How to Wire Your Chopper | Part 1

This video will take you through ALL the basics that you need to know to create the SIMPLEST chopper wiring setup you can imagine! If you've never wired a bike before you've come to the right place. Save this video and put it on loop when you're ready to head out to the garage and get wiring. By the end of the video you'll have a fully wired bike ready to hit the road.

WHAT WIRE TO USE: Any 10-12 AWG wire for your battery ground, and any 16 AWG wire for everything else

I'll show you the SIX components that go into wiring up a bike including...

-Battery
-Key Switch
-Fuse Block
-Headlight
-Tail Light
-Charging System

UPDATE: This video now has a PART 2, where I'll show you how to add ELECTRIC START to the harness we covered in this video.

How To Wire Your Chopper | Part 2 (Electric Start)

CHAPTERS

Intro: 0:00-0:28
6 Components to Wiring: 0:28-0:44
Battery: 0:45-1:19
Key Switch: 1:20-2:32
Fuse Block: 2:33-4:23
Ignition & Coil: 4:24-5:37
Headlight: 5:38-7:10
Taillight: 7:11-8:52
Charging System: 8:53-10:13
Outro: 10:14-10:34

GEAR IN VIDEO

Greases Garage Merch:

HOW I FILM THESE VIDEOS (affiliate links)

[LNSPLTBLVD]

Thanks for making this video. Evo bros 🤜🏻

[SolidFoxHoundSF]

Change the headlight to a 20 or 15.
Tailight to a 10 or 15.
Also run an in line fuse in that regulator wire in case it ever goes bad it doesn’t overcharge and fry your battery.

[stuartburton]

I am not a chopper or HD man British bikes are my thing. I found your channel looking for videos on building a new wiring loom. Your videos are brilliant short and to the point with zero bullshit the best I have found

[robertcormier]

Fantastic video quality and instruction, helped me and my last 2 brain cells wire my 74 ironhead, thanks dude!

[michaeldaubs]

Grease, I just finished re-wiring my chopper. I couldn't have done it without your video. Thanks so much, you're the man!

[SteinPan]

I have an electric start on a 1955 FLE. After a few starts, I started to realize that the generator wasn't charging the battery up to a sufficient level. I installed an extra ground wire from the regulator (type that fits on the end of the gen.) to the frame. Testing the battery with a meter at 1000-2000 RPMs, it was charging up to 15.75 amps! 👍😎

[galinvayov]

The charging wire must be connected to the other side of the 40 amp fuse. Away from the battery.
For two main reasons:
1. The battery can provide a significant current, several hundred amperes. Therefore, it is connected to the rest of the wiring system through a fuse with a short cable. The unprotected part of the wiring is as short as possible. If we connect the charging wire on the battery side, we get a meter of wire going around the frame without any current protection. If shorted, this wire will turn hot red.
2. When the engine is running, the charging system is the main source of power. Each load receives power through its own fuse. One for the ignition, one for the tail lights, one for the headlight and one for the battery.

[turtlesoop]

Thanks for simplifing this. I was struggling and this saved my mental status!

[jamescamern]

Thanks to your video, I am done with the wiring part for my sporty and I want to leave further explanation for the specific bike I worked on.

For those who is trying to rewire 03 sportster with
Stock Ignition Control Module, here is how ICM wiring should be done.
Pink: goes to -ve side of the coil
White/Black: goes to +ve side of the coil
Purple/White: goes to VOES
Black: Grounded
Green/Grey: should be grounded as well even when BAS is ditched.

[mikwilliams]

Finally a video that's straight to the point, informative easy to understand, thanks, I have a 79 cb750 and a 75 gl1000 both down due to electrical issues, I'll have them both running by morning!

[iamwildmanmcnally]

Thank you for making the most easy to follow, complete how to video.

[joshjarrell]

Thanks Grease, you're the man. So cool that you started this channel. I love all that you two do on the podcast and now you're both making vids!! You're one multifaceted and talented fella and thanks for sharing what you learn to others.

[tmitchgoon]

Thanks for another great video Grease! Saving all the “90% complete, just needs wiring” project bikes 🤘🏻

[KINGGOD]

Dude, I’ve watched about 1000 videos but yours was by far the easiest. I appreciate you and the shop inspector lol.

[carltonbreezy]

Grease, you are my saviour. I bought a gsxr 750 bobber and it seems to have the wiring loom from an Apache gunship rammed into a small box under the seat. 😂

[kameronday]

Thanks for making that so simple and easy to follow. Will totally be using this! Picked up a 98 fatboy for $2000, its about to get chopped!

[Bluespade]

Havnt been on ChopCult in a while and just found your Video. THANK YOU!! I have a 74 shovel I just picked up and have been worried about wiring it.

[blakeneedham]

Thank you! Most other videos don’t simplify or describe what is necessary .

[joemiller]

This helps break it down so it's not as intimidating of a project. Horn, turn signals, starter, and hi-low headlight switch are not hard either. You just need to break it down in smaller steps sometimes.

[OfcrJasonMesserschmidtOPD]

Greta video. Thank you! I was struggling overthinking about everything before this video.