Help identifying wires

[Acton67]

Long story short, had some electrical issues 2 years ago, the shop ended up making a new ground wire off the harness which grounded to the frame off the left coil.


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After I took the rear airbox off the frame I noticed this loose wire which appears to be a ground wire. Can I ground it to the same spot that the starting solenoid is grounded too?

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Also noticed this loose wire. Comes off the main harness in the same spot the right coil, rear brake light switch wires, and wires going down to the regulator rectifier do. It's either black with a white stripe or red stripe. It's really faded. Is this another ground or...?

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No wonder why I had electrical issues.

[hillsy]

Pretty sure the B/R wire (your last photo) powers the decomp solenoid.

Grounds are always black or black/white with Suzuki - any other colour combo is not a ground (or shouldn't be unless it's been hacked at).

I'd be guessing someone has run a ground to the coil like that because there may have been a voltage drop to the coils. If you Google "coil relay mod" there are articles on GS Resources on how to wire the coils directly to the battery using a relay. Older bikes often suffer from degrading looms and the voltage at the coils can often be a few volts lower than what is at the battery - resulting in degraded spark and hard starting.

Having said all that it may no be a problem - although I would suggest running a second ground wire from the current engine ground directly to the frame to ensure you don't have any grounding issues between the two. Also - the ground wire you have on the engine looks like it needs attention.

[navigator]

The 800 does not have a decomp solenoid, so rule that out.
The second picture. that wire is indeed a ground, the loose end can be grounded to any frame bolt...that is unless of course the other end also goes to the frame, in which case would not cure the issue.
The third picture is your main ground, the cable coming from the negative battery terminal. That terminal bolted to the engine looks to be a very shoddy connection. I would recommend unbolting it, and crimping it tight, then solder it for a good connection. BUT before you do...
The fourth picture is also a ground. It is B/W where it exits the harness, goes thru the bullet connector and turns to B/R. The loose end is supposed to go to the same terminal mentioned above, so crimp and solder that lead to the main engine terminal.

[hillsy]

The 800 does not have a decomp solenoid, so rule that out.

Oh thanks Nav - I was mistakenly thinking 1400.

[Acton67]

The 800 does not have a decomp solenoid, so rule that out.
The second picture. that wire is indeed a ground, the loose end can be grounded to any frame bolt...that is unless of course the other end also goes to the frame, in which case would not cure the issue.
The third picture is your main ground, the cable coming from the negative battery terminal. That terminal bolted to the engine looks to be a very shoddy connection. I would recommend unbolting it, and crimping it tight, then solder it for a good connection. BUT before you do...
The fourth picture is also a ground. It is B/W where it exits the harness, goes thru the bullet connector and turns to B/R. The loose end is supposed to go to the same terminal mentioned above, so crimp and solder that lead to the main engine terminal.

Once again thank you! Had a feeling that they were both grounds. Will take care of that main ground from the solenoid too. I have a solder pot now too, will throw some flux on the cable then get a good solder on it with the pot.

Where should I ground the other 2 cables to on the frame?

[navigator]

Let me check on the wiring for the second picture, I'll get back to you.
Like i said, for the best ground, connect the loose end (B/R) in the fourth picture to the engine/ground terminal in the third pic.
What do you mean by solder pot? Is it a crucible of molten solder?
It is best to heat the terminal with a soldering iron, and flow solder from a roll.
FYI, that main ground on the engine goes to the negative battery cable...not a solenoid.

[Acton67]

Let me check on the wiring for the second picture, I'll get back to you.
Like i said, for the best ground, connect the loose end (B/R) in the fourth picture to the engine/ground terminal in the third pic.
What do you mean by solder pot? Is it a crucible of molten solder?
It is best to heat the terminal with a soldering iron, and flow solder from a roll.
FYI, that main ground on the engine goes to the negative battery cable...not a solenoid.

Yeah. I bought one to make my new throttle cable. $30 on amazon. It's for lead solder to make the new throttle cables. Bought this kit from revival cycles for $34. Comes with a bunch of different molds to make the right sized ferrule. They've got a walk through on how to make your own with the kit.
https://revivalcycles.com/products/revi ... -cable-kit

I tried using a solder iron on that ground cable from the battery (not the solenoid like I said before! ) last year and the solder wouldn't adhere. My father in law told me I'd never get solder on there because the cable was to large of a Guage. Maybe I should use acetone on it to clean off any oil, a torch to warm it up and then flux to help the solder stick? New to soldering in general.

[hillsy]

I tried using a solder iron on that ground cable from the battery (not the solenoid like I said before! ) last year and the solder wouldn't adhere. My father in law told me I'd never get solder on there because the cable was to large of a Guage. Maybe I should use acetone on it to clean off any oil, a torch to warm it up and then flux to help the solder stick? New to soldering in general.

If you have the terminal still connected to the engine you will find it hard to get enough heat in it with an iron to flow the solder (aluminum is a fantastic heat sink).

You would need to remove the terminal and heat it without it being attached to the engine.

[Acton67]

I tried using a solder iron on that ground cable from the battery (not the solenoid like I said before! ) last year and the solder wouldn't adhere. My father in law told me I'd never get solder on there because the cable was to large of a Guage. Maybe I should use acetone on it to clean off any oil, a torch to warm it up and then flux to help the solder stick? New to soldering in general.

If you have the terminal still connected to the engine you will find it hard to get enough heat in it with an iron to flow the solder (aluminum is a fantastic heat sink).

You would need to remove the terminal and heat it without it being attached to the engine.

I had the cable completely off the bike before

[hillsy]

I had the cable completely off the bike before

OK in that case your iron was probably not hot / big enough.

Go with the torch.

[navigator]

^^^This.
Remove the bolt and terminal, pull it away from the bike, away from the plastic brake light switch and anything else you don't want to burn.
A small soldering iron will not work on a lug that large.
Skip the acetone, slather the terminal and cable end with flux.
If you have a propane torch, set it on the lowest flame and heat the end of the terminal from underneath. When the flux boils apply solder to the wires.
Remove and apply heat as needed to flow the solder. Try not to melt the insulation.

The frayed end of the wire in the second picture likely got snagged by the rear tire. That wire runs down in front of the rear fender and attaches to the smaller wire on the battery end of the negative battery cable. You can probably use a butt crimp connector to reattach it.

[hillsy]

BTW pretty much all solder for electrical use contains flux (rosin core). Using a separate flux is usually not required.