| Author | Message | ||
     Hogs |
Just wonder if all that have had plms. with a short on their main wire harness where it leaves the front of the frame underneath and goes up through the front end.When you turn your handle bars to the left in the locking position. What year was your bike and was it a xbr or a xbs etc. Thanks alot for the info... | ||
| Rocketsprink |
Well, I know they changed the plastic "cup" on the newer bikes that hold the harness against the frame. Leads me to think it was/is a problem on the older XB's | ||
| Davo |
My 06 Uly, xb12x had problems there. It was assembled in Oct 05. The wires act as part of the steering lock and they get mashed pretty good! I removed the plastic cup and softened up the sharp edge with a grinder. | ||
| Pwnzor |
The thing that bothers me is not so much the routing of the wire, as it is the wire itself. I find the wire to be of very poor quality in my opinion. Considering the applications it is put to, I would expect the highest quality materials and I think we got short-changed on that aspect. Sucks to have to say it because I love my bike, but I sure as hell ain't no cheerleader. | ||
| Hogs |
Well,The reason I asked this is because,If you notice the lower fork tree on the 2003 models the stops for the front end to stop either way are 1/100 thousands of an inch narrower each way than 2004 and up models.Which in my discovery will let the front end turn more against this wire harness and crush the wires that much more. Now some may say that should not matter ,But 1/100 thousands is over an 1/8 of an inch more. Now ... Instead of starting another post,How will this affect the known tank slappers back and forth 200 thousands ( almost a 1/4 of an each in total.. Please answer the first question first and then give your opinion on the second. Just wonder WHY Buell change the thickest of the stops in 2004 and up??? Interesting to say the least...Thanks | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
I had the wiring problem. I solved it by tying the wire harness down. Don't know about the tank slappers. Never had one, Thank God. I do use a Ohlins steering damper though. 2004 XB12S problem started around 500 miles (Message edited by gentleman_jon on August 24, 2006) | ||
| Sub65chris |
I had a problem where the wiring harness was worn through near the battery causing a intermintent short . i have an 05 xb9sx and it was fixed under warrenty. | ||
| Espcustoms |
My '04 12s has had wiring problems. The first at 2900 miles was the wires worn through going around the steering neck as usual. The second was only a couple of hundred miles later with one of the wires running to the voltage regulator being worn in the space behind the trans pulley cover. I know it's only a matter of time before I have another problem. | ||
| Darthane |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I find the wire to be of very poor quality in my opinion. >>>>>Pwnzor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What makes you say that? | ||
| Metalstorm |
You can add me to the list. 05 XB12Scg I havn't had any problems since the chaffed wire behind the neck was fixed except the one time I washed the bike & got water down behind the fly screen. She blew a few ign fuses after that until she dried out. | ||
| Eor |
06 XB12X | ||
| Darthane |
I will say that I'm rather surprised that not every connector on our bikes is a sealed system. I can understand the fuse/relay blocks, but I've found a few more as well that give me pause. By definition there really is no 'interior cabin' on a motorcycle...by automotive standards that would require that every connection system be sealed (as well as all splices, which I doubt those are). | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
Poor quality......in that not only was there electric tape used behind the flyscreen but it was a mess. They did not even take the time to wrap it around nice and evenly to make it look good. Gromets or rubber bushing not used at pinch points or where it passes thru tight areas. Standard wire ties used on harness, instead of push in wire harness retainers. Connectors not weather tight. No dielectric grease in connectors to help prevent corrosion and help with conductivity. Would you like me to keep going? | ||
| Hogs |
Thanks guys ...Keep em coming... | ||
| Fireflyer |
My 03 xb9s had a problem with the harness rubbing into the rear shock reservoir. It rubbed into 3 wires : the cam position sensor, O2 sensor, and 5 volt sensor power. The bike would sometimes run poorly, then die. Sometimes it would start back up, sometimes it wouldn't. My dealer couldn't duplicate the problem, charged me a $100.00 to look at it. Then it dies 20 miles after I pick it up from them. They wanted to change the coil then if that's not it, the ECM. This problem was a total pain, and left me with no confidence in my dealer. I used info from this site to find the problem and fix it myself. Thanks BadWeb. | ||
| Kowpow225 |
I've had 2 problems with the wiring harness and connections. First was the main loom rubbing on the battery box 'shelf' and the second was a bad connection from stator to regulator. | ||
| Darthane |
Ohio, my question was directed at Pwnzor as his comment seems to indicate he believes the WIRE itself is of poor quality, and I'm wondering what made him think that. As I noted, I agree that there are things on the harness itself that I would have done differently were I in charge of it. Please note, Buell does NOT make the wire harnesses...a conversation I had years ago with someone who'd actually worked on the XB wiring led me to believe that at one point AFL was involved in their production, but I do not know who produces them today (AFL's had a rough past half-decade...). | ||
| Hogs |
So what do you guys think in my 2nd post up above about the front end stops being that much smaller than the 2004 `s and up??? | ||
| Pwnzor |
What makes me say the wiring is of poor quality? 1) The way in which the wiring is routed, bundled, harnessed and connected is poorly conceived and executed. 2) The wire itself is of poor quality. What more do you want me to say? I'm sick of peeling low-quality electrical tape off of everything. I'm sick of dry, brittle insulation. | ||
| Thepup |
I had the main ignition wire break inside the insulation,that was a fun one to find. | ||
| Thepup |
Darthane,doesn't matter if buell makes the harness,they put it on their bikes,so that pretty much reflects on them. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Seems to me, odd that Buell would go cheap-o on two very important items on my bike as delivered: tires and wires. I still wouldn't trade this bike for any other. Eventually I will have to rewire everything but I'm not rushing into it. Just gotta be vigilant so I don't get stranded by a gremlin. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
Sorry to interupt..... crawls back under his rock | ||
| Buellysses |
06 12X goin in for 10K, will see what they say. | ||
| Tunes |
When I had my IGN fuse blowing problem, Buell replaced the harness under warranty. The new harness installed is of much better quality... The inner "weave" is a hi-quality, tough nylon type, the outer "weave" is thicker, better made, better material, and softer. More than the wire inside the insulation, it's the insulation itself that should be made of tougher stuff. A soft insulation will allow the wire to bend/move back and forth more easily and cause wire fatigue and failure. A teflon insulated wire is very tough. You could use a poor quality copper wire and the teflon insulation would keep it very protected. Copper wire can be better quality by reducing the individual wire strand size (read dia.) and increasing strand quantity. The tube-frame Buell harness is basically hand-made and tie-wrapped to the bike. Tube-frame = no sharp corners. The XB on the other hand is a mass-produced bike... experiencing mass-production teething problems... like identifying all the possible and potential failure points on their wiring harness...using tape instead of repair...supplier choice (ie Dunlop)...etc. With time comes better product, which I've seen in the '06's. Can't wait to see what's next. But ya, I had a short. Wire coming outa the fuel pump shorting against the frame. '04 XB12S | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
2005 XB9SX,wires under seat were routed wrong causing seat to push on the wires and short in the harness. All good now! |
