Topic: Larger guage Positive cable

[fastbroshi]

  So my bike came with a battery cable that someone had already repaired the battery terminal end.  And given the way the cables are routed on my '77 550, the positive side has to take a sharp 90 degree bend to connect to the battery.  And while trying to reroute mine a couple weeks back after refitting the airbox, the rigged terminal slipped off. 
  I promptly went to Lowe's and bought a decent length mower cable, but it was about 6 guage if I remember right.  The stocks are obviously smaller, 4 I guess.  Question is, how will this affect  my electrical system?

[333]

Well first, the lower the number, the larger the wire.  So smaller from a 6 is an 8.  I doubt if there will be a negative affect of using a larger wire there.  If we were talking about using a smaller wire, there might be a lack of power for the starter, but not much else.

[fastbroshi]

Good, I just went through the electrics a while back and would hate to have to unwrap it all AGAIN.  Kids, don't jumpstart your bike with a car, and match the positive cable to the + on the battery.

[SD750F]

Make sure to have the returned relative cross section (surface area of clean contact or connection) or gauge equivalent to the positive lead. Or the battery will only produce the current rating of the smaller (but larger gauge size) wire... This is one of the most common electrical mistakes made.

Scott

[Steve F]

Make sure to have the returned relative cross section (surface area of clean contact or connection) or gauge equivalent to the positive lead. Or the battery will only produce the current rating of the smaller (but larger gauge size) wire... This is one of the most common electrical mistakes made.

Scott

[Steve F]

I have had really good luck making my own cables using welding cable available from SOME hardware stores, and any welding supply shop.  You can buy it by the foot, it is extremely flexible, and has a high conductor count.  I make the ends from copper tubing, flatten one end, slip it over the wire and crimp & solder using rosin flux and a propane torch.  Drill a hole in the flattened part of the copper ends and presto.  Optional, but recommended is some heat-shrink over the fitting.

[fastbroshi]

Make sure to have the returned relative cross section (surface area of clean contact or connection) or gauge equivalent to the positive lead. Or the battery will only produce the current rating of the smaller (but larger gauge size) wire... This is one of the most common electrical mistakes made.

Scott

Que?

[bradweingartner]

Make sure to have the returned relative cross section (surface area of clean contact or connection) or gauge equivalent to the positive lead. Or the battery will only produce the current rating of the smaller (but larger gauge size) wire... This is one of the most common electrical mistakes made.

Scott

Que?

Basically if you have a bigger pipe going out, you need a bigger pipe going in. Otherwise, whichever pipe is smallest will dictate your maximum flow.

[Cannibal]

Make sure to have the returned relative cross section (surface area of clean contact or connection) or gauge equivalent to the positive lead. Or the battery will only produce the current rating of the smaller (but larger gauge size) wire... This is one of the most common electrical mistakes made.

Scott

Que?

Basically if you have a bigger pipe going out, you need a bigger pipe going in. Otherwise, whichever pipe is smallest will dictate your maximum flow.

Exactly...Amperage flow in an electrical system is the same on the positive cable as it is the negative cable. By "returned relative cross section", the poster meant to use the same guage and quality wire with like terminals. ie: An 8 gauge high quality welding wire (my preferance) has more strands and is much better than some cheap 8 gauge wire from a discount auto store.

You see it all the time in car audio. Some dude wires his amp with real high quality, oxygen free 0/0 wire with gold plated connector for his power wire, then wires the ground with some cheap 4 gauge with the cheapest Radio Shack connectors he can find.