Slow Monster rebuild

[350TSS]

Another wiring day and a picture of the tidied up congestion zone below.


This is as good as it is going to get.
Two ABS boxes are mounted on a rubber-mounted 3 mm polypropylene welded bracket. The front one basically connects the front and rear indicators to the MU unit. The rear one is a 9-way junction box connecting all the auxiliary circuits to the switched power line from the MU unit.

If I had my time again I would definitely do it differently and my completely dogmatic insistence on running earth leads back to a common point has caused a lot of the issues I have been faced with.
Unfortunately, I will have to take the battery out of its tray as a number of small screws dropped inside and if left there vibration will eventually compromise the battery casing.
I still have to wire up:
a) the headlamp - awaiting delivery of LED unit
b) the orange black to the red lead just behind the ignition switch
c) the coils and the Ignitech unit, the pink and purple leads crossing between the carburettors
d) the power lead to the MU unit (it is all wired and connected to the regulator but final fitting needs the regulator to be in the correct position under the battery)
e) the power lead to the camera at the back. I only remembered this one after I had taped up the whole loom from the rear light to the connection boxes.

I really, really hope it all works. It should do and I have only guessed two connections - both to the speedo sensor (no colour coding of the power and signal wire was given with the aftermarket instrument).

As light relief from wiring,
a) I made a bracket from 2 mm stainless to guide the drain pipes from the carburettors. This took ages, stainless steel ruined 2 step drills and the square hole in the front had to be laboriously filed out to hide the fact that the drill skidded and a "lightening" hole ended up not central.

b) found a use for three rubber blanking grommets (after trimming the inner edge with a Stanley knife) filling up the threaded handlebar holes in the top yoke and the mirror thred in the clutch lever clamp. Better than bolts as they weigh virtually nothing.

[Luddite]

I love little details like that. I like the way you've exactly matched the radius of the piece to the grommet. Nice work.

Originally Posted by 350TSS

...filling up the threaded handlebar holes in the top yoke and the mirror thred in the clutch lever clamp. Better than bolts as they weigh virtually nothing.

Or lose the mirror holes completely - would these fit?

https://www.stein-dinse.biz/product_...oducts_id=7614

[350TSS]

Thanks for the comment re the bracket, there were times when trying to drill the stainless when I thought I would give up and just make one out of coat hanger wire and despite the time it took I was pleased with the result.
Those clamps are the right way to go but with my budget way over (all my own fault) I think £25 for the pair is two straws too many.

[350TSS]

Anyone know where I can buy/acquire about a metre (or whatever the minimum purchase order length is) of:
6 core flexible cable to carry 5 volts power, earth and signal from the two Hall effect sensors to the main wiring harness. the OD of the sheath needs to be about 6mm (maximum say 8mm)?
The wires supplied with the kit are single-core about 0.5mm wire core and 2mm OD with the sheath. Because of the tortuous route it has to take, they will need to be sheathed with some form of protection and it will look bloody awful aside from being about 12mm diameter minimum when sheathed.
I have tried RS components, E bay, Banggood, Aliexpress but searches all say "no result found" or I get 240V domestic twin and earth.

[Luddite]

Anything here suitable?

https://www.vehiclewiringproducts.co.uk/c-48-cables

They're always advertising in Practical Sportsbikes.

Link to catalogue here:

https://www.vehiclewiringproducts.co...at-2019-20.pdf

I can see 5 and 7 core but not six! Perhaps they can make up a custom item or you could maybe strip one of the wires from the 7 core.

[Ron1000]

Companies like yesss electrical and city electrical factors may do custom Lengths. 6 is a non-standard number of cores, 3-pair might be available.

Or you can go direct to cable suppliers such as Cleveland cables, batt cables or Lapp cables.

[manwithredbike]

I have some 6 core alarm cable lying around in the shed. It's multi stranded so flexible enough but wouldn't carry much current. Outside sheath diameter overall only 4mm ish.
If any use, if you can't get sorted, let me know and I'll post you over some of the roll

Edit. The current carrying capacity on alarm cable wouldn't be much more than an amp or so but presumably the sensors are low power/current and your be fusing them accordingly.

[350TSS]

Thanks.
The wiring of the ignition system is on the critical path to completion (besides, after all this time, I am desperate to hear it fire up) so I went ahead and ordered both 5 and 7 strand stuff from Vehicle Wiring Products. The 2 x Hall Effect sensors each have a positive and a negative and a signal wire so I think I shall use the 5 core as it is thinner and share the earth between the sensors.
One of the next projects is my Moto Morini 3 1/2 which needs a total rewire so any surplus will definitely come in handy for that.

[350TSS]

Slow progress over the last week, SWMBO is working at home so her job list grows every time she walks around the house or the garden.
Sorry, no pictures at the moment as my phone has stopped communicating by email with my computer. I will have to get the attention of one of my computer-savvy kids to fix it.

I made up the support for the instrument surround which came out well and shortened the rear brake torque arm by 10mm.
This lead me to the problem with the rear brake pipe route. I tried all the old rubber pipes from the Monster but none were the right length or had the banjo union configuration that would work. The rear caliper will move probably about 50mm on its floating caliper mount so to allow for this the brake pipe will need a horizontal bend just before it connects to the caliper union so the brake caliper hanger bracket can move freely without straining the brake pipe. The rubber pipes were definitely far more accommodating of having this bend in them.
In playing around with the different pipes what I discovered is that as important as the actual configuration of the banjo union (20, 45, 60 or 90 degree) is the axial orientation of the two banjo unions relative to each other. The two spare S4 pipes I have which are too short but are SS sleeved plastic will not tolerate any axial twist.
In researching brake pipes for both the front and the back from the likes of HEL it seems they are made up with a fixed relationship between the banjo unions as the pipes are connected to the unions with a swaged joint permanently pressed up in a hydraulic crimper. I think the likelihood of me being able to order exactly the right configuration of banjo union and specifying exactly the degree of axial twist is virtually zero unless I take the bike to the place that makes them up, which means making an appointment with somewhere probably not yet open, hiring a van etc etc.

Venhill sells a DIY brake pipe kit from a menu of components which uses compression fittings with olives. It is not cheap but I think it will be a far better solution as it will take away the problem of axial misalignment. I have now just got to decide what configuration of banjo unions I will need.

[Dukedesmo]

With regards to brake/cluctch lines, I like Goodridge build-a-line; https://www.goodridge.co.uk/collecti...aline-fittings because you buy the line at the length you need and the fittings separately.

They then screw together and you can change the fittings if required, but the best bit is that because the end is screwed on you can get the alignment perfect with no twist in the line.

[350TSS]

Dukedesmo - wish I had seen your comment before ordering from Venhills I think I would have saved myself a few quid.
Still no pictures I am afraid, it is funny when they need their cars looking at it is mega urgent when I want a little help on computer techy stuff there is no urgency whatsoever.
Yesterday, I wired up the Ignitech unit using the 7 core cable just not using the white central core wire. It was quite tricky as the sensors you have to connect to are about 6 x 4 x 3mm with three 0.5mm single uninsulated strands coming out of the 6mm face. You can only make the connection to them by soldering and keeping them apart and juggling the solder, the iron and the tiny part was challenging.
All the wiring except for the connections to the headlamp (on its way on a slow boat from China) is now done.
Today was less successful. I thought I would install the instruments and the rearview monitor in their housing and fit the front lens. All went well until I started to tighten the lens to the housing and it cracked, so I made another and, having made it, when I took the protective film off the acrylic sheet I found a scratch that I hadn't noticed. So I made another and just as I was tightening up the last screw this one cracked. At this point I retired from the garage not in the best of tempers.

[Darren69]

you mention headlamp and slow boat from China, I waited 3 weeks for my LED lamp to arrive, only to find that once the film was removed the lens was cracked, only very slightly but noticeable enough when fitted. They need me to print a returns label which I cannot do until I get back to work so I've ordered another one now. Hopefully that will arrive damage free?

I've built a couple of bikes before and always made my own brake and clutch lines from the bits available to me at work but when I priced up the Venhills bits to do the same for the S4, now I no longer work there I didn't bother ordering since it was so much. Over £100 and I could do with bespoke lines but I can live with the standard ones for now if it's gonna cost that much.

[350TSS]

Another small issue today, I decided it was time to change the filter and fill it with oil. As I poured it in the filler I noticed a puddle on the workbench. It was coming from the gauze filter nut, I tried tightening it but the flow got worse. I have before started to fill engines having forgotten to fit the drain plug but never in 50 years of messing about with engines have I managed to misalign the crush washer which was comprehensively buggered. About half a litre of full synthetic will at least ensure my bench does not go rusty.
Jobs left to do are:
Make another lens for the instruments and devise a way of operating two control buttons on the speedo that will be behind the lens
Fit the brake lines and bleed them and the clutch (awaiting delivery of the hose and fittings, due tomorrow)
Fit the brake pads front and back
Time the Hall effect ignition triggers
Fit the voltmeter and fit the dashboard and attach the dashboard to the flyscreen
Paint the tank, seat and flyscreen and fit decals to the tank (awaiting delivery of decals)
Test everything and put a torque wrench on all the bolts
Buy and fit number plate
Insure and MOT

[350TSS]

A couple of hours today messing around trying and failing to make any brake pipes. The stuff I ordered arrived yesterday and I spent half an hour working out which configuration of banjo fitting was best placed for the smooth routeing of the pipes. (I ordered 2 x straight, 2 x 45 degree and one each of 20 degrees and 90 degrees SS banjos plus 3 metres of black shrouded hose plus 3 x rubber hose clamp sleeves plus a tool for cutting the brake pipe for the 2 x front brake and 1 x rear brake lines - £170 ouch!!).
The banjos looked well made with a tubular spigot which is supposed to be inserted into the inside of the PTFE hose only it does not fit because the hose has been cut and is squashed flat. The cutters I bought are glorified scissors and because each cutting edge is not semi-circular they also cause the hose to be squashed flat. It is not easy to restore the 3 mm hole in the centre of the pipe to a 3 mm diameter circle from a 4.5 mm lozenge.
The banjo nut does not slide over the brake pipe because the sleeving is too thick and the olive inside the nut will also not fit over the PTFE tube. I haven't tried it yet but I think I will have to pare back the plastic sleeve and possibly the SS armour to get the banjo nut and the olive to be fitted correctly.
Also I suspect that the benefit of an olive fitting rather than a swaged up pipe is going to be illusory.
There were no instructions (or even handy hints) which given the safety critical nature of the product I find a bit surprising.
Doubtless I shall eventually work out a way to get them fitted but impressed I was not.

[Luddite]

Originally Posted by 350TSS

... only it does not fit because the hose has been cut and is squashed flat. The cutters I bought are glorified scissors and because each cutting edge is not semi-circular they also cause the hose to be squashed flat. It is not easy to restore the 3 mm hole in the centre of the pipe to a 3 mm diameter circle from a 4.5 mm lozenge.

If you first wrap electrical tape around the area to be cut and use a Dremel disc, you should get a neat cut with no crushing.