Project list

So I was all excited that I got the wiring harness and I figured all I would need to do is get a battery and I'd be able to start it up.  However I kinda missed hooking up a few parts...

While checking grounds the other night, I realized that I didn't hook up the regulator/rectifier.  So I reached into my parts bin to fish it out.  Out came a regulator/rectifier (R/R), except it wasn't in as good of condition as I thought it was.  In fact, I think I had erased from my memory how bad of condition it was in.  The R/R has two wire bundles and plugs.  One attached to the stator and the other attached to the wiring harness.  So the one that  attaches to the wiring harness was in fine condition.  On the other hand, the plug that attaches to the stator was non existent! It has burned away in the fire; it was also most likely the source of the fire.  It seems like these older Honda bikes have problems with the R/R?

So then I searched for the stator wire.  Problem #2: there was no plug on the stator wire, fire had melted the plug away, along with the insulation to the wire.  Wires are bare to the core.  Looks like I should be looking for another stator as well.

Problem #3: Petcock leaks about a drop every few minutes.  Looks like this will be a rebuild.

Issues to be addressed before startup:

• R/R replacement
• Stator Replacement
• Petcock Rebuild
• I will etch/clean/coat tank in this process, thinking of using the KBS product
• Battery

Issues to be addressed for the bike to be safe:

• Front fork seals leak- needs rebuild
• Brake fluid needs cleaning

Luckily I got some parts on ebay for super cheap, they are on their way.  I got a coolant reserve tank (old one had broken sensor), rear cowl (old one was melted), and a seat/helmet lever and lock.  FOR $2.97 + S/H.  Not bad.

Installing Wiring Harness

After getting the wiring harness Monday night, I thought I'd definitely be installing it Tuesday night.  However, I took a little break and watched TV with dinner after getting back from a run.  Little break turned into a long break as I got sucked into watching Mad Max 2 on AMC and then Sons of Anarchy.  I was able to spend a few hours on it tonight though, so I'll share my progress with you.

I was able to install the wiring harness in its entirety. I definitely had to jog my memory and figure out how to place everything since the pictures I took did not really show how I ripped everything apart in the headlight.  I was glad that I had the old wiring harness labelled though, I was able to compare it with the new and figure out where things went.  The new one did seem to have a naked section of wire that may have been repaired at some point; I covered this "Boo-boo" with some red electrical tape "bandaid."

Red Electric Tape shows where the Booboo is

One of the difficulties I had was trying to figure out where the ground of the thermoswitch went.  At first I thought it was the ground to the left coil pack, but after checking out the diagram of spaghetti (wiring diagram) provided by the Haynes manual I decided its definitely the thermoswitch ground.  However this does not help me with where it needs to be bolted to though.  Let me know if you know where this goes.

Where does this ground wire bolt to?

I got all the wiring harness done under the tank, so I put that back on.  I proceeded with cleaning up the wiring in the headlight.  I have everything connected in there except for:

• brown wire- accessory wire?
• black wire- accessory wire?
• two grounds to ?- one for turn signals, the other for accessory?
• a ground from left turn signal
• a ground from right turn signal

So I need to figure out if the brown, black, green are definitely for accessory and then I need to figure out which ground I am supposed to hook the turn signals up to.

With grab rails and rear cowl on, seat makes it look bad.

To finish up the night, I put the tool box and rear inner fender back on and then continued to add the taillight, rear cowl, grab bars, and seat.  It actually looks really decent...without the seat.  This seat is ugly: 1) It's all burnt up, 2) It's an old man style cruiser seat (but it is comfy!)

Looks like I will be taking a week hiatus as I figure out where some of these wires go and source up a battery  so I can try to get this bike started.  I replaced one of the CDI's, I am just hoping that the other one wasn't too badly burned.  Since there is no test for these, I suppose I will just try to start it and if it only runs on two cylinders, I'll know right away that the burned one will need to be replaced.

The CDI's, the one on the left is definitely questionable.

New Wiring Harness

So I ordered a wiring harness last week and much to my chagrin I didn't receive it until today, Monday.  I definitely wish I had been able to put it back together this weekend, instead all I did was scrub more rust off the frame, battery tray, and polished metal.

One man's trash is another man's treasure

After completely removing the wiring harness, I realized that only a few wires were really damaged.  The worst damage was at the main fuse panel.  I feel like this could have been the source of ignition for the fire, possibly right above the red plug.  I feel that it will be safer to replace the whole harness, so I am glad I have decided to go this route (we will see if I am still glad when I'm trying to figure out how it goes back in the headlight).

Main Fuse, Main Culprit

Left: New Harness, Right: Old Harness

It looks like I'll have my work cut out for me for the foreseeable future.  This wiring harness could use a cleaning before it goes back on.  I am definitely glad I labeled most of the wires/plugs from the existing harness, it should help with putting it back together (you can see some of my masking tape labeling on the wires below.)  Hopefully I will get some work done on this week.

Shiny Fender, the only thing that looks good on this bike.

Purchase/Breakdown

I purchased a 1982 Honda VF750 Sabre in mid-August as a winter project.  The bike caught on fire when the previous owner was riding it.  It is not running, mainly due to the wiring harness being melted.  My goal is to rebuild the bike to running condition.

The previous owner dropped the bike off at my house as per sale agreement.  The left side cover had been completely melted, the fire did the most damage to the seat, melting away the left half of the passenger portion.  The rear cowl, side cover, and left grab handle were damaged as well.  The wiring harness was pretty much destroyed from the gas tank back.  Much to my chagrin, the spark units (aka igniters/ecu's/cdi) were damaged, these are not cheap.  One was heavily damaged and the other one looked okay.

I have two theories to the fire.  The fire definitely originated around fuse block area, because it's the beginning location of the fire. Theory 1: Battery leaked hydrogen gas from overheating (running in a hot day) or overcharging (regulator/rectifier broken), the fuse block ignited the fire somehow.  Theory 2: Fuse block smoldered and lit some combustible material in the seat on fire.  I'm sure testing the regulator will help prove these theories correct/incorrect.

After seat (bottom left corner) and cowl removed

I have slowly removed everything from the rear of the gas tank down to the frame.  Other projects have taken precedent so far (making the garage look pretty by whitewashing the walls).  I have also removed the gas tank and headlight to get the wiring harness out.  Easily the hardest part was getting the wiring harness out of the headlight, Honda really crammed a whole ton of wires into the headlight bucket!

Clean harness under the tank

So far I have purchased a CDI Ignitor, a Fuse Block, and a new rear inner Fender.  I'm holding out on getting the cosmetic stuff, going to see if I can get the bike started before I drop much coin into it.  The fender was a good deal on ebay, couldn't pass it up.

What a rat's nest!

Tonight I ordered the wiring harness, the tool box, and the neutral switch all at once on ebay.  I bought it all from one buyer and he accepted my offers, so I saved on shipping in the long run.  I have also noticed that the forks are weeping a little oil, looks like the step after getting it running will be a fork rebuild, looks like it'll be an opportunity to rebuild the brakes as well.  I'll keep you filled in on the progress.

As she sits, wiring harness removed - thermo switch still connected b/c it's a PIA