Understanding cafe racer ignition wiring (a simple guide)
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- NOTE: THIS IS NOT A HOW TO WIRE YOUR MOTORBIKE, ONLY A SIMPLE GUIDE ON THE PATHWAY.
In this video I go through a few tips on understanding Cafe Racer wiring through using a highlighter pen, tracing your wires, end to end, and separating your lights from your ignition electrics. Sort one thing out first then it'll make the diagram easier.
This is not a 'how to' video, only a simplified version to show the pathway of you ignition wiring and understanding the sequence.
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Filmed with Canon 70D
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With 50mm 1.4 lens
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I don't know why this video isn't first on wiring motorcycles, this was so concise and I actually learned something.
Glad you thought it was useful
I would also like to remove my startermotor for a cafe racer build, where do i start? do you have a video on how its done, i.e. when i remove it, what do i do about the gaping hole it creates? thanks
I wouldn’t recommend it. You will soon regret kicking the bike start.
@@forthebold tu refer
@@forthebold try
Just bought my first 1980 cb750c. I know nothing about motorcycles or how they work. I own a 2018 Harley. But basic stuff I can do....... but not about to tear it apart. So I bought the cb750 to learn. And to transform it to a cafe racer. In the process of tearing it apart. And finally got all the wiring out. Your videos are awesome and helpful. Just wanted to thank you for everything you do. And helping me along in this process.
Great stuff. Best of luck.
Great video, I’m jumping in on a full rewire for my first electrical project and it can definitely seem overwhelming, videos like this out the process in simple and concise terms that even beginners can follow.
Thank you so much I've been trying to get my bike fixed for the last 3 or 4 years a motorcycle technician was going to charged me $80 an hour to rewire my bike but now I don't have to thanks to you I can wire it myself
I did the same for my moped. Just took apart everything, drawing my own schedule. It is a win-win;
1. You get a simple schedule (you made it yourself)
2. You know it by hearth
Absolutely, by drawing it you learn.
Dude you just slowed my heart rate down an insane amount! Thankyou!!
Glad it helped
A really beautiful and simple way to understand the electric circuits in the bike. Question are you going to make a video about the other electrical elements?
I am planning to do the lights / controls one day.
I did too i sure watched a shitload of em the last week and 99 % of them i couldnt make it thru 2.00 of of the thing....this video just klicked with me for whatever reason...it was direct and clear not talkin like i was 6 years old taking forever.....very cool video...made me happy as fuk ...id been strugglin with this old yammy and fukn hundreds of wires that had been all hacked up by 7 different people....wtf
Great video for people not used to reading schematics! One thing that seem strange is the direct connection from the alternator to the switches. The alternator outputs AC voltage and needs to be rectified before being connected to anything. I don't think that is what you're trying to show but it could be misleading. Make sure you connect after the DC Rectifier. If you have a zener diode on your bike as a voltage regulator and is thinking of getting a lipo battery it might be a good idea to upgrade to a modern solid state regulator.
you also have dc alternator so you conected like that
Thanks so much for putting the work in to visualizing something that is so mysterious when staring at a pile of wires. One question, why does a line go from the regulator to the controls and then back in? Is that for the kill switch? Why would interrupting the regulator kill the bike when there's a battery present?
Not to split hairs my friend, but on our Suzuki GS550's, the left coil energizes cylinders 1 and 4, and the right coil energizes cylinders 2 and 3.
In your defense, I caught the miniscule pause in your voice when ya vocalized it. Excellent job on your videos my friend.
This is true. My mind was all over when I recorded this.
Finally!! A great video for the hobby mechanic 👍. Now i can get started on wiring the old suzuki 750.. Just want to get it Running..
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.
Can we run 2 cdi boxes and one single pickup.
A small point, but quite important - inline fours like the GS550 fire plugs 1 and 4 from one coil and 2 and 3 from the other, not 1/3 and 2/4.
This is true
Best channel on RUclips. Thanks!
Wow, thank you. Means a lot to hear that.
Thanks much - excellent Job describing things - Mines a 1979 CB750 K Limited Edition 10th Anniversary Model . She wont be a Cafe Racer, but I have done a lot of wiring to add tis and that, and enjoyed this video much - thanks
Same model as my Warrior. I remember a lot of redundant wiring in that one.
This is a well organized tutorial and I'm grateful to you for providing it. Using the hi-lighter is a solid tool for simplifying things!
I have just this question: for doing a simplified wiring, do I need both kill switch and keyed ignition? While I rather like the idea of a kill switch, I don't care for the keyed switch. Can one switch be made to do both?
thank you, and absolutely, your key will do that.
Now that's a brilliant video, excellent content and information.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Super clear! These visuals are EXACTLY my method of learning and understanding things. Went from 0 to 100 in 6min 30
I'm glad they help. I wasn't sure if it was too simplistic as there are a few junctions inbetween but I thought it be best to show the major parts.
Best I've seen! Thankyou
Thank you
I have a 1978 cb400t with no starter and no key... Do I wire a kill switch in place of the ignition? Great video.
I have 79' xs750. your channel has helped me a lot. thanks
Amazing, I'm glad it's helped
Without you I would not be into cafe racers. Thanks dude 👍😊😊
Amazing to hear, that's made my day :), top comment
dreegez 😀
Reeeeeally nice vids, dreamed about it for a long time ! Thanks a lot ! could you also detail the part of the wiring concerning lights ? would be awesome !
Yeah I can make a video on that. I think it might be a simpler video, but gotta admit the number of wires for the lights makes it complicated, especially when wiring up to the controls, high / low beam
dreegez exactly ... I'm actually facing a problem with my cb400f : my main fuse blow when I turn the lights on & I'm accelerating ... that's why I requested this video ! 😁
Gosh, I'm not an electrician but if it was me, first thing I'd check is for ay exposed wires that may be touching the negative frame / engine, and shorting?
Already dissected all the wires ... but I will make a triple check this weekend ... thanks for the advice !
Good luck, sorry I don't have a definite answer. It could be anything that touches the frame. As another thought the alternator generates more power when it spins faster, with faster revs, could be something there? Another thing I would do would be to check everything with a volt multimeter, including the current coming from your alternator and regulator.
thanks youve made that easy to understand..
Thanks for watching
Simple and nice, one more top video
Thank you
i guess yes. you made it easier... great job thanks and keep educating us.👍
Happy to help
Dude your the best
Thank you
Very nice! Thank you! can you do more that includes indicator, horn etc?
+CRM6718 I could do one day. Although the horn and indicators are pretty much a straight circuit from fuse to switch to e.g horn then back to the body.
I am that guy who loves wiring! 😁
And loves to explain it...
Explain it man
I am ready to learn 1 thousand time
Whenever i see wiring digram video i always watch them
Can't resist to watch them
Great video mean. I have a question. If you can help great. I have a gs 1000L ( not 100% sure on L). I want to get rid of ECU - igniter. Is that possible?. It does have coils and points. Just like the Suzuki you represent here. It's a Suzuki gs 1000 L
I'm at the wiring on my 77 XS750...my current plan is to hotwire the starter when I want to run it. I can't be asked to sort out why the switch isn't working. I haven't tried to kick it recently, but last time I tried to do that there was no resistance, so something had slipped, or it was in gear...
First guess would be a safety connection is missing/incomplete for either the neutral, clutch or side stand. Would be my port of call.
Fantastic , I have a 74" cb360 I would like to turn into a cafe racer , hopefully you have a how to on that.. thanks
A few nice examples out there, I love the sports bike front shocks on the CBs along with the brat style seat.
JOGO how the bike going? Just bought a semi finished cafe 75 cb360t, just wiring is giving me trouble.
thanks for helping to explain wiring a little better for me! its always been a... hassle for me since a lot of wires and its something i dread. I was wonder though, i just got a 1979 honda CX500 like yours, and i only had power to the oil light and brake light before i started taking things apart. I wasn't sure if it was a battery issue or a wiring/fuse issue. Is there any way you could do a video like this for that bike specifically? it was be really helpful considering the wiring! CHEERS!
That's an idea, the CX500 is a little complex, especially with getting all the safety points done to turn the starter over.
I am trying to wire up a kawasaki vulcan 750 the way you described. I was wondering if you need the the ic igniter, or can you really run the wires straight from the contact points straight to the coils like you did in this video? I am very new to wiring motorcycles and any help would be appreciated. thank you.
This is only for bikes that run old fashioned points or something like a Dynatek ignition system. Anything with like a cdi tci etc is more complex
is there any place where I can get the pdf of the gs550 wiring diagram? Btw your videos are amazing thanks a lot
Email me your email address. Mine's on the 'about' page of my channel.
Thanks. I'm rewiring a 75 cb550, do you think it's necessary to get the rectifier/regulator combo or will I be able to use the stock rectifier and regulator (they are separate units)?
My 78 GS 550 left coil powers cylinders 1 and 4, right coil powers cylinders 2 and 3.
That's correct.
Any plans on doing a video on how to wire up left hand switches, lights, and indicators?
There’s one on the cx500 series.
Great video. It made me start from scratch on my bike instead of trying to figure out the original thing.... Just a question: when you have a multiple connector, does it matter which wire you use to run your connections? Say 3 wires are coming out from my regulator going into a multiple connector. Could I use any of the plugs to go to the different parts? In other words, are the colors here simply to make things clearer?
Colours here are of no reference, always refer to your diagram for actual colours.
@@forthebold
Thanks for the reply. Just another thing... If I have a ignition module, it replaces the contact points, am I right? The the wiring basically follows the same route? My diagram seems to say so anyway...
Love your content im building an 81 brat, but it doesnt come with a kicker. do you know if the pre 80's gs550 kickstater components would fit on a 81? like clutch cover kickstart shaft kick spring and gear? I've read some threads that its possible but nobody seems to know for sure or has tried it. Suzuki kept the same mold for the post 80' engine just changed the clutch cover and left out the kickstart parts is what it looks like
It's hard to say without seeing or asking someone that's done it as so many things could have changed from those years. But in all honesty I wouldn't go to the trouble of making it kick start, you won't ever use it when you have an electric start.
Can I run it with no battery? I've got an old contact point bike, where there are no lights, orn, and all that unnecessary stuff, can just connect the wires from the contact point to the coil and then the sparkplug to make it run and put a switch on one of the cable to shut it off?
No it would need capacitors etc to run without a battery
I'd want to catch that Haynes manual before it hit the floor.
Thanks man, this video help me a lot
You're welcome.
What battery are you using, I couldn't make it out?
hi can you get me a link or website that i can get service manul for suzuki gn250,tnx and nice video tutorial ,
Sorry I haven’t got any myself
I have an 07 ninja 650 , I used and inline fuse from the battery to pin 30 on a 4 pen relay, and then pen 85 with another fuse to the battery, and It kept draining my battery, NOW my question is can I wire pen 30 to my brake light from the fuse box? And keep pen 85 with the inline fuse to my battery so it won't keep draining g my battery?
That's a good question and something I can't answer.
So if my starter doesn't work, then I won't be able to test for spark, right? The plug won't spark if the engine doesn't start turning over?
If it doesn't have a kick start you'll have to get the starter to turn first. But you can test for signal without.
good guide blow plan up so u can follow, start w/ battery
Thanks
Hey man, idk of your gonna reply but I hope you do, I have a single cylinder bike with a Lifan 200cc GS series motor, could you reply with how you would wire the bike up it doesn’t have a fuse box it just has a fuse from the positive battery terminal wire I may make it electric start but not too sure yet like you said it’s way easier as a kickstart
Without seeing the original wiring diagram it's impossible to say otherwise
Do you have to change the regulator if you swap the battery? Because I can imagine that the smaller battery can only handle a smaller current..
That's the thing that confused me, it can handle the current, but these lifepro4 batteries are really sensitive to normal lead/acid battery charger, but I've been assured from the manufacturers that it's a simple plug and play battery, so no need to change your regulator. In fact these are charged up to something like 14.4v. I'm awaiting to hear more from them
DAMN !! I was searching for weeks to get to know how wiring works on my bike. None video explains it as nice and easy as yours, thank you :) now I'm not scared to go into it on my Cafe Racer Project Honda CM 185 T. If anyone can answer me a question I world be very thankful; can you run your machine without a batterie ? I mean if you have a kickstarter you dont need the batterie or am I wrong ?
Is cafe racer just a selling point arnt they the same as any other that way,,?
My GS550 doesn’t have a kick start or I would. I wish I could fit one on it from an older version
From experience I prefer electric start 🤣
Hey mate just wondering have u done a hysong gt250r efi would it still work with ur set up
No I haven't,
Thank you for this. I'm trying to determine if I need a CDI for a 2 stroke engine. 1975 Kawasaki 100cc. There wasn't one on the original diagram. Any help would be lovely. thanks
Have a look at the points. That’ll tell you if you’re running a pulse for cdi
@@forthebold no points. Single cylinder
You’ll have sort sort of points system even with a single cylinder. You need some sort of timing to send a signal to your ignition coil.
@@forthebold thanks man. It’s working!
I assume you’re pretty good with the mechanical element. When I have the engine off and hold in the clutch I can click between first and neutral but can’t click up is that normal?
Yeah that’s normal. Sometimes you have to rock the bike back and forward to engage the other gears
Do you know where could I get software wiring diagrams for motorcycles? thanks
Is it possible to run a kickstart only with out points? I just have the TCI/CDI ignition unit on my xs650
You’ll need something to tell the cdi when to fire. So your bike will be running a pulse instead of points.
@@forthebold When you say pulse, is it the pickup coil telling the ignition unit when to fire? If not points what’s my other option for a kick only bike?
I have a question. I have a cafe racer 850xs Yamaha 79. So I noticed that my wire to my start button was a little lose. So what I did is split it and connect the two wires in that had a separator from the start switch to the bike. It was working just fine, left it alone for a couple of hours and now its not even starting up. I try to push start it and or use the kick start that really doesnt work. So the only thing I seen was that the regulator look black but idk. Its not even getting a spark from putting the two wire together. Idk if you have an idea or anything or just help me out maybe haah.
Without seeing an accurate colour chart I couldn’t tell you
Pma kit required to bypass starter and selinoid?
Not just delete
Help with tci 1998 xv1100 bare bone wiring please.
Sorry. Without seeing it and a wiring diagram next to me it’s hard to say.
Hey, my wiring task is a small one and I was wondering if you could help. I am installing an 'innovv c5' camera which has 3 wires. Red goes to positive battery terminal, black goes to negative battery terminal and the yellow goes to a 12v switched power source. SO I have 2 questions:
1. How do I safely determine a 12v switched power wire to tap off. (Can i poke a needle into the wire, turn ingnition on, then use one of the screwdrivers with a bulb to detect if there's power?)
and...
2. What is the best way to splice the wires together. Cut and crimp or use a 'posi-tap' connector. The posi-tap connector requires no skill or tools which intrigues me. They are sold on amazon and ebay if you want to check them out. They literally screw down onto a wire and break the wire sheath a little to form a fairly secure connection point where you can fasten the extra wire onto.
Any help would be appreciated. ty
PS great vid.
+steve L electrics isn't my strong point. But I'd say your technique would be safe. I would guess if you go from your lights it'll be a safe bet. As for the clip - my dynotech kit came with those so if you're not soldering I'd say that's cool to use them
Agh good. Glad you think so. The 'posi-tap's arrive Monday, cant wait to try them out. I've already done the needle trick on the cable running to my rear brake light and worked like a charm. A few other people in the bike shop are curious to see how my camera turns out. So fingers crossed it goes smoothly so i can brag more :D
Can you do this with physical components
Nice suggestion, I do it on a few of my builds
Does anyone know what the brown wire on a Kawasaki zx750p ignition switch connects to I just bought a new ignition an there’s a extra brown wire but I have no idea where it goes
Sorry no, but if you have a wiring diagram it can be easily traceable
Nice scarlet 2:2! I've got one myself
Good piece of little kit.
Excellent!. Thanks
You're welcome
"A bit of poo came out" 🤣 I'm there!
Always
Do you know of a motorcycle wiring diagram software?
Hi, i was wondering if you could point me in the right direction, i recently got inner rotor ignition with 55 W lighting for Aprilia RS 50 and machined the rotor and stator adaptor plate to make it fit the RS 125. New ignition doesn't have pickup like the original one but since you can dissasemble the rotor, i was thinking that i could make another plate that goes over the rotor and has a small magnet at the correct point to trigger the original Pickup coil and give the info to the CDI when to fire. If somebody has any knowledge how to do that, please contact me.
You can actually buy a replacement kit called Dynatek Electronic Ignition System that does just that, already done , same principle but also eliminates the need for a CDI even.
@@forthebold Sure but i need the CDI that I'm using now because it controls the Rave exhaust valve along with programmable ignition curve, I'm not sure where to put the magnet on the plate that i will machine and attach to the rotor to trigger the pickup coil, does pickup coil triggers as soon as the magnet reaches the pickup or when it reaches the middle point of the magnet.
Where did you get your manual for the Suzuki gs550. Thanks!
Hi, I got it from ebay, there are online pdfs available too.
Brilliant. Thanks.
Thanks for watching.
En mi gs550 los sensores hall tienen 3 cables
Can i switch my bike from electrónic ignition(tci) to ignition points
A better way is to use Dynatek electronic ignition system which eliminates the cdi and work better than points.
Hi Dreegez!
Really like the gs build, im looking to get a similar project but i was wondering if you would be doing a vid of where you go for aftermarket parts etc?
Ta
AP
Mostly they're ebay / amazon purchases, but what I'm going to do on the CX500 videos is to put links on each video for each thing I buy, along with a counter of how much is spent.
ah cool! sounds good i shall keep up!
No conection to or from CDI ??? Only coil directly from contect point?
With contact points you have no cdi. If you have a pulse system then you need a cdi.
question, do you need a battery? i plan on only kickstarting my bike, and if there is no battery do you still need a regulator?
Personally I always would use a battery. Even if it's a small one like a 4 cell.
Technically, you can run a capacitor set up. But, and no offense, the general rule is that if you have to ask if it can be done, your electrical know-how isn't up to snuff to put together what is a fairly complex cap system.
Ian Loughney i wasnt very specific in my question, and i mainly asked in hopes if someone has a specific set up that they do and any negative effect. I already have rewired my bike from this last point and figured out exactly what i found was a better solution, yet still as simple and low profile as possible with the build.
Oh yeah, I feel you man. Like I said, that wasn't meant to be offensive or anything, I just wasn't sure where you were electrically and was warning against diving into the deep end right off.
It's good for gsf400 1995-2000? I really need help
Pass, I wouldn't know on that bike.
I got the diagrama and drawing It again using Adobe Illustrator. I need color to understand better.
That’s a brilliant way to do it. I’ve also used diagrams in the past that isolate each different system like the ignition is one layer and lights the other layer, which you can do on illustrator too
@@forthebold I´ve realised that I will not use all wires, so I can edit the diagram after transfer all to Ilustrator.
What if I have 2 wires on the magneto pick up I'm baffled with mine I just want kick start only no starter my own stupid fault for buying a Taiwanese bike can anyone help just want to get it running
Best advice is start from the battery and trace your flow from there.
I liked it. unfortunately you didn't ad a starter however in the picture for the starter before removed. you forgot to ad a fuse between the switch to the line. and a relay after the fuse as to not burn out the switch.
Good spot, I didn't add one in as I wasn't going to concentrate on that. Looks like you know your electrics too.
can i get idea for my Hero Honda Karizma-R
convert into Cafe racer style
Best place I'd suggest is to go pinterest and build a collection of ideas you'd like to do.
thank you
Ok so on my bike, I replaced the spark plugs and tried to start it and all but when I pressed the start button nothing happened. Didn't even turn over. Thoughts?
Is there a current coming from the battery into the starter / starter relay?
dreegez I'll check tomorrow. Any way I can test to see if I have a bad starter?
Either a multimeter or a simple screw driver / tester that lights up. Is the way I'd do it. Proper electricians might have better ways. Does it start with the kick starter? To see if you have any spark you can take the spark plug out, hold the negative body of the spark plug against your engine and kick a little kick, you should see a spark.
dreegez There's no kick start sadly.
ah ok, so volt multimeter on your starter relay first and starter. Is the battery ok also? Have you tested that or tried another battery? Like jump starting from your car battery?
Always label your terminals it might save a head scratch later !
Thought left coil was 1+4 right coil 2+3 on a gs
Need some help colour code for CDI 8+6pin...
Best bet is to look in the Haynes or factory manual for a wiring diagram of your bike.
AWESOME. Thanks much
Thanks for watching.
@@forthebold working on a 72 r5 yamaha. I'm 54 and this is my 1st real project bike. Machanical?👍 Electric 🤞This took the fear out of it for me.
Thanks
Will keep tuned.
Just step back and look at it with a cuppa if it ever gets confusing. It’s what I do always
I bought a monster 1200s engine.... Looked at wiring diagram. Got a mild headache then just paid someone to do the wiring
+Lammy m ha. Sometimes it's the stress free way that's the best
Thanks
No problem
Thank you!!!
You're welcome.
Can you email me yamaha y15zr (malaysia) a.k.a yamaha t150 wiring diagram? I want to make switch for turn off ignition. It is for anti theft. Malaysia have many motocycle thief using modus operation bypass the ignition key using loopimg wire
+izzul fahmi sorry but I don't have any wiring diagrams. Should come up with a google search
Exelente
👍🏻
Помогите мне с электрической схемой. I wish I could understand English. Русскоговорящие есть?
good viedeo
No ignition module?
Not on this one, Kick start only.
good
thx a lot
No worries.
I fucken love you 👍
Give grandma her sweater back
I think you made a mistake in your explanation of the coils. One of them provides spark for cylinders 1 & 4, while the other one provides spark for cylinders 2 & 3.
Yeah, you're right, my fault there.
I'll mention it in my next video, well spotted. It's the problem with making these videos late at night. My thinking head isn't on straight.
Man i miss this intro music. It's so much more "build motorcycle music"..
The other one sounds like your about to watch some plastic yap bike vids 🤣
Getting ready to wire up my 71 triumph... Wish me luck! HA
Good luck
Nicely simplified but does a cafe' racer have 4 spark plugs? LOL
Depends what bike you have. If it’s a cab four, gs550, yeah.
@@forthebold 1972 R5 Yamaha 350cc 2 stroke...ring dingy dingy