Tugboat]

Sweet! Thanks fellas!

[BobbyR]

This stuff?
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-x-10-ft-self-bonding-super-tape-68401.html

From the picture this one looks textured. The Home Depot stuff is smooth and shiny. Maybe it is just the pic. The Home D stuff is more expensive.

[Bodi]

I use braided sleeve. It's very flexible and resists friction damage. You should disassemble the connectors (engine etc) to slide the sleeve on, then use heatshrink or high quality electrical tape to close the ends and cover where wire bunches leave the main harness. You can open the braid and pass a few wires out of a harness.
The silicon self-sealing tape described is OK but it's pretty thick and not very flexible when finished.
Honda used a plastic tube and taped the junctions and ends: but this tubing is fairly hard to find and you have to get the exact size required. The braided sleeve adjusts over a pretty wide range, if you have the correct size it is pretty tight woven, you can stretch a small size to fit larger wires but the weave ends up more open and you see the wires.
It comes in all sorts of colors and materials.

[BobbyR]

I use braided sleeve. It's very flexible and resists friction damage. You should disassemble the connectors (engine etc) to slide the sleeve on, then use heatshrink or high quality electrical tape to close the ends and cover where wire bunches leave the main harness. You can open the braid and pass a few wires out of a harness.
The silicon self-sealing tape described is OK but it's pretty thick and not very flexible when finished.
Honda used a plastic tube and taped the junctions and ends: but this tubing is fairly hard to find and you have to get the exact size required. The braided sleeve adjusts over a pretty wide range, if you have the correct size it is pretty tight woven, you can stretch a small size to fit larger wires but the weave ends up more open and you see the wires.
It comes in all sorts of colors and materials.

I sued the braided  sleeve for the wires out of my Pamco ignition so they would not stick out and abrasion resistance. You can terminate the ends by using a cable tie like they do here at work.
The Home Depot silicone is stretched really thin and and looks like the original electrical tape Honda used at least until 1978.

[Tugboat]

Thanks for all the imput fellas! This is actually for a replacement KZ400 motor I got for free and am going to strap onto my KZ so I can ride it around while I rebuild the actual motor. Doesn't need to be pretty - in fact, the motor itself is completely nasty on the outside but has good compression and shifts, etc. I'm not going to clean it at all.. just proudly ride around with an almost-40-year-old motor that looks like sh1t

[BobbyR]

I had a KZ440 and the motors clean up real nice. I had an easier time polishing the covers than I did on my Honda.