I've a 38ah car battery in the Guzzi!
At some point i'm going to have to face the ordeal of "addressing the issue"
of 30 year old wiring and connections etc.
But where do i stop? Or start for that matter! I see no point in just throwing out the old and putting in new when it's a total PITA to do and from what i've seen of other 'restorations' not
always needed. The recent time lapse video of a Honda 750/4 on here - i swear a lot of the wiring and connectors put into the restored Bike appear to be the original in that.
~~~
Younger06 - i'm equally dufus / electrophobic.
Didn't mean to panic anyone.
On any old bike, connectors can corrode, switches and relays wear out, wiring can chafe or get trapped (the latter happened to my R1150GS recently). Also POs may have made less-than-adequate additions and modifications. On my old GS, the loom wrapping has deteriorated and is falling apart in places, I've replaced a couple of relays, cleaned some salt-corroded connectors and dismantled and cleaned the brake-light switch.
I wouldn't go as far as suggesting replacing wiring looms on a maintenance basis, but unplugging, cleaning and greasing (silicone grease, Vaseline or ACF50) connectors every so often. In addition, any electrical symptom (intermittent operation, flickering lights, frying or sizzling noises, blown fuses, melted wiring or components, smoke etc.) should be investigated beyond replacing a blown fuse or a squirt of contact cleaner.
Not all circuits are fused and sometimes those that are will have the wrong fuse fitted (10 amp kept blowing, so I put a 20 amp in...) which means that a fault could melt the wiring, which in turn could melt and short-circuit neighboring wires in the loom. Many folks have an irrational fear of electrics, or misplaced confidence, so they may ignore problems or make ill-advised repairs such as bypassing the faulty circuit with a wire straight to the battery.
All I'm really saying is that replacing a fuse without fixing the fault which caused it, or installing equipment and wiring without understanding how many amps make five* is asking for trouble.
* two amps, two half-amps, an amp and a half and half an amp.
My old dad taught me that when I was a nipper.