Protecting wiring harness

[Guest Montrealer]

My insight into wiring harnesses

Any cables you route in the bike should be protected from rubbing caused by vibration which would wear off the wire insulation causing a short.

There are several ways of protecting the cables. ?The cheapest but most time consuming one is to wrap electrical tape over them in a spiral pattern.

The quickest method I've found so far is to go with plastic harness tubing. ?

One kind is a polyethylene split flex ribbed tubing which comes in several sizes such as 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2". ?It is split halfway along its entire length so it can be use to wrap around cables already installed in place quickly. ?Along every foot or so, wrap several turns of electrical tape to keep it closed. ?The fact that it comes in different colors make it great for color coding. ?I believe this type to give the most protection due to the ribbed structure; however it is a bit too bulky for my taste.

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3/8" polyethylene split flex ribbed tubing shown

The other type I have found to be the best is the clear polypropylene spiral wrapping. ?It is flexible and can expand to accommodate wires of a slightly larger size. ?Its outside diameter is smaller than a ribbed tubing of the same size. ?One size it come in is 1/8" which I find is great for only one or two cable routing without taking up too much space. ?The easiest method to use this tubing is to pass the wire into it from one end. ?It can also be use to wrap around cables already in place, but it would be a PITA due to it spiral structure. ?Unlike the split tubing, there is no need to wrap electrical tape around it as the spiral structure will hold cables in place. ?The only concern I have with the clear polypropylene material is that it may turns yellow with age, become brittle and break down.

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3/8"clear polypropylene spiral wrapping shown

Would love to hear any advices or suggestions regarding this topic.

Cheers,

Brendan

[Guest Cajunvfr]

Brendan, the spiral wrap from NAPA is what I used to protect my R/R custom harness I made. It seems to work well and I was told would not get brittle. Can shoot some photo's if you would like.

The split loom is good but tends to be hard to make short radius turns.

We use it on Heavy Equipment and does good in hostile environments.

Hope this helps, Steven K. The CajunVFR

[ProMed]

Thanks for the tips. I plan to use dielectric grease in the connections as well.

[Guest D4N]

I use asphalt coated wire loom also from NAPA. It has excellent abrasion and heat protection. The only downside is it is not split.

NAPA part # NW 737401

[ki-speed]

Sometimes when I want to protect a harness or just a few wires from rubbing on the frame, etc., I take a bicycle tire inter tube and cut it to the length I need (then cut it length wise). I then slide it over the wires, close it shut and use a few tie wraps to secure it. Works great and is easily removed!

ki-speed (Mark)

[Knife]

If you are running new wires, there's a sheathing you can get that is not split and very pliable. You have to thread the wire through the length of the sheathing. It comes in black or silver. I didn't find this stuff until AFTER adding all my farkles, of course, but I would use it if I had it to do over again.