Anyone use an ultima wiring harness?
- Thread starter simplyj
- Start date
I can not for the life of me understand the allure of these things. If for $200 I could throw it at my motorcycle and have it start running, I'd be camped out every time there was a shipment coming in - but unless I'm completely misunderstanding, this thing does nothing that an equal amount of wire (currently $20 from a forum member, go check the for sale section) and a flasher relay doesn't do.
forcefanajd
Over 1,000 Posts
^ are we turning into that "other forum"? He asked a simple question no need to get your panties all bunched up.
It's basically a fuse panel and relay with wiring. I guess a frame is also just tubing bent, cut, and welded also... but not many of us build those. I asked because I felt it was a decent price for a new harness that can be customized to fit needs rather than build something comparable from scratch. Just wanted to know if anyone had any experience using it and what the quality is, not debate the difference between this and ordering components from different sources then spending the time to build it myself. I'd rather spend the time on elements of bike building I enjoy more... Bodywork, fabrication, etc.
forcefanajd
Over 1,000 Posts
Rich Ard said:
Personally I don't understand the want/need to use a harness either, but then again I know how to wire and do electrical work…not everyone does. This harness seems as if it would eliminate the need to understand how to wire a relay or fuses and make diag easier for future problems for those people that aren't electrically savy. No bee here, sorry if it came off that way.
This all comes down to how complex a system you're putting together. What bike are you wiring up?
I did my XS650 from scratch. It wasn't easy to be sure - I drew up my own wiring diagram, copying lots from stock diagrams and basic common sense for simple circuits.
Wired it all up and it worked right off the bat. Even with this kit, you still need all the bullet connectors, crimping tool, handlebar switches, brake light switches, signals, lights etc. etc.
I don't have any relays in my bike. You don't need them on a simple bike without any high draw devices. My whole XS650 runs off a single 10A fuse. Doing it again, I'd put in two fuses - one for the ignition, and one for lighting, so a short in my lighting switch wouldn't blow the fuse feeding power to my ignition, killing the bike while I'm cruising down the highway or stranding me in the middle of nowhere.
This is my diagram along with some other basic ones. Honestly this kit isn't going to make it a plug-and-play thing.
I did my XS650 from scratch. It wasn't easy to be sure - I drew up my own wiring diagram, copying lots from stock diagrams and basic common sense for simple circuits.
Wired it all up and it worked right off the bat. Even with this kit, you still need all the bullet connectors, crimping tool, handlebar switches, brake light switches, signals, lights etc. etc.
I don't have any relays in my bike. You don't need them on a simple bike without any high draw devices. My whole XS650 runs off a single 10A fuse. Doing it again, I'd put in two fuses - one for the ignition, and one for lighting, so a short in my lighting switch wouldn't blow the fuse feeding power to my ignition, killing the bike while I'm cruising down the highway or stranding me in the middle of nowhere.
This is my diagram along with some other basic ones. Honestly this kit isn't going to make it a plug-and-play thing.
Seems to me the kit replaces my 'Main Harness' connecting the front to the back, and the flasher relay I have in my headlight bucket.
This is my 'Main Harness' - just a set of wires with connectors on the ends in a shrink wrap running from the headlight bucket to under my seat.
This is my 'Main Harness' - just a set of wires with connectors on the ends in a shrink wrap running from the headlight bucket to under my seat.
forcefanajd
Over 1,000 Posts
Tim those are some awesome looking diagrams, did you use a special/specific program to draw those up?
He never said anything about saving time…
Rich Ard said:Likewise! But where does a unit like this save you time? You still have to run the wires to everything.
He never said anything about saving time…
HollywoodMX
Coast to Coast
I'm grave digging this thread yo!
I actually bought this harness for my xv cafe. I'm just about to install it actually. There appears to be a little hate on this product that I plan to comment on.
I will state I am not a super expert wire master 5000 building harnesses in my sleep but any time I look at an late xv wiring harness its like I can see the matrix..
1. On my xv tracker I trimmed 40% of the wires off the stock harness and eliminated all the junk. That would take me longer that just using the ultima harness.
2. Wiring up a DIY fuse box and relay would take me longer than using the using ultima
3. The ultima has indicator lights for shorts and circuit failures with a breaker instead of a fuse, my chopped xv custom harness only has a breaker on the main fuse which was 15 bucks!
4. The ultima harness has all the wires labeled which is really nice.
5. I rarely use stock lights, signals, brake lights, controls, gauges, etc. Now I don't have to match up to a diagram because the wires and/or positions are labeled with the ultima product.
6. For whats in the ultima box its fairly small..
7. Crimping, soldering, taping, heat shrink its a something you have to do ultima or not.
8. Way cheaper and more more bang for the buck than motogadget with similar functionality save the m-unit which is pretty trick.
9. The ultima has the different wire guages all sorted out going to thinner gauge when acceptable so it will end up being a thinner harness than my other chopped harness.
Out side of the ultima you have to build your rectifier, TCI/CDI, mini harness. In my case I'm going mosfet anyways so there is custom work in connecting that as well.
In the end I am slow with builds I tend to take my time doing small things too much or redoing them. If the ultima saves me a day or two of wiring time, it was worth it for the 100 bucks. As I also did buy all the cables to build my own harness and it was around 100 bucks so its not that much more.
I will post a review after my install. So who knows maybe its a piece of shit and I wasted 20 min writing this post.. lol. But so far in my harness planning it looks optimistic.
I actually bought this harness for my xv cafe. I'm just about to install it actually. There appears to be a little hate on this product that I plan to comment on.
I will state I am not a super expert wire master 5000 building harnesses in my sleep but any time I look at an late xv wiring harness its like I can see the matrix..
1. On my xv tracker I trimmed 40% of the wires off the stock harness and eliminated all the junk. That would take me longer that just using the ultima harness.
2. Wiring up a DIY fuse box and relay would take me longer than using the using ultima
3. The ultima has indicator lights for shorts and circuit failures with a breaker instead of a fuse, my chopped xv custom harness only has a breaker on the main fuse which was 15 bucks!
4. The ultima harness has all the wires labeled which is really nice.
5. I rarely use stock lights, signals, brake lights, controls, gauges, etc. Now I don't have to match up to a diagram because the wires and/or positions are labeled with the ultima product.
6. For whats in the ultima box its fairly small..
7. Crimping, soldering, taping, heat shrink its a something you have to do ultima or not.
8. Way cheaper and more more bang for the buck than motogadget with similar functionality save the m-unit which is pretty trick.
9. The ultima has the different wire guages all sorted out going to thinner gauge when acceptable so it will end up being a thinner harness than my other chopped harness.
Out side of the ultima you have to build your rectifier, TCI/CDI, mini harness. In my case I'm going mosfet anyways so there is custom work in connecting that as well.
In the end I am slow with builds I tend to take my time doing small things too much or redoing them. If the ultima saves me a day or two of wiring time, it was worth it for the 100 bucks. As I also did buy all the cables to build my own harness and it was around 100 bucks so its not that much more.
I will post a review after my install. So who knows maybe its a piece of shit and I wasted 20 min writing this post.. lol. But so far in my harness planning it looks optimistic.
I'm using the ultima plus wiring kit.
I, like you was overcome looking at my old harness and didn't know where to start to renew the thing and simplify it. I got the stock harness for the bike in a bin bag so trying to work out what plug went where too hours of fun.
In the end I looked at making my own harness but then hit a stumbling block of what gauge wire for what device, I need lots of different colour wires and terminals and so on so thought sod it buy the ultima and nip all those uncertainties in the bud.
I'm in the middle of wiring my ultima plus in as we speak and to be Honest I'm not too impressed with it. If I had waited a bit longer and viewed lots more diagrams I would have made my own harness.
I'm in the UK so I don't know how turn signals operate over in the states, but the ultima plus kit is pre-wired with an annoying 10 flash then cancel thing built in, it doesnt work with handlebar switches with the indicator turn switch for Both sides, i think the kit is made for Harley's with a turn signal on each side of the handle bars.
Next issues is the rear side light is wired to be on all the time. So basically I've done away with indicator wiring and wired them myself and the same for the tail light.
The ultima plus doesn't have inbuilt fuses so I have to do that, yes they come with small terminals which I haven't worked out how I'm going to crimp/clamp yet. It is small and neat and the diagram is very easy to follow and take the stress out of wiring your bike. But unless your in the states and want it wired the way it comes from the factory you will need to make some of your own stuff up and be able to understand what's going on with the wires and voltage etc. the above is the ultima plus kit, I don't know how it differs to the earlier one
I, like you was overcome looking at my old harness and didn't know where to start to renew the thing and simplify it. I got the stock harness for the bike in a bin bag so trying to work out what plug went where too hours of fun.
In the end I looked at making my own harness but then hit a stumbling block of what gauge wire for what device, I need lots of different colour wires and terminals and so on so thought sod it buy the ultima and nip all those uncertainties in the bud.
I'm in the middle of wiring my ultima plus in as we speak and to be Honest I'm not too impressed with it. If I had waited a bit longer and viewed lots more diagrams I would have made my own harness.
I'm in the UK so I don't know how turn signals operate over in the states, but the ultima plus kit is pre-wired with an annoying 10 flash then cancel thing built in, it doesnt work with handlebar switches with the indicator turn switch for Both sides, i think the kit is made for Harley's with a turn signal on each side of the handle bars.
Next issues is the rear side light is wired to be on all the time. So basically I've done away with indicator wiring and wired them myself and the same for the tail light.
The ultima plus doesn't have inbuilt fuses so I have to do that, yes they come with small terminals which I haven't worked out how I'm going to crimp/clamp yet. It is small and neat and the diagram is very easy to follow and take the stress out of wiring your bike. But unless your in the states and want it wired the way it comes from the factory you will need to make some of your own stuff up and be able to understand what's going on with the wires and voltage etc. the above is the ultima plus kit, I don't know how it differs to the earlier one
HollywoodMX
Coast to Coast
I'm at the tail end of my ultima install. You can power as many coils as you want. Technically you don't need the coil wire even because you can take coil power off the kill switch.Jramos13 said:
shayne said:
I haven't finished the signals yet but my tail light works fine. Even with the right and left I don't expect to have issues with the signals but I will let you know.
HollywoodMX
Coast to Coast
Ok I got everything working but I can't get the blinkers to blink. I think it's because it's expecting right and left independent switches like the Harley has vs Jap bikes powers both the left and right off one power source. I'm gonna try independent momentary switches to see if that works. If it does I don't mind that so much.
I don't think I would buy this product again because of the Harley nuances. I already don't need a bunch of the wires so far that are hot.
I will say the breaker system is pimp though. When I built my last harness I blew through like 10 fuses wiring up the modern sport bike kill switch. Lol.
I don't think I would buy this product again because of the Harley nuances. I already don't need a bunch of the wires so far that are hot.
I will say the breaker system is pimp though. When I built my last harness I blew through like 10 fuses wiring up the modern sport bike kill switch. Lol.
