Honda Connectors

[CRAZY DAVE]

Hey Mike, You have to look on the plus side !! 1- They kept the same color wire. 2 - They used connectors. 3- No slimey tape. 4- They did not just twist the wires together. 5- It did NOT burn the bike down.

[Tom Neimeyer]

Just to open up a can of worns. A large number of people have told me that all connectors should be soldered. I have a large number of Land Speed Racer friends and they insist that soldering connectors is the worst thing you can do. I also looked into MIL SPEC designed items and found that the wiring in things like F-16 fighters do not use soldered connectors.



It seems to have something to do with "metal working" and/or "work hardening". Items that are soldered and exposed to vibration tend to break at the edge of the solder. Additionally, "cold" solder joints can cause problems. Therefore, I am reluctant to solder electrical connections on my projects.



I may be able to find and pass on some of the discussions that took place in the Land Speed List archives if anybody is interested.



Regards, Tom

[Mike Nixon]

Warning, the following is an opinion (my English teacher used to say, "Never say, 'This is my opinion.' Everyone knows that whatever you say is your opinion!")... I realize this is an area that is controversial -- the manufacturers themselves takes sides regarding it, so who are we as mere mortals to be dogmatic. However, be dogmatic I must. Powersports vehicle electrical failures have left their mark on my memory after 30 years in this business. Soldering that is done correctly doesn't result in either overly stiff connections (due to wicking, usually, i.e. overheating the wire and/or using too much solder, resulting in the solder "wicking" or crawling up the conductor) or cold joints (due to heating the solder and not the work). Moreoever, flexing and breaking off is a feature of connections that rely too much on a soldered joint and too little on a mechanical one. That is, the best soldered joint is one that is already excellent mechanically. All three of these mistakes are basic failures in technique. Soldering is definitely a skilled task, no doubt about it, as none of my students caught on first try and none of my present techs have the skill. But as to why the military and others don't solder -- the answer has to be ease of manufacture and nothing else. Honda has had more than one problem with unsoldered crimped joints. One model, the CB750 Automatic, was even recalled for it. The areas in question on the CBX , the starter solenoid connector (especially) and the stator connector, are not flexed areas and are thus even less likely to give problems due to soldering. However, these areas' high failure rate due to continuously built up resistance at the wire/terminal junction virtually screams for a solder-based solution. I did the solenoid connector on my own bike many years ago and have never experienced the meltdown that seems to crop up so often on others' machines.



As to my present project, the frustration and disgust over the crimped and butchered wiring is all the more graphic because I originally sold this bike to its last owner in much better condition electrically, before recently buying it back.

[Mike Nixon]

The individual pieces are available now from some
dedicated websites *as* individual pieces, which is very nice. Check out
the links below for those sites.

www.cyclewareables.com
www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com
www.mikesxs.net
www.vintageconnectors.com

[alimey4u2]

Thanks Mike...