Topic: CB 500 Electrical upgrades

[Jakker91]

My wiring is getting old to say the least, I want to redo the whole system? Anyone have any ideas on modification/experience?

[fastbroshi]

  Go through the whole system's connectors and clean them followed by dielectric grease.  Make sure you're not running 1157 or 1156 bulbs in your turn signals, they take more amperage than the ones that came with the bike.  Should be 1097 or 98 I believe. 
   
   Make sure your battery's in tip top shape, put it on a tender often.  And lastly, if you HAVE to jump it from a car, don't reverse the terminals on accident.

[number13]

ne of the simplest electrical mods I did
to my 500 was to replace the red main wire,
the one with the fuse holder, with a heavier
gauge. Mine was so bad when I replaced it,
it is hard to say if that was an upgrade, but the
bike ran much better afterward just the same.

[wannabridin]

go with the best quality and thickest cables you can.  this will increase the efficiency of the electrical pathways by limiting any "chokes" there may be from too small of wires, or too old (restrictive) wires...  the best are the high strand count wires, as these are what the factory used because they're easily maneuverable and highly conductive.  also, GOOD grounds are vital.  you want good clean metal with nice copper terminals to ground the bike to.  anything that needs to be grounded should be grounded well.  other things to consider are upgrading to an HID headlight with a switch for you to turn on and off.  these take a lot of amps to warm up, but it's only for a short time and things drop back down well below stock afterwards.  LED's everywhere else you can, brake lights, turn sigs, etc.  make sure your rotor is in good shape, with a nice cleaning.  another thing: run the blade style fuse holder.  easier to find if you're stranded and you can get ones with built in LED's to show you if it's blown!   

AGM battery is a nice addition, they hold their charge very well and they can take a "beating" on the road shocks and charging cycles.  hope this helps!

[Doctor_D]

Custom wiring is a fun exercise.  It's an opportunity to simplify the works and get to know it intimately.

The amperage most of the circuits carry on motorcycles is pretty meager, and 14-16ga marine grade, tinned, pvc insulated wiring is sufficient.  12ga, coupled with relays to bypass handlebar switches, is great for headlights and ignition systems and 4ga is enough for starter motors.

I've heard pros and cons regarding solid state voltage regulator/rectifier combos, but have never had any issues with those I've used.  Podtronics, Sparx and others make single and three phase units that I've used with success.

For terminals, I like heat shrink bullet terminal connectors, like the Krimpa-Seal ones.  They're weather-tight and have high pull strength. My favorites are double crimp terminals (they crip the wire and the insulation) that incorporate low temperature solder in the connector.  I've had trouble finding them regularly.

Hope this helps.

 

[wannabridin]

one thing though, anything drawing any respectable amperage, don't solder the connections.  if it gets too hot, the solder can melt and possibly ground itself out, worst case scenario.  use weather tight connectors everywhere you can, with a nice heat shrink around the ends for cleanliness and water tightness.  also, get the shielded connectors so they don't accidentally ground out.  and then some of that wire mesh look they sell makes for a really clean look!! 

like this:

http://cableorganizer.com/fray-resistant/

and here's a collection of all kinds of wire protection! 

http://cableorganizer.com/black-colored-pet/