Advice on ZR-7 wiring loom

Gamefreak501 · 4 Jan 2017 at 15:50

Hi everyone,

I've been having problems with the electrical system on my ZR7.

The LH indicator wasn't lit but the tell tale and rear LH indicator were flashing really quickly.

After investigating, I identified a lot of rust inside the LH indicator fitting. When cleaning it up failed to resolve the issue, I ordered a new LH indicator assembly which arrived this morning; soldered the connector from the old one and plugged it all in, however, the problem still remains.

Here are the troubleshooting steps I've tried:

1). Wired the LH unit in to the RH loom - same issue.

2). Wired the RH unit in to the LH loom - same issue.

2). Cut the connector off and wired in a 9V battery to the LH indicator assembly it was working fine. Observed that the connector cable was blackened.

With what I've found, is it feasible that there was some sort of short which has smoked the left hand loom? The RH indicators (front and rear) work absolutely perfectly.

It looks like I will have to remove the front headlight unit and the tank to get to some more of the wiring loom, has anyone had experience of these sorts of issues on their motorbikes? I'm concerned that with my bike being 12-13 years old I'll only be able to get a second hand loom, which I might end up having problems with. I haven't found any brand new looms yet :-/

Any help greatly appreciated.

TallPaul_S · 4 Jan 2017 at 18:52

MowyTone has done a lot of rewiring on his Honda CBR, hopefully he'll be in soon. It should just be a case of tracing the wires back (to the handlebar switch?) and replacing them.

You'll probably have to strip back some of the loom cover to get to the wires, but with bikes this old every one normally has something done by the previous owners that you uncover!

~Dockie · 4 Jan 2017 at 19:29

I'd start with a multimeter and a haynes manual/wiring diagram, unless you can get a loom stupidly cheap then just swap it out and be done with it.

MowyTone · 4 Jan 2017 at 19:54

There's probably an indicator relay switch as well which might be the issue

1). Wired the LH unit in to the RH loom - same issue.
2). Wired the RH unit in to the LH loom - same issue.

Are you saying you plugged the LH indicator into the RH indicator connectors and it didnt work?....but plugging the RH indicator back in worked?

This isnt making much sense to me as if the LH indicator is working it should also work there? (useless you accidentally crossed the wires?)

Edit:

https://www.fowlersparts.co.uk/parts/3112391/zr750-f5-2003-candy-lightning-blue-gb/chassis-electrical-equipment

^^^ REALLY good site that. Not only for exploded diagrams but to get official part numbers from....to search ebay

# no. 27002A is the indicator relay so you do have one (official part no. 27002-1101). According to Partzilla it's used on a huge amount of bikes so might be worth checking in case its listed for one of those cheaper:
http://www.partzilla.com/parts/detail/kawasaki/KP-27002-1101.html?gclid=CjwKEAiA17LDBRDElqOGq8vR7m8SJAA1AC0_jURfR9JN78It8gA7hFMw2azpQw88GjQcoxcX5ItUfxoCE4Dw_wcB

Checking ebay you can get a 2nd hand loom for £30-£40 so it's also an option. I swapped my loom as mine had been opened and cut all over the place. I just checked the listing picks to see as many of the connectors as possible to make sure I was happy it was better condition than mine. I look for the earth points as on mine they are a bit exposed so can give an idea of how well it was looked after

Gamefreak501 · 4 Jan 2017 at 20:41

Many thanks for all of your replies, as well as the links MowyTone

I'm going to trace the cabling back this weekend, I can see a molex connector just in front of the tank/behind the handlebars which might be a good place to start.

What's effectively happening is that my RH indicator works (front and back) but if I plug the LH indicator in to the RH loom, it doesn't work. If I plug the RH indicator into the LH loom, it doesn't work either.

So it could be the switch, or the cabling. I've taken the molex connector off as the wires on it weren't good anyway. I know the LH indicator works as I tested it on a 9V battery so it's got to be somewhere between the switch and the indicator wiring. I'll find out how bad it is this weekend :/

Rilot · 5 Jan 2017 at 10:09

Have you tried replacing the relay? That would be my first port of call.

Gamefreak501 · 5 Jan 2017 at 17:53

Thanks for your reply Rilot,

I haven't replaced the turn signal relay yet, because I'd expect it to impact on the all the other indicators which work fine; but, there is no harm in buying one and trying it out. I'm going to phone a few of the local dealerships tomorrow to find out if they have any in stock for the weekend.

First thing I'm going to do this coming weekend is to check that I'm getting 12v from the switch to the LH indicator harness.

I've studied the wiring diagram and it looks like the LH front indicator feeds into the RH front indicator, city light and headlight, before a power block connects it to the gauges, left handle bar and right handlebar switch gear.

I know there is 12v to the RH indicator, guages, switch gear, headlight and the rear lights as these all work - but that doesn't mean to say that the relay is faulty, or any wiring relating to the turn signal switch or the LH unit is faulty. Plus as said earlier, the harness could have been chopped and changed in any way during it's life.

So my plan of action is as follows:

-Test for 12v from the LH turn signal harness right to the switch, relay and fuse box; replacing any bad cabling.
-Try an alternative turn signal relay.

Fingers crossed I'll be up and running by the end of the weekend again!

Dogbreath · 5 Jan 2017 at 21:55

Rilot said:
Have you tried replacing the relay? That would be my first port of call.

It won't be the relay since the RH indicators work fine. The problem is somewhere between the indicator switch and the front LH indicator.

ZR-7 Service manual. Check section 14-50 (page 320 in my viewer).

From most likely to least likely:

1) Corroded terminals in the multi-way connector that joins the indicators and headlamp to the rest of the wiring loom. This may be located in the back of the headlamp shell on a retro naked bike like the ZR-7.
2) Broken wire
3) Bad indicator switch

If the connector looks fine then break out a multimeter to test lamp to trace the break.

Gamefreak501 · 7 Jan 2017 at 18:33

Thanks very much for your reply Dogbreath;

I had a friend look at the wiring with me today and we found the root of the problem - effectively, the connector that I had soldered in (wasn't a very good job either) had dirty wires on it. After testing the earths and making sure we completed circuits nearer to the front, we started troubleshooting the cabling.

As I hadn't cleaned the wire up properly, the solder join wasn't very tidy, it did a job, but not a good one.

My friend was able to clean the wires up with some solvent and resolder them for me, and lo and behold, the LH indicator then started working.

So I'm a happy chappy now and have a fully working bike

Dogbreath · 8 Jan 2017 at 13:31

Glad you've got it working. Whilst they are apart it's well worth filling motorcycle electrical connectors with electrical contact grease (or even vaseline at a pinch) to prevent water ingress and corrosion.

One of the first things I do when I get a new (secondhand) bike is go through the entire loom, cleaning and greasing connectors with Contralube.

Gamefreak501 · 10 Jan 2017 at 17:02

Thanks Dogbreath,

That is some sound advice; with the weather possibly going bad, I think I should get that done over the weekend, don't think much riding will be happening ha ha!