Wiring inside rear fender question...

[OldHog66]

I've bought cloth covered wire, and the asphalt sheath. 4 wires need to go inside the rear fender for Taillight/turn signals. The asphalt sheath, of course, will not go through the hole in the fender and I really don't know how they protected the wires inside the fender??

Did they: Run the sheath to fender hole, stop it there thread the wires through and then use sheath again down to the wire protection spring that feeds into the taillight?

Or did they just wrap the wires in in tape or vinyl cover wrap inside the fender?

Or (god forbid) were they just run along the inside with no protection?

According to the parts book, there was no rubber grommet or anything protecting the wires form the sheet metal as they enter the fender hole either.

If you know what was factory correct, great, fill me in, and if not, how did you do it when you restored? I'll take any answers at this point.

Will I get better response if I post this in the Electrical Section?

Thanks,
Steve

[Sargehere]

I plugged the sheath in to cover the two wires entering the portal, the tail & stop lights, through the hole to an inch inside the "tube" welded inside the fender. The sheath pushed a little in the entry way was all that's required until they're inside, where they can't move and can't chafe. There's nothing pulling on them.
Where they come out, you leave enough loop to raise your hinged rear section, and sheathe it again, tucking in both ends, to the fender and, if it has one, the tube in the hinged section. This has to be carefully tucked up, out of the way of rubbing on the moving tire, every time you raise the hinged rear section. Hasn't been a problem.
More trouble is the sidecar brake and tail lights. Wires in sheath must go all the way along the step support to the hinge at the front, make a small loop, then allaway up, under the fender to the clearance light (front fender light with a "red button" on top) and continue back to the tail/stop light.
The factory wrapped ordinary friction tape, sparingly, where we in the modern age would use wire ties to tape the wire sheath to the frame.
If anyone knows better, I'm all ears, too!

[OldHog66]

Hi Sarge...
I have a '66 and I have a set of "hold downs" then run the inside of the rear fender. I have a springy metal tube that goes into the tail lamp housing and is about wraps around to go into the first couple of hold downs. but then the rest of the length of inside the fender is just these bent over loops that hold the wires out of harm's way. That's where I wonder if it is the asphalt sheath, or if it is wrapped with friction tape or????

[Sargehere]

No doubt someone knows eggzackly how it was done in '66, but for me, wherever you can see it, I'd leave it in the black wiring harness sheath, full length. The "loops" only have so many bends and re-bend in um, I presume? That's what the asphalt sheath was intended for, it's weatherproof.

[OldHog66]

Sarge,
you mention two wires going into the fender... do I assume that your scooter is old enough to not have rear turn signals? I have 4 wires, so the asphalt loom is larger, and can't even put it through the hole in the fender. I guess i'll stick a rubber grommet in the hole, thread the 4 wires through it and run the loom right up to it?

Thoughts?

[Sargehere]

That sounds like a plan, OldHog. That's what makes the judging field at National Meets so valuable: you can check out details like that, and how other people did it, and talk to the owners, when you see them hovering around their bikes.
If you're talking "judging," you won't want a rubber grommet if it wasn't stock, (parts books with blow-up's are good for the mechanical details, but don't show wiring routing) but it you're building something to ride, an appropriately-sized rubber grommet will keep it from rubbing the wire to the copper as they cross the portal.
If it's for show-quality, keep askin'. My area is '30s-4'0s H-Ds, OldHog, and the turn signals were the left arm. There's someone who'll check in on the board, here, who knows exactly how the rear fender wires routed, I'm sure.