Subject: Shakedown cruise...
Author: Lannis
Date: May 12, 2004, 7:26 PM
Post ID: 1716752489
Finished doing a little re-wiring on the '75 Eldo, took me longer than I
thought because I never can remember the old adage..
"Measure twice, cut once"
and so my garage floor is littered with crimped and soldered terminals
that had to be cut off and done again.
As I may have mentioned, the Eldo had the stock "police" switches on it,
which means that the right side switch box had two inoperative switches
originally for radio and red lights along with turn signals, and the
left side box had a loosey-goosey light switch, a vague hi-beam, and a
horn.
I'm all for stock and original, and would have left them alone if it
hadn't been so dangerous. I had to take my hand clean off the throttle
to operate the turn signals, and had to shift my hand most of the way
off the grip to switch the high-beam. Besides that, the location of the
starter button meant I had to take my hand off the grip to operate IT,
and the front brake had to be slid so far up the bar to clear the switch
mount that I could barely reach it.
So I fabricated a new starter switch mount that would bolt to the brake
clamp, which moved the button out where I can reach it and could now
slide the front brake clamp all the way down to the throttle so I can
reach the lever. I used a heavy-duty switch meant for 250 Volts, and
it's solved my momentary starter problems.
On the other side, I bought the switch from EPF-Guzzi that is just like
my Centauro switch. That's when I found I had a little work to do. The
original Eldo switch has big heavy contacts and is meant to work the
lights and horn directly through the switch. The new switch has wire
that's two gauge numbers thinner, and little blade-type switch elements
that no way will they pass enough current to run the halogen high-beam;
they're apparently meant to work with relays.
So off to Advance Auto for a handful of $3.97 40A relays, and sat down
for a couple evenings with a stripping tool, a soldering iron, a crimp
tool, some shrink-tubing, a big selection of blade and spade terminals,
and a heat gun.
I at first didn't realize that the horn is hot all the time and just
grounds on the handlebar at the switch to complete the circuit, and I
was trying to feed it 12 volts through a relay. (You'll notice the
above tool list didn't include a Guzzi wiring diagram...!) Almost blew
something, but I had luckily done my usual of disconnecting the neg. at
the battery, and alligator-clipping a little 25A resettable breaker
between the terminal and negative cable during the fabrication-and-test
cycle. When it clicks and buzzes, you know you've screwed up.
Anyway, I finally got it right and now the horn, high, and low-beam get
their current through relays. The turn signals and tail- and
instrument-lights work good straight through the switch. I didn't even
have to compromise the wire color-code at the terminals and fuse-box
inside the headlight housing; the wire colors at the junctions are still
original, though they change up inside the harness (since the switch is
universal and doesn't know about Guzzi wire colors).
Took it out for a 100-mile test tonight and it all works.
The Eldo is awaiting a new set of baffled pipes, and in the meantime has
long open "fishtail" pipes on it. Though others may revel in the
"throaty roar" or "hard rapping" or other loud-pipe descriptions, I
really don't like noisy pipes on my bike. Too fatiguing on long trips,
and no upside to it.
But I've got a 1200 or so mile trip planned this Friday, Saturday,
Sunday down in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia with a few
friends, and I'm riding the Eldo rather than my BSA (these are mostly
Britbike guys but love old Euro bikes.../2 Beemers and loopframes are
welcome) so we can bond and get used to each other. The earplugs are
the simple solution this time around!
Lannis