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Hi All; I hope this is posted in the best place. I've been looking to buy color coded wire and don't know where to get it. My XVZ12TK has some marginal circuits and I'd like to refurbish them with the correct wire. I'm anal, what can I say? I figure there is about 30 color combinations and I could spend several thousand dollars. . . (joke) Anywho, if you've been down this road, please help me out. Ride safe, Steve

I'd like to hard wire the power source for my XM, and i've searched a couple ways to do it that look straight forward. My question is, the power cord that I have now indicates 5vdc, is there some sort of resistor in the cigarette adapter that lowers the voltage to the unit, or is that just a minimum and will run off 12vdc no problem? Thanks Joe

I hooked up my passing lamps today. Found the wiring diagram here on this site, followed it, now here is what I have. With the lamps turned on, right turn signal works fine. Turn on the left turn signal, both turn signals and headlight flash and the radio goes dead. I have gone over the wiring to make sure everything is hooked up according to the instructions that I have, but still the same thing happens. I have my power from the battery through a fused wire to a relay, from the relay I ran another wire to a seperate switch, from the relay another wire powered by ignition. Any ideas guys, sure could use some. Thanks.

I have spent all day trying to align the small end of the shaft in place, can anyone give me direction on how to do this, I tried the wire with no luck, this is a real pain.

Many thanks to Freebird and out telephone conversation the other day. I managed to find the wire set on ebay (that had been mentioned on this website in the past) and was able to order a set. Hopefully this will solve my 1989 miss on one cylinder as I probably fouled a plug and needed to change plugs. So, will change all wires and plugs and see what happens. Once again, thanks for all your help Freebird.

Can anyone advise what the wire colors are for brake, lights and turn signals?

As I was working on Mocha last night I came across a couple of leak points. It seems that the right front spark plug wire was mis-routed. It was laying against the radiator fan in such a way that the fan wore through the loom, casing, and into the wire!!!!! This caused all the magic zappy stuff to occasionally leak out! I was putting new wires on anyway so I just had to get a new piece of loom. The front shocks have leaked several times. Seems that the hose between the legs was spliced. The splice fell apart causing all the puffy air stuff to leak out! Installed a good used hose (and correct fittings) now the air stays inside the shocks. The best news is that all of this only cost me about $7.00. The loom came from a set of coils and wires I got off E-bay for about $4.00. The hose and fittings were gotten the same way. Also bought 12 lbs. of hardware and found all the little screws and chrome bolt caps I needed. Got the plug wires from E-bay also. Waiting on valve cover grommets and I should be on the road. Fixing plastic items tonight. Pics attached of the wire and hose. Notice that the hose has 2 ridgid male ends. It needed a swivel end and a fitting. Must have been made from 2 hoses. Took them with my cell phone so sorry about the quality. JB

Can someone offer advice? I have an 06 RSV. Yesterday I washed her, and when I fired the engine, it was apparent that I had a cylinder down. Turns out to be the right rear. Pulled the plug wire and plug. Plug was wet. Took another wire off and put the plug to ground. It fired hot. Exchanged the plugs and the problem is still with the right rear cylinder. I tested the plug wire cap to ground and got a momentary resistance of around 14K...tried a working wire and got the same result. I haven't pulled the coil yet because it is like 18 degrees outside! I have a hair dryer blowing warm air on the coil in case it got wet, but so far no change. Thanks for any help you guys might have. :confused24::confused24::confused24::confused24::confused24::confused24:

Mounting Gauges on the RSV General info The toughest thing about mounting gauges on the Royal Star Venture is finding a place to put them. As there is very little space available, smaller gauges are better. The vast majority of gauges are 2” in diameter or larger, and these do not fit well at all, but if you look long enough, you can find some that are 1 ½ “. JC Whitney sells a triple gauge set this size in black which I used on my 05 RSV, and I have seen other 1 ½” sets in various auto parts stores. O’Reilley Auto Parts sells the very nice iEquus Performance series gauges, and they have a white face 1 ½” triple gauge set at almost the same price as JCW. Unfortunately, you cannot get this set with an ammeter, so I just used the water temp and oil pressure gauges on my 07 RSV. If you want to get adventurous and modify your fairing, a three gauge set will fit nicely where the cassette door is. Just for reference, here are pictures of the dash from both bikes showing several mounting options for the gauges that do not require modifying the bike: Once you figure out how to mount the gauges you select, the rest is pretty straight forward. I’ll take them one gauge at a time. But first, here is a picture of the various additional parts to which I’ll refer in the detail: Oil Pressure The gauges I used are mechanical gauges, but the process would be essentially identical for electrical sending units. The oil pressure test point on the RSV is a huge 20mm plug on the right side of the engine next to the floor board and right above the header pipe. You will need a 10mm hex key or Allen wrench to remove this plug, and if the bike is on the side stand no oil will escape. While most gauges come with several size adaptors for both SAE and metric engines, none that I have seen have anything this big. The easiest solution is to buy an M20-1.50 oil drain plug at the local auto parts store and drill and tap it for the connection (I got my Oil-Tite! brand plug at the local O’Reilly Auto Parts). You will also need a standard brass “street elbow” in 1/8” male to 1/8” female pipe threads (I bought a Watts A-712 street elbow at Lowes). To complete this modification, drill an 11/32” hole in the center of the plug and use a 1/8x27 NPT tap to cut the threads for the oil line connection. Now wrap the male end of the street elbow with Teflon tape and screw it into the plug. Don’t make it completely tight yet; because, you will want to install the plug into the engine first and then finish tightening the elbow to face forward. Once you have the plug and elbow installed and pointed in the right direction, install the compression fitting used for the oil line into the female end of the elbow. The last thing to do is route the oil line from your gauge down to this plug. Some people like a braded stainless steel oil line, but I just use the small white nylon tubing that comes with the gauge. Although this white tubing is very visible when new, it virtually disappears as soon as you start the engine and it fills with dark oil. You can see in the picture below how I routed it along the wire bundle running up the right side of the frame. Just connect it with the supplied compression fittings at both ends and you are done with the oil pressure gauge. Ken Chapin (a.k.a. wuzfuzz) tells me you can buy a plug already drilled and tapped for $16 at www.cycleoneoff.com, but I have not checked this out myself. Water Temperature For the water temperature gauge, you need to be able to mount the sending unit or sensing bulb into the engine water jacket somewhere. Mechanical gauges have a long capillary tube and temperature sensing bulb permanently attached to the gauge, so you have to mount the gauge first and then carefully thread the bulb and capillary tube along the existing water return line to the mounting point for the temp sensor on the top of cylinder number one (left rear cylinder as you sit on the bike). If you remove the spark plug wire on this cylinder you will see a black hex key plug just inside of the spark plug and a little higher. Here is a picture of the cylinder head with the pug installed (but already loose) and then removed: And here is a picture of what it is going to look like when you are done: This plug has thread sealer on it which makes it quite hard to remove. You will need your 10mm hex key again, and you will probably have to tap on the wrench with a hammer to get the plug turning. There is NO need to remove the spark plug or drain the coolant, but you will need to remove the chrome covers on the head to give you room to get tools to the plug. These are just decorative and come off with the four small hex key bolts you see on top of them. Once the plug is out, you need to get a little creative to mount the temperature sending unit in its place. The plug is 18mm-1.50 threads, and no gauges I have seen come with a metric adaptor this big. Some metric bushing kits may come with an 18mm adaptor, and outside the US it may be easier to find one at an auto parts store. If you can't find one locally, you have three options – either find one to order from the internet (here is one source: http://www.egauges.com/vdo_indA.asp?PN=R7965), buy an 18mm oil drain plug and drill and tap it to the right size to fit your temperature sender, or use this neat little trick to modify an easily available brass fitting from any hardware store: To make an adaptor to fit the water jacket hole, you will need to purchase a brass ½” tube to ½” female pipe adaptor (I got mine at Lowes, Watts part number A-218). In addition, go to your local auto parts store and look for a Help! brand “Spark Plug Non Fouler, 18mm with gasket”, part number 42009. This will only cost about $2.00, and you want the one with the gasket instead of the tapered seat so you can use the gasket when you mount the adaptor into the cylinder head. Now take the ½” tube to ½” female pipe adaptor and take off and discard the nut and tube insert. The threads in the Spark Plug Non Fouler are identical to the threads in the cylinder head, and you will find that the brass adaptor “almost” fits – it will screw about half way into the hole before it binds up, and the steel non-fouler is the perfect tool to use to form the brass threads into the metric size needed. Just put the non-fouler into a vise and use a wrench to force the brass adaptor all the way into the threads, and presto, you have a perfect part! I use the non-fouler to do this so I don’t risk damaging the threads in the engine head while the brass threads of the adaptor are being reshaped to fit. Now all you need to do is select the appropriate ½” adaptor that came with the water temperature gauge and screw it into the metric adaptor you just made, then mount them both into the engine using the spark plug gasket that came with the non-fouler. Here are pictures of using the non-fouler to reshape the threads and the two adaptors screwed together and mounted to the temperature sending unit: I have found that the aluminum spark plug gasket that comes with the non-fouler provides an excellent seal for the connection in the cylinder head. The last thing you need to do is make sure the capillary tube is routed exactly as you want it and then mount the temperature bulb to the adaptors you already screwed into the cylinder head. Be very careful to not kink the capillary tube as you work to get it all positioned as you want it, and since you cannot shorten it, you will need to loop the excess and secure it somewhere. Here is a picture of how mine is routed and secured. This particular capillary tube is covered in rubber and looks like a wire harness (others are metal and covered with a spring). You can see mine strapped to the top of the coolant return pipe on the right side of the engine between the carbs and the air box, and the excess tube is looped around twice and secured in the wire strap under the plastic cover on the right side of the steering head: Ammeter First, let’s have a little discussion about ammeters. They used to be very common way back when (50s and 60s), but they have just about completely disappeared, replaced by the simple volt meter. Personally, I don’t believe you can tell nearly as much about the condition of the battery AND the charging system from a volt meter alone. Although I prefer to have both ammeter and volt meter, if I have to chose, I would go with the ammeter first. I guess I am just a bit strange. Anyway, hooking up an ammeter presents a bit of a challenge, and I suspect this alone has fueled the switch from ammeter to volt meter in most automotive applications. Whereas a volt meter can simply be connected to any main +12V power source, an ammeter must be connected between the battery and ALL loads. Virtually all automotive ammeters require that they be connected physically in series with the load instead of using a shunt, and this means that a single wire large enough to handle the maximum current draw of the entire vehicle be run from the battery to the ammeter and then back to the main power feeds. To be effective and accurate, the ONLY load that can be connected before the ammeter is the starter motor, and this is just for convenience, as a starter draws so much current it is impractical to connect it after the ammeter. In most applications, you need 10AWG wire for this primary loop to and from the ammeter. 10AWG is big wire, which is not particularly easy to work with. Now lets talk a bit about the specifics of the power circuits in the RSV. The schematic shows the battery power runs through the main fuse then splits into two wires to exit a plug, where the two wires are rejoined into one. The reason for this 1-2-1 configuration is that the pins in the plug cannot handle the full 30 amp load that this main power feed must support, so they need to split that current over two separate pins in the plug. Our ammeter must be connected somewhere between the main fuse and the first connection to any load. The only place to easily tap into this main power feed is at the plug connecting to the main fuse. This is located just behind the primary fuse block under the left side battery cover. To access it you must remove both the battery cover and the left side passenger floor board and then the plastic cover where the passenger floor board is mounted. Here is a picture of the plug connected in its normal position, then unplugged to make the wire modifications easier. All I have done at this point is unstrap the wire retainers to make it a little easier to see the plug. The main 30 amp fuse for the bike is on the right side of this plug and the one on the left is a spare (see page 7-32 of the owner’s manual). Disconnecting this plug removes all power to the bike, almost like disconnecting the battery. You can see the two large red wires coming out of the plug – these are the two wires to which I referred above, and this is the easiest place to tap into the circuit to add an ammeter. To connect the ammeter, you will need at least 12 feet of 10 AWG multi-strand wire. I prefer to use two colors, 6 ft of red and 6 feet of black, so that it is easy to distinguish between the wire going from the battery to the ammeter and the one returning from the ammeter. First, slit the tape back a few inches so you can access the wires. Now cut both red wires, being careful to not cut the two other wires in this plug that activate the starter motor. Now solder the red 10 gauge wire to BOTH of the red wires coming out of the plug, and connect the other end of the red wire to the battery side of the ammeter. Solder the black 10 gauge wire to BOTH of the red wires going into the wire bundle, and connect the other end of the black wire to the load side of the ammeter. Besides just connecting the black wire to the wire bundle, I suggest also soldering a 14 gauge wire to the same point for use in connecting any other after-market accessories that you would normally connect directly to the battery. Remember, for the ammeter to work correctly, no other load can be connected to the battery; it must be connected AFTER the ammeter in the circuit, and the only easy way to do this is to add an additional wire like I have described. In the picture below you can see a yellow wire connected with the black wire. This runs up to an in-line 20 amp fuse right in front of the battery (for easy access), and I use this power feed for my horn and driving light relays. This way they do not overload the stock circuits, but any current they draw is shown on the ammeter. After soldering the wires together, make sure you insulate them well. In the picture I just have heat-shrink tubing on the joints, but this is not enough, as it is quite thin and easy to tear or rub through with very stiff wires like these. After I took the pictures, I used liquid tape to heavily coat these connections, then re-secured all the wires with the original wire straps. That is all there is to it. Put the bike back together and start enjoying the new gauges and the information they give you about what is really going on with your bike. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through the VentureRiders forum. Ride Safe! Kent (Goose) Maurer

What wires need to be connected to what to convert my 86 Venture to a 4 wire system for my camper trailer?

I'm hoping someone can help me with this. I was able to aquire a CB and amp etc out of a 90 VR to put into my 84 which comes with nothing. I got the AMP, the CB, front and rear controllers and SOME of the wiring. It appears I am missing something. Not sure how this goes together. I have one hole open on the AMP that has to go to one of the headsets. I have a wire with split in it that looks to go to the front and a headset can be plugged into it as well as a hand mic (which I got as well) but it dosen't have a wire to plug into coming from the AMP. This is the wire I think I'm missing. I also don't seem to have anything to plug the controllers into. There is a 3 point plug part way down the one cable that I do have coming from the AMP but the plug isn't the same. Question is can someone tell me what I need. Point by point what gets plugged into what so I can look for the missing parts. (maybe someone might even have the missing parts??) Any help would be appreciated... Wayne

I am a novice at this stuff but can follow directions with the best of them. I have two sets of after market lights from Wally World that I have mounted on the deflectors and foot pegs. Now I have to wire them. I want to have the first set on all the time the headlight is on (both high beam and low beam). Also want to be able to turn them off when working on the bike etc. so will probably need to place a switch somewhere. I want the second set to be on only when high beam is on. Don't think I will need a switch for this set. How, what and where I wire them in is what I need to know. What colors wires are what on the bike? How and where do I wire them into the bikes wiring? How and where do I mount a switch. Can I do it without splitting the fairing? Remember I am a newbie to this bike and while I am not totally mechanically challenged neither am I an engineering genius so instructions must be simple to follow. Thanks for any help with this

On electrical issues I can usually trace wires and get things to working, but need some advice. My bike has a 60 watt sealed headlight. It is served by a 15 amp fuse because I just looked. Tomorrow I am going to install a fancy set of driving spotlights and each spotlight is 50 watts.....for a total draw of 100 watts .....maybe not a draw? Just output? If the factory set up with a 60 watt rating is served by a 15 amp fuse,,,,,what size fuse should I install for the driving lights? Instead of hooking into the low beam headlight wire I am going to run a single wire from the battery to the running light power wire(it will be grounded to the frame) So how many amps does a 100 watt out put on a single wire really draw? If using power or watt formula....it is only pulling 9 amps? So really would not hurt to tie into the low beam wire?? This is why high power driving lights can be wired into the existing wires like a dealer does? and still run off a 15 amp fuse?

do we have anyone using this and if so how do you like it? http://www.letstalk.com/product/product.htm?prId=33703 thanks Dray

Hi and Merry Christmas to all, Things have been hectic the last few weeks. I tore into Mocha and got lots of parts. Just now getting around to the work. The base is on Exodus until Jan 4th so I can take some time and work (or play!). Finished the fuse holder replacement tonight. Took too many cold meds and couldn't sleep so I went to the garage and worked. The original holder clips for the fuses were so brittle that they cracked when I pulled them out. Replaced it with a small 6 gang ATC holder. Then I decided to get rid of the OEM main fuse. Put in a Maxifuse holder. Tomorrow is battery cables. I have a large supply of 4ga. welding cable and all of the terminals already. They have to make a difference. The OEM cables are WIMPY. Quick question on the main fuse. It is about a 12ga. wire into the harness. Does that really carry the entire load of the electrical system? If so, before I put in a larger stator I think perhaps a new wire might be in order. Hey Todd - found why neutral was hard to hit! The bellcrank is loose on the shift shaft splines. Hopefully it isn't worn to the point I can't get it tight. I did a bit of soldering this weekend so I will drop your connector in the mail right after the holidays. I picked up 6 of the sockets. They were less than 2 bucks apiece. Safe and happy holidays to all. J.B.

Well guys I did it. I ordered some 30 gauge multistranded teflon coated wire and sewed it in my jacket and WOW! It is great. I just ran it through a 10 amp fuse and a switch and plug it in and I have instant heat. I am going to try to ride all winter. Total cost was about $40.00. I bought a second hand work coat at the thrift store for $5.00 and the wire cost $28.00 and the plug and wire was $7.00 to hook up to the battery. I can't believe how warm it is and pulls less than 5 amps from the battery. This is alot cheaper than the $400.00 for a heated jacket.... :cool10:

Well, couldn't find a specific drain on the electrical system. Ordered a new fuseblock and will start there. Grounds look good and clean. Stator will get checked next. Haven't ruled out the possiblity of a "bad" new battery. Also replacing the stock main fuse with one of the new style maxi-fuses. I plan on extending the stock wires in order to mount the block on the air filter housing. I will probably make new battery cables at the same time. Next will be pulling the starter and cleaning the dust out and checking the armature and brushes. Results from draw test: Key off, between batt. and ground 0.8mA Key off, between batt. and positive 0.8mA Pulled the b.up 5 amp fuse and dropped 0.4mA In acc pos. draw was 187mA I have one fuse to chase yet. It is 20 amp in a rubber holder forward of the battery. Has about an 8ga. wire feeding a 12ga. wire. Both are red and it is configured in a loop. Final jobs before puting the plastic on: Plugs, wires, plug caps, and valve cover gaskets and grommets. Glad I enjoy tinkering with stuff. Weather is a bit chilly at 45 and raining, so I hope to be done in a couple weeks. Had a good experience with Kent Powersports here in San Antonio. They gave me 20% off on parts and ordered all the items not in stock today. They also offered to work prices on other items and parts. Very pleasant to work with. So, I will get most of my stuff local. Except for the plugs, caps and wires. I will order those elsewhere. Kent only offered Yamaha parts here. J.B.

I had to synchronize my friends 900 kawasaki :rotfl: followed the specs.... no need for any special tools except a 7mm wire ..that you place in the throat body

Who has installed a Sat radio on their bike? What type did you get? What mounting system? Did you get the type that transmits to the radio, use the accessory plug or hard wire it? Any and all info would be appreciated. Thanks.-Jack

I just ordered a venture dad hitch. Roy said to use a standard boat trailer 5 pin flat rubber connector wiring kit that you can get from most auto parts stores. A friend of mine has a trailer he pulls with his goldwing and said I can use it anytime to get the feel of pulling a trailer before I buy one. I thought this is great. My wife and I are going on a trip next week so this will be a good time to pull a trailer. But my friend says he has a 4 pin connector with a 5th wire added. I also saw on a thread this morning on the hopkins hoppy trailer kit which it says is a 4-way flat connector. What should I do to wire my venture for a trailer. I am confused, however it doesn't take much to confuse me. Thanks.

I've bought some coils on e-bay. They are supposed to be off of a 89 venture. My problem is these coils have all the same color wires coming out of them. Red with a white stripe and a orange wire. In the wiring diagram there is supposed to be a different colored wire from every coil. Have I been taken? Are these coils off of a 89 venture?

After removing the tank and dogbone, I went to pull up the spark plug cap on a front spark plug. I could pull it part way up before hitting interference from above, but not far enough up to clear the plug. I didn't want to force anything and kink the wire or break the cap, so I stopped there and put it all back together. How do you get the plug wire up far enough on those front plugs to allow access to change the plugs? What's your technique?

I ride a 2000 Royal Star and I just purchase a tow behind trailer. The trailer comes with the standard 4 wire connector. Does anyone know of a site where I can get the info on how to hook up the four wire connector on the bike or if anyone has wired their bike to hook up the four wire connector.

Hello all, Anybody knows how to uncouple the CB antenna base from the attached wire? I tried unscrewing the metal connector at the end of the wire... no go, I tried pulling on it... no go. I don't want to break anything and I didn't find a way to remove it, anyone has done it??? I am actually chasing a CB transmit problem :sick:and want to make sure the antenna has a solid connection but as I said I can't get at it. Help and Thanks Hermann

I have the fairing apart and am looking for the plug in for the CD player. There are plugs color coded with red, white, blue, yellow, and gray. What is the plug for the CD player? Or is it somewhere else? Or has this one had a CD player installed and still has the wire and it hasn't been removed?