Man what a diff!

the charging side would benefit more than the batt to starter run...i suppose a fine wire 8ga would be plenty...4ga is huge for the elec value

I haven't even looked at mine. Is it really thinner than 8ga to the starter? Approximately how long?

One last thing to keep in mind. DC benefits more from thicker wire, as do lower voltages.

Sean
 
I am skeptical about this whole thing. There could simply be a poor connection at the battery/starter which is the case 99% of the time - because these connections experience heat/cold/humidity cycles for years, while at the same time being the most sensitive connectors on the bike when it comes to degradation because they have to conduct the most current among all circuits on the bike. Just cleaning connectors with 100-200 grit sandpaper (and stuffing with dialectric grease for future protection against elements) would noticeably reduce the extra resistance a poor connection introduced, thus allowing for more current to flow during cranking. Putting a new wiring indirectly forces a better connection at the battery/starter terminals because the connectors are clean. So, what is observed is the combined effect of clean connectors and thicker wiring. My educated guess would be that 95% of improvement is due to clean connections, and only 5% due to thicker wiring.

The real test would be to take a bike which seemingly suffers from poor cranking. First, clean battery/starter connectors, re-tighten, and measure what current goes through the circuit whena cranking. Then, install a new wiring, and measure again, and compare both.

An example: my friend had trouble starting the bike. It would barely turn. He replaced two or three batteries, was fully charging them, etc. And was scratching his head at this problem. The bike would start with a jump starter with no issues. What turned out to be the problem was poor connection at the battery. All it took was to have a dirty and oxidized terminals coupled with the fact that the screw at the positive terminal was not tight. When he tried cranking for a couple of seconds, his positive terminal was getting so hot, you couldn't hold the finger on it. All it took was a piece of sandpaper to clean it all up, and a quality screwdriver to tighten the terminal.

BTW, in any high current application, follow the heat to figure out where the connection is poor. If the cable is not even warm when you crank the bike for a few seconds, then it's not the problem. A warm connector points to a problem.


I dont 100% agree, in car audio people running just a single battery run an additional 0awg wire from the alternator to the battery because the factory wiring doesnt carry enough amperage the same with dsm cars the factory fuel pump is strong but you find that under high boost the factory wiring tends to dip amperage and the common fix for this is to run a 8 gauge wire from the battery back and using the factory positive for the fuel pump as in input into a relay and the output keeps the fuel pump at the correct output and doesnt create a lean condition. Any vehicle with times becomes harder to stop through a combination of bearings, tolerances etc and sometimes it puts an additional drag on the starter. Allowing the starter to pull more amperage allowing it to turn faster is a viable option imo.
 
Well everyone knows that stater electrons are different than blinker electrons and especially horn electrons. It has to do with the quarks; a dead battery on a St. Louis area Busa will cause picture to dim on a particular television on the fetid back street in Cairo. Don't have time to explain it, but here.

Strong interaction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Another thing, if your starter is sluggish, simply reverse the direction of the wire between the battery and the starter. You've had your wire going against the electronic grain. You have to change the connectors. I've also noticed that if I park the bike facing north it starts much easier in the morning.
 
^^Reading that made my eyes cross just a little! :laugh:


p.s....Does anyone know the OEM gauge wire being replaced? Just curious! ???
 
I am skeptical about this whole thing. There could simply be a poor connection at the battery/starter which is the case 99% of the time - because these connections experience heat/cold/humidity cycles for years, while at the same time being the most sensitive connectors on the bike when it comes to degradation because they have to conduct the most current among all circuits on the bike. Just cleaning connectors with 100-200 grit sandpaper (and stuffing with dialectric grease for future protection against elements) would noticeably reduce the extra resistance a poor connection introduced, thus allowing for more current to flow during cranking. Putting a new wiring indirectly forces a better connection at the battery/starter terminals because the connectors are clean. So, what is observed is the combined effect of clean connectors and thicker wiring. My educated guess would be that 95% of improvement is due to clean connections, and only 5% due to thicker wiring.

The real test would be to take a bike which seemingly suffers from poor cranking. First, clean battery/starter connectors, re-tighten, and measure what current goes through the circuit whena cranking. Then, install a new wiring, and measure again, and compare both.

An example: my friend had trouble starting the bike. It would barely turn. He replaced two or three batteries, was fully charging them, etc. And was scratching his head at this problem. The bike would start with a jump starter with no issues. What turned out to be the problem was poor connection at the battery. All it took was to have a dirty and oxidized terminals coupled with the fact that the screw at the positive terminal was not tight. When he tried cranking for a couple of seconds, his positive terminal was getting so hot, you couldn't hold the finger on it. All it took was a piece of sandpaper to clean it all up, and a quality screwdriver to tighten the terminal.

BTW, in any high current application, follow the heat to figure out where the connection is poor. If the cable is not even warm when you crank the bike for a few seconds, then it's not the problem. A warm connector points to a problem.
My bikes are all garaged, and I'm pretty good about keeping them in excellent states of tune. Tight, clean connections, no corrosion, and most of all good batteries kept on tenders when they're not being ridden. All 4 of my bikes spin fast and fire up instantly whether they've been parked all winter or not. I get 8+ strong years out of a battery using tenders when they're parked....and instant, crisp starting all the time. When my bikes show any signs of slightly slow starting I know its a dying battery, and a new one goes in immediately.

Weak batteries are the last thing checked and replaced when a bike is having issues...its also the thing that gets the least care and the worst abuse.

Most starting issues can be traced to weak batteries, loose connections/corrosion, weak starters, and bad states of tune on an engine Like IG mentioned above. If everything else is corrected there's no reason or need to replace cables with a larger size unless they're internally corroded. Thats with stock compression engines of course.
But if it makes you feel good, and you enjoy doing it, imo there's nothing wrong with it. It makes us all feel good doing things to our bikes, even if it isn't always really necessary :laugh:

Just don't mask a real issue with a band-aid, because the real issue can come back to bite you in the azz when you least expect it ::11
 
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