Just curious? When do wiring gremlins point to a new wiring harness? Ever?

[BalancePoint]

My R1100R is 11 years old. Nice shape, but a lot of frayed shrink wrap and more and more little short problems. Do you just chase them forever? Do Airhead guys have it even worse?

[T__]

BalancePoint, the wire harnesses don’t seem to be a big problem on the older oilheads.. There just doesn’t seem to be that many terminations to warrant a new wire harness.. I guess you might have an outlier if you are having more than a few shorts or opens.. A new wire harness would be quite expensive.. Is it a salt air issue or maybe a heat issue or other..

 

Are you fighting with OEM part of the wire harness or some of the add-on’s & other dealer/owner installed connections?

 

Shrink wrap is easy enough to replace,, some of the wire terminals themselves might be a little more difficult..

 

I guess depending on the extent of your wire aging issues & what exactly is the problem(s) maybe remove the wire harness & go over it completely then make repairs where needed..

 

Maybe have Beemer Boneyard keep an eye out for a good used one for you..

 

Twisty

 

[smiller]

I've noticed that the exterior sheathing around bundles of wires (is that what you're calling shrink wrap?) likes to degrade/disintegrate over time but at 13 years and counting on my '96 the wiring harness itself is fine. When the sheathing goes away I just replace it with split loom tubing which helps protect against shorts due to insulation wear.

[BalancePoint]

I've noticed that the exterior sheathing around bundles of wires (is that what you're calling shrink wrap?) likes to degrade/disintegrate over time but at 13 years and counting on my '96 the wiring harness itself is fine. When the sheathing goes away I just replace it with split loom tubing which helps protect against shorts due to insulation wear.

 

Honestly, I don't think my issues have been too major. Per Seth's advice and yours, I'll just replace some wrap and not worry about it. At the minimum, I learn a lot.

 

You guys are great.

 

Ken

[11101110]

That wrap is called Abrasion Tape. Usually with the electrical tape at home centers.