SOHC.co.uk Forums > Other Bikes

Wiring question

<< < (2/2)

AndyD:
Thanks Ted,
I've generally bought cable from Bikers Toolbox in the past and they have the 1mm and 2mm thin walled wire in lots of colours - there's something like 17 different ones on the XT.
Haven't seen any 1.5mm ones in wide colour ranges - is there a source for these?

Cheers,
Andy

McCabe-Thiele (Ted):
I bought from ebay and Vehicle Wiring Products iirc at Ilkeston

Aye Gee 1977:
Cables and flexes sizes are generally expressed as cross sectional area of the conductor so a 1mm wire is shorthand for one having a CSA of 1 mm sq.  Therefore the copper is proportional to the number i.e. 2mm is twice the size of 1mm.

Cable sizes on motorcycles are principally determined by voltage drop rather than absolute current carrying capability.  The way this works, a 6v system requires a conductor four times the CSA of a 12v to have an equal voltage drop.  Keeping the conductor size a bit sensible is the reason why the National Grid transmits a high voltages (e.g 275,000 volts) and steps it down locally for domestic use.

BigAl (Alan):
'volt-drop' on 6 volt motorcycles can be a problem as they age due to corroded wire/connectors/switch gear.  As the original post, assembling a new wire harness with 2mm cable, as to the original 1mm cable would help, as the resistance value per metre of 2mm cable is lower that 1mm cable.
Fitted a new wire harness (2mm cable) to my XL500s (6 volt system) as image a number of years ago...it did improve the lighting system.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page