What do folks generally do when this connector is dodgy? I’m waking up my 95 916. I noticed the right rear turn signal was inop. I traced the problem to the circular spin-lock 19-pin connector by the battery. At first I thought the issue was in the harness just upstream of the connector towards the front of the bike. That’s why the sheathing is peeled back. The problem is definitely right where the males and females meet in the connector. Manipulating the connector in my hands I can get the rear signals to cut in and out. I also noticed the fuel pump would deactivate and reactivate when squeezing the connector just right. I feel as if I could somehow give all the “girls” a squeeze that would remedy things for now. Although that strikes me as a stopgap solution. I want reliable connections here. Perhaps the ladies just need a gentle de-oxidizing and cleaning? Without enlarging the holes? This bike did sit unused for over a decade on Guam. There is healthy patina on the frame and engine cases. I actually don’t mind all that as I can just ride the wheels off the thing with no worries. I’m tempted to eliminate the thing, solder the 19 wires and be done with it. This bike is so modded it will never be a show piece. I wouldn’t care that the harness cannot be separated at the junction any longer. Any other ideas?
You could try using a fibreglass pencil which is used for cleaning connections and it should be able to get down into the crevices of the female connector as they are quite slim. eBay should have one complete with a set of refills. I have used one before with very good success.
I'd spend some time making sure all the connections in this plug are in good condition. I had a problem recently where I got stranded with the fuel pump not running and the strater not firing on the button. All my connections were good and it came down to this connector. because of it's position on the frame it can get splashed with water off the front wheel as well.
Thank you Martin. Yes, absolutely, I’m going to make sure all 19 connections are good. As it is right now at least some of them are not. I’m inclined to try cleaning the female plugs as suggested but truthfully it seems doomed to fail even if I’m successful. The connector pushes together far too easily it seems to me. If I’m able to get the corrosion out it will fit even looser. Which is why I’m considering just deleting the connector altogether and hardwiring. Why does the harness need to separate there anyway?
When you do the belts, it's a lot easier if the harness is unscrewed and moved well out of the way. YMMV
Now that makes sense. I just did the belts and valves but what I think I’ll do is go with a couple new waterproof connectors. An 8-pin and a 12. The kind that already have the piggy tails. I’ve already downsized the battery to the later more reasonable size so there is plenty of room here.
When I restored my 888 I took a Dremel with the thin wire brush attachments and methodically cleaned each wire connector. Final stage was to use a cocktail stick to push a little Petroleum Jelly into each hole as it significantly helps in conducting electricity. You can get these from Amazon. Just need to trim down the wire count for the thinner holes. Seems to have done the job nicely.
Thanks for all the cleaning tips. I’ll try that first. My concern is some of the connections are just not “tight” any longer. With the sheathing pulled back on the male side I can push/pull on the individual male wires with the connector fastened securely. Some of them seem to push/pull far too easily and some are still snug. Once I clean the holes I don’t see how that problem will get any better. This bike will never be factory again so I’m not concerned with permanent modifications that make it work better. Which is why I considering an all new connector here.
Kie, I would use a larger capacity connector (say 12awg) for the ground wire at pin T, that grounds everything (all forward lights and the clocks) from the front of the bike and is a significant element in spurious and random electrical faults, it often gets burnt due to the lack of security, cleanliness, water ingress and current going through it. Later bikes have a 22 pin connector with two grounds to try to improve the reliability of it. A simpler alternative is to carefully clean it all up, use a dielectric grease and splice in wires with simple bullet connectors to bypass only the pins you know are not working that well.
Great advice thank you. For the 2 ground wires coming into and out of pin T… how about a loop terminal on each wire? Then fasten both loops directly to the negative post on the battery.
I’ve decided to replace the 19-pin connector with 2 Deutsch connectors. A friend with a race/fab shop whipped these up for me. A 12-pin and an 8. The ground I’m separating into 2 12awg wires and running them direct to the battery. In the future I can still separate the harness for servicing. This should be the end for any connectivity issues in this area one would hope.
I’m not very handy with a soldering iron. My buddy Jake is. He’s been an engineer at a local big deal aerospace outfit for 20 years. They have everything. We knocked it out on a Monday nite after his work shift. Surgically removed my iffy 19 pin connector. Spliced in 2 new modern connectors. A 12 pin and a 6. Holy heck that was 36 solder jobs! Then we crimped ring terminals onto to the ground wires and I ran ‘em direct to the battery. I tidied it all up today and I must say I’m pleased. Everything on the bike works like it should now. Interestingly on the original 19p connector a couple wires were a different color on either side of the unit. Ducati at their finest hour. Ahh the 90’s.
