Wiring harness tape

[SmokinRZ]

I have my tank off my GS for maintenance and I think it is time to address the crumbling wiring harness cover.  I'm leaning towards Tesa 51026 wiring harness tape rather than a nylon sleeve for weather protection and really just ease of installation.  Before I order, I'm just wondering if that is a good idea or if that is a good product.   Thanks    

[Paul De]

Tesa states if the wire insulation contains halogen (PVC) this tape is not compatible with that insulating material.  You should try to verify if the wire insulation is Polyethylene or Polypropylene which this tape's adhesive is compatible with.

[Miguel!]

What  model year 

[SmokinRZ]

It is a 1998 R1100GS.  I just cleaned off the rest of the nasty harness cover last night.  My plan is to do the part under the tank now and the small section from the forks to the headlight next winter since it looks like it all needs to come apart to do it right.  Does anyone have any idea how to determine Polyethylene or Polypropylene?  I suppose anything is better than what I have now.  

[AndyS]

This sort of thing is quite good.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TESA-TAPE-51608-ADHESIVE-CLOTH-FABRIC-WIRING-LOOM-HARNESS-25mm-19mm-15mm-9mm/252275241094?epid=6031187042&hash=item3abcc6b086:m:m0WXjRIysBQlIn4C4n8_Ltw&frcectupt=true

[AndyS]

On 3/31/2019 at 3:36 PM, SmokinRZ said:

 I suppose anything is better than what I have now.  

 

 

No it isn't. If you use something that is too stiff you may have other problems with damaging wires or causing issues with routing and steering etc. Also with some adhesives, they let go in the heat and you can just end up with a horribly sticky mess.

[Miguel!]

2 hours ago, AndyS said:

 

 

No it isn't. If you use something that is too stiff you may have other problems with damaging wires or causing issues with routing and steering etc. Also with some adhesives, they let go in the heat and you can just end up with a horribly sticky mess.

Suggestions Andy?

Miguel

[John Ranalletta]

Uncertain of exact specs, but I've used this exclusively for electrical wiring, often in place of shrink tube.  Moisture barrier, abrasion resistant, long lasting and harder'n hell to get off when needed.

 

[SmokinRZ]

Heck, I didn't know Tesa had different grades.    I was looking for 51608 and found this and I like the reviews.  I plan on keeping the bike many years and like the option of being able to take it off if needed.    I might use the nylon sheath on top as a first line of defense around the handlebars and the instruments.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Tesas-Advanced-Harness-51036-Mercedes/dp/B01I2MLN2Q/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?hvadid=176324043526&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9026948&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1o1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=3862951587938035695&hvtargid=kwd-4446077498&keywords=tesa+51608&qid=1554163039&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A1T9L47SOSLRWE#customerReviews

[AndyS]

14 hours ago, Miguel! said:

Suggestions Andy?

Miguel

Hi Miguel. My suggestion was in the post directly above my last one. 

I prefer to use a self adhesive fabric tape as per most OEM applications. They don't use that stuff for the fun of it. Not keen on electrical insulating tape or even rubber self vulcanising tape in most situations (of course they have their place, but complete looming is not one of them).

[Lowndes]

Hey, Smokin,

 

Have you considered this tape??  I've used it and it is amazing.  Waterproof, fuses to itself, never hardens, etc.  Not sure what "TRIANGULAR" refers to.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HWRO744/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

X-Treme Tape TPE-XZLB Silicone Rubber Self Fusing Tape, 1" x 10', Triangular, Black

by X-Treme Tape

4.0 out of 5 stars    245 customer reviews

 

| 37 answered questions

Amazon'sChoicefor "self amalgamating tape"

 

 

---

Price:

$5.95  | FREE One-Day

[SmokinRZ]

On 4/2/2019 at 10:42 AM, Lowndes said:

Hey, Smokin,

 

Have you considered this tape??  I've used it and it is amazing.  Waterproof, fuses to itself, never hardens, etc.  Not sure what "TRIANGULAR" refers to.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HWRO744/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

X-Treme Tape TPE-XZLB Silicone Rubber Self Fusing Tape, 1" x 10', Triangular, Black

by X-Treme Tape

4.0 out of 5 stars    245 customer reviews

 

| 37 answered questions

Amazon'sChoicefor "self amalgamating tape"

 

 

---

Price:

$5.95  | FREE One-Day

That probably would have worked just fine but I already ordered Tesa 51036 and it worked just fine and is reversible should i need to get back in.  

[SmokinRZ]

[SmokinRZ]

I cleaned the wires with rubbing alcohol real good first then took my time wrapping.  It looks just like the factory tape.  An extra set of hands would have come in real handy.  

[Andre1150]

I use professional GAFF fabric tape used extensively in the movie industry. It's water resistant; able to resist high heat temperatures around the engine area.
Used for securing cables and props that are exposed to the bright, hot lights of camera work.  Because it does not have a polyethylene backing, gaffer’s tapes are not waterproof, but the barrier properties in the coated cloth backing does make gaffer’s tape moisture resistant in most cases. It also has excellent water, vapor and abrasion resistance, which makes it suitable in humidity and moist environments.

[lkchris]

On 3/30/2019 at 5:19 PM, SmokinRZ said:

I have my tank off my GS for maintenance and I think it is time to address the crumbling wiring harness cover.   

 

Suggest further inspection ... anywhere the harness is held to frame, etc., with cable tie; anywhere else there is a significant bend.

 

Reason:  it's quite possible the insulation on the individual wires inside the harness cover is deteriorating as well.

[SmokinRZ]

Yep, I looked everything over pretty good.  I even cleaned all the wires with rubbing alcohol.  I was relieved that they seem to be a better grade than the HES sensor wiring.    

[11101110]

I am doing the same thing on my '02 RT.  I am using 3M Temflex Friction Tape.

[SmokinRZ]

I'm sure the other options are fine in this relatively low heat environment.  But how can you top this marketing when working on a BMW?  "Used by the major Euro car manufacturers such as Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and VW.  This is the finest high heat tape on the market. Direct from Hamburg" 

[BigtowH8]

Wiring Harness:  I am beginning to service my newly acquired R1150RT (32,000 miles); my first R bike; I have owned three K bikes, but haven’t experienced this issue. 

The first indication of trouble came shortly after I bought the RT, I noticed the wires on the underside of the handlebars were naked, not bare copper, but there was nothing covering the bundle of wires.  Now that I removed the RT’s body panels I was surprised at the condition of the wiring harness above the engine and behind the faring; the sheath/covering is in various states of degradation or nonexistent (see attached pictures).  My first thoughts as to why, were engine heat, fire, rodent. 

After reading this tread, perhaps heat and age have taken its toll on the wiring harness sheath.  As seen in my photos, the sections of harness covered with friction tape is intact, but the other parts seem to have been a synthetic material that has not held up to the heat.  Also, note the braded ground/earth strap partially uncovered near the alternator body.  What’s left of that sheath crumbles and nearly disintegrates like Nick Fury in Avengers, Infantry War.  The top of the engine block is littered with it remains. 

So, I feel like I should rewrap the harness with friction tape at minimum.  Constructive thoughts or guidance with this task is appreciated. 

Thank you.  

[dirtrider]

13 hours ago, BigtowH8 said:

Wiring Harness:  I am beginning to service my newly acquired R1150RT (32,000 miles); my first R bike; I have owned three K bikes, but haven’t experienced this issue. 

The first indication of trouble came shortly after I bought the RT, I noticed the wires on the underside of the handlebars were naked, not bare copper, but there was nothing covering the bundle of wires.  Now that I removed the RT’s body panels I was surprised at the condition of the wiring harness above the engine and behind the faring; the sheath/covering is in various states of degradation or nonexistent (see attached pictures).  My first thoughts as to why, were engine heat, fire, rodent. 

After reading this tread, perhaps heat and age have taken its toll on the wiring harness sheath.  As seen in my photos, the sections of harness covered with friction tape is intact, but the other parts seem to have been a synthetic material that has not held up to the heat.  Also, note the braded ground/earth strap partially uncovered near the alternator body.  What’s left of that sheath crumbles and nearly disintegrates like Nick Fury in Avengers, Infantry War.  The top of the engine block is littered with it remains. 

So, I feel like I should rewrap the harness with friction tape at minimum.  Constructive thoughts or guidance with this task is appreciated. 

Thank you.  

 

Morning  BigtowH8

 

That looks like an old police bike, that ground strap that you mention is for the RT-P (police bike) metal ignition coil  RFI cover ground.  

 

Re-wrapping that harness in place (especially on a police bike) is a real pain in the a$$, to do it right the harness needs to be removed then fully wrapped with a quality harness tape. (most don't do that but simply just re-wrap what they can get to without removing the entire harness).  

 

What you do sort of depends on how thorough of a job you want to do & how your work ethic conflicts with what is required. 

 

If that is in fact an old police bike then you might want to make a full game plan to do other things when you re-wrap that harness, like remove the police coil box & install conventional civilian spark plug wires (those braided police RFI spark plug wires will most likely eventually short-out up at the metal RFI coil cover).

 

If there is still unneeded police wring that would also be the time to address that & remove unneeded extra wiring.

 

Do you know the history of that motorcycle?  

 

 

[Skywagon]

One additional thing to check is those tie wraps. There have been numerous threads here where wires were broken due to over tightening of tie wraps and the stress it puts on them.  If they are real tight I would remove them and replace loosely. 

[dirtrider]

1 hour ago, Skywagon said:

One additional thing to check is those tie wraps. There have been numerous threads here where wires were broken due to over tightening of tie wraps and the stress it puts on them.  If they are real tight I would remove them and replace loosely. 

Morning David, BigtowH8

 

That is a good idea after wrapping, or IF you don't intend to wrap, but you probably want to leave them tight  until you wrap right up close to each zip tie. If you loosen those ties before wrapping then you will probably have bulkier harness with wires not running in a nice tight neat bundle to deal with. 

[BigtowH8]

Thank you both for your contributions. 

Unfortunately, I know little of this RT's history.  I wouldn't have guessed this might be a P variant, but this being my first RT, I'd have a hard time picking it out in a lineup.  I can see this is going to be a challenge, but I ain't scared, even if it's Frankenstein.  I'll just keep telling myself *it can't be more challenging the repairing the ABS module on my LT*. 

First, is there a way to use the VIN  to get a build sheet or other information on whether this RT has an alter ego?  Maybe it's in the whiteness protection program. 

Second, your comment on the RT-P RFI coil piqued my interest; it's another rabbit hole to go down, Uffda!  

Is this RFI coil anomaliy easily identifiable?  Please share more info.

These pictures are mine.

[dirtrider]

Morning BigtowH8

 

Lots of differences between a  civilian 1150RT & an 1150RT-P (police) or (authority) motorcycle.

 

Even then, there are a great number of different (police) or (authority) motorcycles as different originations had different requirements, or different needs, then some were further modified when they reached their final agency. 

 

The RT-P (police) bikes usually had a different speedometer,  RFI shielded coil, RFI spark plug wires, probably a headlight on/off switch, extra switches on the handlebars, 2nd (accessory) battery (but a lot of those have been removed when the motorcycle was converted to a regular motorcycle), probably an oil-cooler cooling fan, usually lots of extra wiring, seats are different but a lot have been replaced with standard civilian seats. 

 

Depending on how much of the police equipment remains it might look a lot different, or if the motorcycle was modified into a civilian version it might look almost like a normal 1150RT. 

 

Hopefully someone that is currently riding an RT-P that is still mostly RT-P in appearance will jump in here to help you with all the little differences that might, or might not, show up in a casual look. 

 

Scroll all the way down to see both pictures below.

 

 

 

 

 

[BigtowH8]

My RT is a 2003.  Looks nothing like the RT-P's I've seen.  The first indication was when dirtrider commented on the coil in my posted pics.  

Now I'm going to search for info on these coils. Thanks all. 

 

 

[BigtowH8]

On 4/24/2022 at 8:52 PM, BigtowH8 said:

Wiring Harness:  I am beginning to service my newly acquired R1150RT (32,000 miles); my first R bike; I have owned three K bikes, but haven’t experienced this issue. 

The first indication of trouble came shortly after I bought the RT, I noticed the wires on the underside of the handlebars were naked, not bare copper, but there was nothing covering the bundle of wires.  Now that I removed the RT’s body panels I was surprised at the condition of the wiring harness above the engine and behind the faring; the sheath/covering is in various states of degradation or nonexistent (see attached pictures).  My first thoughts as to why, were engine heat, fire, rodent. 

After reading this tread, perhaps heat and age have taken its toll on the wiring harness sheath.  As seen in my photos, the sections of harness covered with friction tape is intact, but the other parts seem to have been a synthetic material that has not held up to the heat.  Also, note the braded ground/earth strap partially uncovered near the alternator body.  What’s left of that sheath crumbles and nearly disintegrates like Nick Fury in Avengers, Infantry War.  The top of the engine block is littered with it remains. 

So, I feel like I should rewrap the harness with friction tape at minimum.  Constructive thoughts or guidance with this task is appreciated. 

Thank you.  

Wiring harness update:

As part of my initial off-season maintenance, I discovered wire harness issues.  The wiring harness covering had degraded to the point of non-existence (see pictures above).  I ended up repairing almost one hundred percent of the RT’s wiring harness covering headlight to taillight, hand controls to foot controls.

 

FIX: I purchased Friction Tape from a local big-box store for about $7 per roll.  Friction Tape is a cloth tape coated in a sticky black coating that adheres to itself very well.  It has been used on the blades of hockey sticks from Calgary to Milwaukee (and parts unknown).  This is NOT the vinyl tape typically known as electrical tape.  IMO Friction Tape will provide better heat resistance and adhesion over the long term.  Because it is thicker, stiffer and sticky on both sides it should stay in place for years as long as the harness is properly secured.

 

HOW: Carefully free the bundle of wires from their retainers one section at a time.  As needed and where possible, disconnected plugs from mating receptacles; for the sake of simplicity I will refer to plugs and receptacles as “connectors”.  Clean debris from wires with soft brush or shop towel; remove oil & grease as needed. Inspect and repair/replace damaged wires as needed.  

 

Apply new friction tape.  Hint: keep the wires taught as the tape is snugly  wrapped around the bundle of wires.  This may require a third hand.  Begin by loosely applying small a section of tape at termination points about one half inch from connectors. Cut a length of tape long enough to loosely wrap around the bundle one and one half to two times and secure the tape.   Note: allow the wires to spread naturally so not to strain the wires inside the connectors.  Next begin wrapping the roll of tape around the bundle of wires from one end to the other trying to overlap about one half the width of tape to completely cover the bundle in a double layer.  At a branch, continue to wrap the wire bundle until the tape can transition to one branch and continue to the end of a section.  Cover the other branch in like fashion.  Take your time and be meticulous ensuring to cover as much of the wires as possible.

 

Termination points:  As you approach a connector, do not wrap the wires tightly, allow the wires to spread naturally so not to strain the wires.  Also increase the overlap to the point of one hundred percent at the termination point.  Terminate the tape about one half inch from a connector.  Note: Cut the tape with scissors before applying the end to wire bundle. Trying to cut the tape with a blade increases the potential for damage to wires personal injury, and swearing.  

 

I can’t emphasize enough: be meticulous, take your time, complete one section at a time, you don’t want to loose track of routing or proper anchor points.  To avoid damage to wiring harness, when securing wire harness with wire ties (zip ties), do not over tighten ties.

 

Warning: when transitioning across any pivot point, e.g. swing arm or handlebars, ensure the is no binding or restricted movement.

 

Work safe, be happy.

[King Herald]

This is the stuff I used to cover my loom, after the original rotted away. It's a sort of springy cloth that opens up along its length. It's supposed to spring back around the wires, which it does when everything is nice and straight, but in curves I put small zip ties every few inches. 

 

It doesn't look anywhere as neat as properly taped harness, but it is far easier to use in tight places where you'd never get a roll of tape. 

 

It comes in various sizes and colours, I bought mine off U.K. Ebay. 

 

Split Braided Sleeving. 

 

 

[9Mary7]

15 hours ago, BigtowH8 said:

the RT

The easiest way I know to determine if your bike was a "P" model is the oil cooler. If it has a Factory cooling fan then it was originally an Authority model.

[dirtrider]

10 minutes ago, 9Mary7 said:

The easiest way I know to determine if your bike was a "P" model is the oil cooler. If it has a Factory cooling fan then it was originally an Authority model.

Morning 9Mary7

 

That isn't always a given as I have seen a number of civilian 1150RT's where the owners updated to the RT-P cooling fan. 

 

A more definitive way to tell is the by the braking system, the civilian 1150RT came with fully linked ABS brakes & the RT-P came with partially linked brakes, but even that is not 100% as  I do know of at least one civilian 1150 RT that was updated (or changed over to) to the RT-P partially linked braking system. 

[9Mary7]

FWIW I was thinking of how the OP, who says he doesn't know much about the RT's, could see something easy to recognize....... The alt. ground and the coils are more telling, as well as the extra light switches.

[KDeline]

The coil is the give away. I doubt an owner would put a authority coil and wires on a civilian model as it is way more expensive. 

[ESokoloff]

On 12/20/2022 at 6:14 PM, KDeline said:

The coil is the give away. I doubt an owner would put a authority coil and wires on a civilian model as it is way more expensive. 

My 2003 RT came new with RFI shielding metal box 20 yrs ago. 

[KDeline]

7 hours ago, ESokoloff said:

My 2003 RT came new with RFI shielding metal box 20 yrs ago. 

That's odd, those are authority parts and are about $250.00 more then standard. 

[ESokoloff]

Nope, just the special coil & wires.  

I figured they ran out of the regular ones & made do with the other type or there was a mixup on the assembly line. 

[KDeline]

Expensive mix up......

[BABABeemer]

I have a 2003 RT also with an authority coil.