where do you buy wire?

B

boomshakalaka

Over 1,000 Posts
I've got my cb350 running using bits and pieces of the old harness and home depot wire. Obviously this will not do, but my question is: where can I buy the real stuff? I'm willing to order the wire and wait for it to be sent but I would prefer to buy it locally if at all possible. I ideally want a kit that comes with 5-8 colors in the correct gauge (16? 18?), but I'm having a hell of a time finding this. I see z1enterprises has a ton of different colors, but they are simply described as "universal" without any gauge mentioned, and they are almost $6 for 13ft lengths which seems like a terrible deal. I guess worst case I can order just one spool of black wire, but I really dont want to wire my entire bike in one color as trouble shooting will be a night mare.
 
Oh oh oh, I know the answer to this!

Waytek (www.waytekwire.com)

I looked for a supplier like them for ages, their catalog has everything you will ever need. I wired my whole truck with it (relays, blade fuses, fuse boxes, wheatherpak connectors, harness wrap, soldiering supplies, grommets, bulkhead junctions, and wire) they have a bunch of colors. You'll probably have to buy spools but they're reasonably priced for the home builder. They also mark and stripe wire, but that's when it gets too expensive for us hobbiests. There's no minimum, and the customer service is excellent.
 
harbor freight bud! have awesome kits!!!
this is the one i use 10-22 guage and i think i paid 15 bucks for it

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boomshakalaka said:
I've got my cb350 running using bits and pieces of the old harness and home depot wire. Obviously this will not do, but my question is: where can I buy the real stuff? I'm willing to order the wire and wait for it to be sent but I would prefer to buy it locally if at all possible. I ideally want a kit that comes with 5-8 colors in the correct gauge (16? 18?), but I'm having a hell of a time finding this. I see z1enterprises has a ton of different colors, but they are simply described as "universal" without any gauge mentioned, and they are almost $6 for 13ft lengths which seems like a terrible deal. I guess worst case I can order just one spool of black wire, but I really dont want to wire my entire bike in one color as trouble shooting will be a night mare.
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Ok guys don't laugh but you can get wire (mostly 18 gauge) for free...the best source is 3-prong grounded power cords. The wire inside the outer sheath is usually at least 18 g if not larger insulated copper. Commercial vacuums are a good source as they usually have a 50' cord with 3 18g wires inside. That is 150 ft for nothing, one cord...as long as you like black,white, or green :) Come on i can't be the only one who does this???
 
Midcoastcustoms said:
Ok guys don't laugh but you can get wire (mostly 18 gauge) for free...the best source is 3-prong grounded power cords. The wire inside the outer sheath is usually at least 18 g if not larger insulated copper. Commercial vacuums are a good source as they usually have a 50' cord wire 3 18g wires inside. That is 150 ft for nothing, one cord...as long as you like black,white, or green :) Come on i can't be the only one who does this???
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ha, that is awesome.
 
Midcoastcustoms said:
Ha ha thought u might laugh at me boom, but seriously why pay for something that you can get for free?
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well, if its new, I know its condition and I can be worry free.. if its off of some old thrown away vacuum, who knows what its like under the PVC.
 
boomshakalaka said:
well, if its new, I know its condition and I can be worry free.. if its off of some old thrown away vacuum, who knows what its like under the PVC.
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Yeah thats true. People throw stuff out all the time that is fairly new. I have gotten wire this way for years never had a problem. Its shinny new once you pull off the outer coating...i understand though i am a just cheap/frugal.
 
Midcoastcustoms said:
Yeah thats true. People throw stuff out all the time that is fairly new. I have gotten wire this way for years never had a problem. Its shinny new once you pull off the outer coating...i understand though i am a just cheap/frugal.
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also I'd prefer to have more than 3 colors. 3 is the bare minimum for a non hack job IMO, but having separate positive and ground colors for your lighting vs your ignition is nice and can help to trouble shoot in the future. And I can just drop $50 on a bunch of different colored 100ft spools and they'll last me forever.
 
i would have to dissagree to be honest.... well in part. household wire like that are designed for AC, same reason you do not want to wire your scoot with speaker wire, the current (i am told) generates a diff type of heat, you need auto wire because it is set up for a DC current and insulated as such...

that said i have used lamp wire to run a power line on a accessory line for a harley... 2 weeks later i was swapping it out for a wire designed for a cig lighter plug because the wire was shorting out and getting sick hot... to the point where it was melting the cover on the wire... since changing them never had an issue, i am not saying this is concrete but i have always heard never ever to use household wire in bikes and cars, so i just never did it, when i did i got the results everyone told me i would, def could not call it fact, just in my experiance...
 
JRK5892 said:
i would have to dissagree to be honest.... well in part. household wire like that are designed for AC, same reason you do not want to wire your scoot with speaker wire, the current (i am told) generates a diff type of heat, you need auto wire because it is set up for a DC current and insulated as such...

that said i have used lamp wire to run a power line on a accessory line for a harley... 2 weeks later i was swapping it out for a wire designed for a cig lighter plug because the wire was shorting out and getting sick hot... to the point where it was melting the cover on the wire... since changing them never had an issue, i am not saying this is concrete but i have always heard never ever to use household wire in bikes and cars, so i just never did it, when i did i got the results everyone told me i would, def could not call it fact, just in my experiance...
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Yeah lamp cord is not a good idea. The wire i am talking about is no different than the 18 g you would by on a spool, if not better coating than some of the cheaper spooled wire. I am just looking to help out some of the builders on a budget cause lets face it not everyone has thousands of dollars to build a bike. To me a "cafe" is something that is built with salvaged parts not bought and just bolted together with misc pieces. To me there is a big difference between a cafe show bike and one that holds true to the original ideas...build it with what you got and make it better than the factory ever could. That said go buy some wire at harbor freight if this is not for you.
 
Midcoastcustoms said:
Yeah lamp cord is not a good idea. The wire i am talking about is no different than the 18 g you would by on a spool, if not better coating than some of the cheaper spooled wire. I am just looking to help out some of the builders on a budget cause lets face it not everyone has thousands of dollars to build a bike. To me a "cafe" is something that is built with salvaged parts not bought and just bolted together with misc pieces. To me there is a big difference between a cafe show bike and one that holds true to the original ideas...build it with what you got and make it better than the factory ever could. That said go buy some wire at harbor freight if this is not for you.
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I don't think this definition of cafe racer is necessarily wrong, I just know its wrong for me. I do like to reuse what I can and scavenge what I can, but I also am not at all a fan of anything ratty. On top of that, I am not good at just doing a small project, I tend to go all out. So any bike I build will probably be stripped down to the frame and rewired. Having a hundred feet of several different colors of wire on hand is just a simple convenience that is worth the price for me personally.

Again, I don't think your take on what a cafe racer is is necessarily wrong, but I do think it might be a bit too zealous. It seems that you are implying that purchasing new wire suddenly disqualifies a bike as a cafe racer, and well.. that's just absurd.

Back to me "laughing".. I did laugh but look at the context.. the "ha" was followed by "that's awesome." While its not my cup of tea, I do admire your resourcefulness.
 
JRK5892 said:
wow... was not taking a stab at someone. jsut sharing experiances is all bud
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Growing up I always had way more ingenuity than money to throw at my projects...bottom line you guys are all the shit and this wire thread went off on the wrong tangent. So click the link below to play Excite Bike online and lets all just get along :) Ha ha

http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=17653.0
 
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