Stella 2005 headset wiring woes - seeking advice

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Sjenkinsdc
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Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2020 2:07 am
Location: Tampa

Stella 2005 headset wiring woes - seeking advice

Post by Sjenkinsdc »

Hi all!

I bought a 2005 Fireball over the holidays and have just gotten around to working the electrical issues. I’ve read in multiple threads about the terrible wiring and problems and yup, I’ve got em. First indication was that the horn would honk when I turned the steering to the left. After investigating I found multiple broken/snapped wires in the steering column.

I’ve studied wiring diagrams; watched videos; bought a new main harness to help me understand where the wires are; etc. I’m a bit overwhelmed and not sure where to begin. Hoping you kind folks can point me in the right direction.

Pics attached.

Questions:
1) Should I trace and replace the individual wires? I’ve identified 4 right now. It seems to me I’ll have to remove the black sheathing to properly find and replace the wire? Is that right?

2) Is there some other tactic that I should go after?

3) If I do #1 should I then tape everything back up in the sheathing?

4) Are there any guides or videos for replacing broken wires on stellas? I’ve searched forums and YouTube and looked for genera articles but not finding anything specific.

I’m about to watch the ‘Build It Ride It’ electrical videos to see if that helps.

Appreciate your time![/img]
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Cliffy
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Post by Cliffy »

Hi,
The wiring on these things is a pain in the a**! I just usually solder them back together and use heat shrink wrap rather then tape. There's lots of video tutorials that show you how to join wires together on YouTube and it's not difficult! It's a useful skill to have with these bikes. Get yourself a soldering iron and an assortment of connectors, bullet, spade etc, they're handy to have in! If you have difficulty getting to the bad wires you may have to remove the headset, not difficult but it can be a bit fiddley. Unplug all the connectors, disconnect the Speedo cable, remove the bolt in the lower half of the headset it can usually lifted off with the clutch, gear and throttle cables left hooked up!
Hope this helps n good luck!
Sjenkinsdc
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Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2020 2:07 am
Location: Tampa

Post by Sjenkinsdc »

Cliffy -

Thanks for piping in! I've bought the supplies and am ready with YouTube capable skills for fixing the breaks.

I've located the wires that need to be pulled through and believe I can do them one by one buy using the old wire to pull it through the headset.

That said - any advice on connecting the new wire to the old wire so it stays connected enough for me to tug it through the tight spaces?

Cheers!
sj
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Mr.FixIt
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Post by Mr.FixIt »

Doing each wire one at a time avoids confusion about where they are supposed to terminate. Its better to avoid putting a splice where the original break was. That will just be a fat spot where it will experience abrasion again and potentially wear the insulation off and short out. My advice, try to run new wire or at least avoid putting the splice where it was broken before.

When you are all done slather some Dielectric Grease (clear electrical silicone) on the insulation around the wires and around the inside of the passageway where it threads down through. That little bit of lubrication can sometime prolong life and avoid further abrasion. It is a tight spot down through there.
Eric
(aka Mr. Fix It)
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