Simplifying Harley-Davidson's electrical system: eliminating problems

Life is increasingly complicated. Generally we complicate it ourselves, induced by "the system", which tries to convince us that to be happy we need more.
If we stop to think a little, we suddenly come to the conclusion that less is more, and this is something that we can apply in all facets of our life. And on our motorcycle too.

Electricity, Magic and Voodoo
The electrical part of any motorized vehicle is one of the greatest strangers and feared, both by DIY fans (do it yourself) and even by the experienced mechanics. This has an explanation, and that is that the human being by nature fears what he cannot see or what he does not understand. But we are in the 21st century and we should break this myth, electricity is very accurate, we can control and even visualize it (measure it) with adequate instruments and knowledge.
I will not base this article on a talk about electrons and potential differences (we will talk about it on another occasion), just understand that electricity "travels" through conductive cables as if it were water through pipes, So it is essential that these pipes are in good condition so that leaks are not produced. The connections of any electrical system are its weak point, and if they are in good condition everything will work correctly.

Simplifying our life
Imagine that you could start all the wiring of your motorcycle and manufacture an electrical system from scratch, with only a few cables. This system would be able to operate the engine and the essential lights, and also as you have created yourself (and it is simple) would allow you to diagnose any failure in a very simple and fast way.
Do you like the idea? We will put it into practice.

From scratch
Before I start remembering that it is vital to pay attention to the connections, they must be done conscientiously, without hurry.
We start from the base that the motorcycle does not have any cable and works with carburetor (electronic injection needs a lot of wiring).
The chassis is a "fat" cable: every time you see this symbol:

Indicates that the cable is connected to the negative battery pole. If we connect the negative battery cable directly to the chassis, we are making it part of the electrical system, and all electricity will return through it, saving all the cables back!

We start with the contact key, which has 3 positions: all turned off, on and on + lights.

We continue with the lighthouse.

Then we walked the rear pilot.

The next step is the horn.

Then the ignition.

We continue with the starter engine.

And we finish the work with the load system.

Ending
Keep in mind that these schemes are orientative and can change according to the components, but have been used for several decades to the present the Choppers around the world, facilitating the diagnosis and maintenance, simplifying our passion for the 2 wheels.
The schemes are also valid to understand how the different electrical circuits act because they allow us to isolate the connections of each component and understand its operation. Minimalism in its purest form.

Frank Burguera

#mecanicaharley