Battery cable replacement

[Sinahogol]

Hi,

I am currently working on the electrical circuit (not my favorite part though) of my 1976 GL1000 and noticed the positive cable from the battery to the starter switch has seen much better days. While taking it off the isolation around it just fell off, so need to replace it. I don't want to replace it with some NOS (even if I could find it), cause these have also been lying around for more than 30 years. Decided to replace it with some brand new cable and solder the connectors on it.

Now my (possibly dumb) question is: I've noticed the new cables are all copper wired and the old one doesn't seem to be copper, will this be a problem? I guess the copper has a lower resistance than the braided wiring of the old cable, is that only a positive thing or should I be worried?

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[pjlogue]

The wire is copper but is coated with tin for corrosion resistance. What you can do is get a length of 4 ga. copper welding wire. It is fine strand so it is extra flexible. Get the appropriate lugs and crimp, then solder them on. I would use glue type heat shrink for each end to make a water-tight seal. Since the cable is always "hot" any water that gets in will, over time, corrode the copper due to electrolysis.

-P.

Edit...4 ga. is probably way overkill. 6 or 8 ga. is better and easier to work. Be sure to bend the wire into its final shape before soldering as the solder will wick up the wire and be very difficult to bend after you solder.

-P.

[toomanybikes]

Mine was greenish and completely uncovered, so i replaced it with one from a CX/GL 500 that I had lying around.

[Sandy]

The cable looks good. Just the insulation got brittle and fell off. I'd just slide a couple of layers of heat shrink over the cable and reuse it.

[Sinahogol]

Thanks for the replies. Good to know this is also copper. There's no corrosion on the wire or the connections at all, might try your option Sandy. Couple of heat shrinks will be good enough for insulation you think?

Edit: actually found something called "cold shrink", seems like I can use that. Looks a bit thicker than normal heat shrink.

[Sandy]

Thanks for the replies. Good to know this is also copper. There's no corrosion on the wire or the connections at all, might try your option Sandy. Couple of heat shrinks will be good enough for insulation you think?

Edit: actually found something called "cold shrink", seems like I can use that. Looks a bit thicker than normal heat shrink.

I've used 2 sleaves in the past.
Install one, shrink it down then slide the next one over and shrink it down.
The cable should not be touching anything negative anyway.
Don't know cold shrink.

[Sinahogol]

Ok, I'm going to try to find out a bit more about this cold shrink and otherwise I'll use your method. Thanks!

[redglbx]

I have done the multiple heat shrinks in a pinch along with a piece of appropriately sized fuel line cut, fit over and reglued. I have also used lawn care, garden tractor cables adapted with good results. Just need to insulate things well. Insulation is your friend along with copper wire. My .02

[Track T 2411]

https://ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=59948
Here's a link that lists a PN for a John Deere lawn tractor cable that works great...

[Sinahogol]

That's great! I've got the cold shrink tube coming in first. Will try that, and if that doesn't work I'll have enough other options now. Will post the result of the cold shrink if it that's any good!

[Sidecar Bob]

A quick search found that cold shrink is actually an insulating tube stretched over a plastic inner sleeve. You put it in place, remove the inner sleeve and the insulating tube shrinks back down to form around the wire. I can see places where that may be advantageous but I can also see places where it wouldn't be anywhere near as easy to use.

[Sinahogol]

I can see places where that may be advantageous but I can also see places where it wouldn't be anywhere near as easy to use.

Yeah, hope I can shorten the cold shrink and I'm able to pull it over connectors. Guessing it's not very flexible, but thought I'll just give it a try.

[Explorer]

I would remove the negative from the battery and put it back on the bike as is, to get an idea how it bends and then take it off again and try to heat shrink it into that position, heat shrink sleeving is pretty pliable until it cools right off.

Just my 2 cents.

[Sidecar Bob]

Good point. When we built the harness that feeds the electrical stuff at the front of my 'Wing's sidecar we shrunk the parts we knew would be straight fully but left the bends a bit loose so they could be shrunk in place after installation. Of course, some of the bends in that are longer than the entire cable involved here.

BTW: I used heat shrink on my battery cables, but they aren't exactly stock (why I needed cables like this here)

[Sinahogol]

Should have gone with the heat shrink right away. The cold shrink was no success, didn't shrink enough to be tight around the wire. Description said it would shrink more, but already had a slight suspicion when the cold shrink arrived

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The heat shrink worked well! Thanks for the last two tips, they were really helpfull as well.

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