Vetter Top Box lights and mount repairs

[Ansimp]

The earth on the left light has been playing up since I first took possession of the Rats Nest and has meant many solder repairs to the earth wires on the bulb holders. Even with low current LED replacement bulbs they don't work when the earth wire drops off.
Isolation mounts were cracking from age and fatigue and needed replacing as I continue to overload the top box.

Vetter Top Box Lights

• Ansimp
• Apr 14, 2014

Left light has faulty earth and I have resoldered old wires at least 6 times

Vetter Top Box Lights

• Ansimp
• Apr 14, 2014

Wiring is showing signs of 33years and me overloading the top box

Holders drilled off to allow new wires to be soldered on

• Ansimp
• Apr 14, 2014

New rubber mounts for the top box ( left rear is new mount)

• Ansimp
• Apr 14, 2014

 

[joedrum]

yep it need to be tuff enough for the stuffing that goes on in the trunk space

 

[brianinpa]

Been there done that! I got so good at repairing it that I finally put all the wires inside some flex tube so that I didn't keep stress testing it.

 

[roncar]

Hmmm, your bulb sockets look different than any I've seen before. Mine are earthed at one of the rivets that hold the socket to the box.

 

[Steve83]

I think I spent more time trying to properly fix that wiring than I did on everything else on Rat's Nest! Lots of solder and cursing went into it, but it still didn't hold up. Sorry you're still having issues with it, Tony... :sensored: :sensored:

 

[AApple]

Steve83 » Mon Apr 14, 2014 11:26 am[/url]":2fsl0raa]
Lots of solder and cursing went into it, :sensored: :sensored:

sdɐɥɹǝd noʎ pןnoɥs ǝʌɐɥ uǝǝq buısn uɐıןɐɹʇsnɐ ssnɔ spɹǝʍ.... :hihihi: :smilie_happy:

 

[Steve83]

:smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :clapping:

 

[rock42]

for me i tried to put in led bulbs and they would not light up. i put some heavy carpet inside mine and it seems to help protect the wiring

 

[Ansimp]

AApple » Tue Apr 15, 2014 3:07 am[/url]":2qqjs64c]

Steve83 » Mon Apr 14, 2014 11:26 am[/url]":2qqjs64c]
Lots of solder and cursing went into it, :sensored: :sensored:

sdɐɥɹǝd noʎ pןnoɥs ǝʌɐɥ uǝǝq buısn uɐıןɐɹʇsnɐ ssnɔ spɹǝʍ.... :hihihi: :smilie_happy:

Bloody hell, Crikey that's not a knife.... :smilie_happy:

 

[Ansimp]

rock42 » Tue Apr 15, 2014 6:16 am[/url]":36wiwcsu]
for me i tried to put in led bulbs and they would not light up. i put some heavy carpet inside mine and it seems to help protect the wiring

Either the bulbs are not correct or someone put an earth in the wrong place....LEDs need the correct polarity where incandescent bulbs don't...

 

[Ansimp]

Lights are all working now again...

Lights all working

• Ansimp
• Apr 14, 2014

Used tinned data cable(twisted pair) to each light and then joined to a common point on the old wiring

New wiring on each light to one common point on old wiring

• Ansimp
• Apr 14, 2014

Marine carpet in the side pannier

image

• Ansimp
• Apr 14, 2014

Marine carpet in the top box to protect the wiring and box

Marine carpet in top box to protect lights and wiring

• Ansimp
• Apr 14, 2014

The Costco pizza box that had been doing that duty, sort of. Can't complain it has lasted since August, the pizza only about 20 mins..

Costco pizza box replaced by leftover marine carpet

• Ansimp
• Apr 14, 2014

The mess created from making foam seals for around the lights out of foam tape and repairing the wiring

Mess from new wiring and foam seal for around Vetter lights

• Ansimp
• Apr 14, 2014

The main reason for new mounts and wiring repairs, maybe next time I will paint the top box rack and polish or replace all the mounting hardware... :yes:

Top box with heavy load

• Ansimp
• Apr 14, 2014

 

[slabghost]

You know a 30 pack of beer will fit in that box if you take out the battery.

 

[Ansimp]

slabghost » Tue Apr 15, 2014 8:18 am[/url]":2ilr6g6a]
You know a 30 pack of beer will fit in that box if you take out the battery.

If you have a look at my avatar that is a 30 pack of XXXX bitter on the pillion seat of the Pig...

 

[slabghost]

I used to strap mine on like that on my KZ.

 

[Steve83]

Excellent! Glad you have lights again!

 

[Ansimp]

Your repairs were great Steve. I just kept loosing the left one as the wire itself was all oxidised and no amount of solder would fix that. Also I wanted the lights out so that I could make the foam seals and keep some dust out. Hopefully this will last for another 33years. I still need to cleanup the rear brake light and the Windjammer. I want to run a good battery feed into the fairing plug and clean up the headlight / main wiring to the fairing plug. Still need to install new battery feed HID, iPhone charger and USB stereo and speakers.

 

[Joep]

Are replacement sockets available in Oz? I know they make them.. not sure about the ones in the Vetter... maybe pull guts from God sockets and replace in the Vetter? .. just thinking here..

 

[Ansimp]

With all the mods now no reason to change the sockets as they are in great condition and don't need much of a circuit to run LEDs :good:

 

[rock42]

will check the earth thanks

 

[Ansimp]

The lock spring on the right hand pannier broke requiring me to drill out the rivets so that I could remove the pannier to make my rear tire replacement possible. I was trying to find some stainless wire that I could make my own spring out of. I haven't had any luck yet but I did scour my local Bunnings ( a copy of Home Depot but red instead of orange) looking for wire or anything I could use. I found these plasterboard crack repair kits that had a tool that I could cannibalise to make my replacement Vetter spring clip.

Plasterboard repair kit tool used for Vetter side pannier spring

• Ansimp
• Aug 24, 2014

Back of the packet showing using the tool and the broken Vetter spring