What motivates me.. Answered.

Electrical work meant to fit one way, being heavily modified and made to fit another, with millimeter clearances means = frustration with tedious changes and trial and error... Nope. 

Multiple new plugs and circuits in the electrical wiring.. Nope. 

New fuse box requiring a plastic bracket and more electrical wiring.. Nope. 

Carb cleanng! 

Carbs locked shut because moto makers still use easily threaded phillip head screws. 

Nope!..

I've thought about this question for a few weeks. I know I'm motivated by pressure, much more than the average person, but in regards to what keeps me working on this..

I was hiking alone once, days away from a single person, no epirb and most certainly no phone signal, so no way to be rescued, almost out of water and no idea where I was. I lost the "track" I was on, so suddenly I was bush bashing through waist high grass and shrub on the sides of Aussie mountains. No idea where I was I sat down exhausted, uncomfortably surrounded by the thick bush and getting covered in the bush super ants, flys and huntsman that must have been wondering the same thing I was. "What the fuck am I doing", "What the fuck am I going to do! I'm lost!", I sat, very disheartened I realised I couldn't sit here and die all alone, that is not even a choice that one can make, our instincts to survive will always take over. So, I got up and kept walking.

Motivation is trash, it means nothing, it is fleeting and will not come when you call for it. I'm sick of this bike at this stage to be honest, but what do I do, quit? No, I understand worse, so I pick myself up and keep going.

Dash

Another great example of why this has taken so long. A new idea came to me, "this is wasted space so why not put an LCD screen here and have a rear camera".

.. Let me back up a bit. I wanted a checker plate protection on the front to break the wind for my phone that will be mounted here and protect the new Speedo and ignition switch. Easy, made a template from cardboard cut and bent the checker plate.

So while waiting for some LEDs to arrive by post the build is halted. The dash needs to go on before electrical work can continue and the dash needs LED warning lights. While waiting, I buy a dash mount monitor and camera for a cars, intended as a rear reversing camera. Rip it apart and throw it on the new dash.

Next up is what I had Invisioned a lot different. Neutral, high beam, left/right indicators and oil warning lights. Photos pretty much sum it up.

Heres the finished product, well, silicon drying, so almost finished.

I'm an eLeCtRiCian: Part 2 (draft)

New code lock ignition! ..well 1 of 2 switches that will prevent the bike from starting unless switched.

I didn't take many pics of this engineering, even though if it was understood hotwiring would still be a challenge. 🤷‍♂️ It's my key, or one of many.. there's sort of a safety aspect to it I guess.

.. to be continued..

I'm an eLeCtRiCian

Well not really. I did 3 years of my trade and threw it in. I did however complete the second year theoretical modules back in 2008, that's when it was notorious for being the most difficult year of theory (to become cert 3 qualified in Electrotechnology). And might I add I know a lot of my peers cheated in the exams and have heard first hand from others that got through this year doing the same. ...Gloating over!! Here's some progress, note the white shrink wrap on each wire is because I'm labelling very thoroughly.. if only I'd done that when taking everything apart *literal facepalm*.

Ok, so with all the aforementioned said, I'm terrible at what I'm doing now! Hahaha, so that's all been to say, an almost qualified sparky is having trouble with motorcycle electrics. Maybe it's down to practice and experience, because I do understand the wiring diagram and an understanding of schematics/electrical components is getting me through. But I'm having to hold many many ideas for this critical thinking i.e. many schematics/component functions, wire colours from the diagram I have, colours different on my year model from the diagram I have, AND my own fun additions. 

Fun additions:

- Key ignition relocation

- Code ignition switch

- RFID ignition switch

- New controls

- New Speedo

- Entirely new "dash" with strip LED indication lights

- USB C on phone mount

- USB A for saddle bag stored accessories

- Power bank for USBs, voltage stepped down and regulated to charge by bikes battery

- Heated grips

- Number plate lights seperate to tail light

- LED headlight and indicators

- Spotlights/fog lights

- Additional fuses/box 

- Shindengen MOSFET 

- Rear light up reflector (more on this later ;) 

RFID fun!: RFID sensor in seat foam so that an RFID tag in the back pocket enables start up. Wired in parallel with the code switch incase failure of one. And additional switch with a normally closed relay because I don't know yet how the RFID controller will be set up and would like the ability to turn off the RFID sensor incase of an annoying module. This will surely have it's own post.

Here's a bit of what it looked like before.. I'm replacing all plugs as I've changed a lot and replaced my controls.

Reflection: Don't hold the ideas for critical thinking, write them down, draw it out! 

Future post: If I cannot find a schematic of the GS500 I'll draw one up myself to help others avoid such headaches like I've experienced.

Here is the wiring diagram for the GS500 stock:

..And this, but it's of hardly any use imo:

So much of this f-ery

Pushing the limits of a well designed bike has a lot of problems that arise. This box will hide the electrical connections that would otherwise be hidden inside of the oversized stock headlight housing. 

The problem is, the wires need to enter and the design of the stock bracket has an edge that will at bare minimum make the wires difficult to handle, at worst the won't even fit.

Sure, measure twice, cut once, but I didn't expect such a snug fit. I cannot lower, I cannot rotate as the clearance above and below is of a so few millimetres it is a perfect fit. 

Get it done!!... Fast forward: By tomorrow I'll be able to say, I wrapped all the lovely newly painted areas to protect from grinding sparks, ground away, and put a coat of primer over the bare metal, after of course more wrapping to prevent over spray..

Done!

Still coming together

Why is it that tearing things down is always easier than putting things back together 😅.

Bars on, mirrors, levers, throttle cruise control and heated grips coming together.

Next up, electrical wiring for the front connected and hidden so that new brake lines, headlights and spotlights/foglights can go on.

Looking tough

Finally! It's time to put her back together. Many blog entries skip due to time but I can't not share this with the GS fam 🤙