…as objectively it looks like little has changed in the past 6 weeks. To be fair I have had a few weeks where the bike had to take a back seat due to some remedial work on the house…apparently that was a priority.
So what have I done since last time? Well…I have become more confident with a soldering iron and have been tackling various bits of wiring. The new clock surround came with LED’s however they needed the wires soldering to them as the LED’s had solder tags on them rather than spade terminals, although I did initially try mini spade connectors but they were not stable enough. The heat from soldering and possibly the odd unsteady hand loosened the plastic that the LED is attached to inside the bulb housing in all of them. I have used glue almost successfully to keep them in but will no doubt have to think of a more permanent solution to stop them dropping out. Suggestions welcomed.
I have changed a number of loose connector blocks on the bike with either soldering the connections or using new connectors with some success. Quite a few spade connectors were quite baggy on their respective terminals for some reason, such as the brake light switch connections. Out came the soldering iron again along with heat shrink and have come out nicely. I am praising myself there a little as I am not the most practical of folk and generally not good with my hands so little wins boost my confidence no end.
Along with soldering the LED’s, I have also soldered the ignition wires to the four terminals on the back of the ignition barrel as again the spade connectors were baggy. A lovely A3 colour wiring diagram from a member on the Moto Guzzi Club UK forum has been brilliant in helping me knit this particular fog! Speedo and tacho cables have been connected to the clocks along with their respective bulbs and the idiot light wires/LED’s which remain connected to their original connector blocks. Other than the indicators, much of the front end appears to be nearing completion.
The keen eyed amongst you will have noticed a Dymo in the first photo. As oily hands and hand written bits of masking tape do not mix I decided that a more permanent and less likely defaced solution would be Dymo labels. I started with the paper ones (seen in the 1st photo) that came with the machine but then bought a yellow plastic cartridge and am really pleased with them. However, one or two had come apart (they are self adhesive) maybe through damp or me not pressing them together properly. Needless to say I have gone a little Dymo crazzzeeeee!
More wiring beckons for the next instalments and hopefully we will be nearing the point of combustion!
The old girl has a new home for the winter…a cold cramped garage has been replaced for a warm, cramped conservatory at my dad’s house! She looks at home I reckon…
‘Till next time…
