Earth Upgrades (Bulding More Ground Wires)

[tanuki]

my RVF used to have a wierd thing happen where the bike would not turn over...all the lights would work horn the lot but nothing from the starter..

Fitted the extra earths.

Never had the problem since.

And before you ask yes I did check everything before hand.

[fastdruid]

am i the only one who thinks this is a complete waste of time and effort,i can't see it working or making any difference at all but i'm interested to see if it does.....

Depends, I only did it as I was adding in the heavier duty feed to the headlight (which did make a noticable difference). I didn't notice any difference in running or starting.

I suspect the placebo effect...

Druid

[Neosophist]

my RVF used to have a wierd thing happen where the bike would not turn over...all the lights would work horn the lot but nothing from the starter..

Fitted the extra earths.

Never had the problem since.

And before you ask yes I did check everything before hand.

Mine was the same, some days it wouldn't turn over as if the battery was dead, but connecting it to the datatool charger only charged it up for 5 mins and then it'd start. Cleaned up the earth and added an extra-one for the starter which made an improvement, it's never happened again ^_^

Somone needs to dyno the bike with / without the wires, see if there is any difference.

[Cammo]

am i the only one who thinks this is a complete waste of time and effort

No.

It will only make a difference if the standard system is at fault or not adequate.

[fastdruid]

I'd agree with that, if it wasn't for fitting the 55/60's I wouldn't bother.

Druid

[CRM]

From the electrical Meister (own and run a 916) it does help if the oe wiring is a bit past its best or other components are putting extra load on the system, however if the bike has electrical issues with bad earths fix them normaly first.
On the 916 i have a couple of extra earths to spread the load as it were. electricaly its been spot on now for nearly 3 years rain or shine. attached a lascar voltmeter to see what the batterys doing real time, and its stable at 14.4 volts lit up while riding.
The NC may benefit if using a blade battery, and stetching the OE earth lead, one to the subframe from the battery, one to the front earth lug again direct to the battery.

[hannakournikova]

interesting reading, i have hearding about this being down to a lot of performance cars (eg Skylines, Subarus, etc)

[RickOliver]

I have no real opinion on the efficacy of this mod but I`m going to do it as I`m in mid rebuild anyway. I`ve figured a fairly simple 4 lead set up which will give direct earthing for the starter, the main harness and each individual coil (I`ll post pics in a day or two when it`s fitted) - would anyone be interested if I produced it as ready made bolt-on kit..?

[padawan]

Hi Rick,

I've been following the post with interest and as I'm still renovating I'm planning on doing this mod (can't see any harm in it). A bolt on would definitely be something I'd be interested in as I've been scouring ebay for grouding cables that will do the job.

Interested in seeing the pics.

[Petetheengineer]

am i the only one who thinks this is a complete waste of time and effort

No.

It will only make a difference if the standard system is at fault or not adequate.

I think someone came up with a winning idea "extra earthing"

I think its rediculous it dosent take long to figure out if you have an earthing issue just use a multimeter and test the resistance. All earthing point should be serviced as part of a major service and the loom inspected for damage to the outers that could cause water ingress and corrode the wires.
Battery terminals should always be covered in a light spray of grease or oil to protect them or even beter terminal covers.
I agree with fastdruid if you are uprating the current consumption then new wiring should be utilised but then you should consider the switchgear as well.