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Earth cables.

Discussion in 'Supersport (1974-2007)' started by Pierre 66, Mar 20, 2012.

  1. Hi all.
    I think I remember reading a thread on Ducatisti that said it was a good idea to replace the earth cables (battery, engine, frame??) with thicker ones, available from Halfords I believe. Is this right? What about the positive cables?
    My bike starts ok, sometimes a very slight delay when you press the button as she "girds her loins" to spin the engine against compression, nothing I`m to concerned about though.

    As always, thanks in advance for all advice and opinions.
    Cheers.
     
  2. Pierre, I'm the same as you...mine has a small delay also, but never a problem starting, I don't see the need to change unless the condition
    is of the cables are bad...but they have lasted 18 years, without any issues so far.
     
  3. Howdo!!

    Yep change the lot. You can order cable and connectors and just knock some up, makes life easier for the battery. Just ensure you get a good ground!!
    Welcome to Auto Electric Supplies

    Cheers Pablo
     
  4. Yes I remember that thread. I think it was an idea to get another positive cable from the battery terminal and attach it the engine block to ground it as the way it's wired from factory means the grounding goes through the whole frame before it reaches the point. I think that's what I did think and starter & battery work great (when spark plugs and carbs are playing ball!). I could be massively wrong though!
     
  5. Howdo!!!

    1. Starter cable - to - Solenoid.

    2. Solenoid - to - Positive side of your Battery.

    3. Negative side of Battery - to - Ground (Engine/Chassis)

    Note:Make sure all connections are free of dirt/grease/paint. Then use correct grease/silicone to protect connections from corrosion.

    That's all you should need with better quality/gauge cables.

    Cheers Pablo
     
  6. Hi

    As per the Pirate's note above I did mine using massive overkill 25mm2 (that's squared!) cable and the cost was £18.72 including post from here : Automotive and Marine Cable, Motorcycle Wiring Connectors, Plugs, Terminals and Diagrams.

    With new Motobat battery the engine spins over like the plugs are out ..... not bad for hi-comps.

    Just measure up the total length of the leads you're replacing, order that length and relevent ends and get to work. I ordered 2 metres and 4 spare ends just in case. Crimp the ends in a vice, the standard ratchet crimper won't produce enough squeeze!
     
  7. That's the one
     
  8. I went down the Halfords route. I took my leads off to match them for length, I think it cost me about a tenner?
     
  9. Indie, just a thought - the web site shows the 25mm2 hi flex cable as 170 nominal amps whereas the usual Yuasa can give 225 cranking amps. Any idea how to interpret the two ratings?
     
  10. No idea, I'm afraid.

    I can say that the chap who I bought from thought the 25mm was pretty much overkill. It is about twice the diameter of the stock cabling and, as I said, seems to pass the current in a most satisfactory manner.

    You could probably get an equally good result with the next size down but wtf, it looks good!
     
  11. Thanks for all the replies.
    Think I`ll have a go at changing the earth cables, the bike does starts ok, but I suppose anything that gives 18yr old electrics an easier time has to be a good thing. I can clean all the earth points at the same time as well.
     
  12. excellent source of electrical gear, have made cables up using their cutters and crimpers

    and whilst you are at it often useful to fit a ground / earth cut out switch to completely kill the electrics if needed, had a nasty experience where an alternator shorted out and the regulator caught on fire, earth cut out switch is a lot quicker than cutting the wiring loom to prevent the bike going up in flames
     
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