Adding a ground wire

I've read that adding a ground wire from the battery directly to the frame may fix some minor electrical issues relating to grounds and can also benefit the bike in other ways (sorry I don't have relating links handy, but I read them at vfrw).

My questions are: Is there a recommended place to attach the new ground to the frame and is there a recommended wire size to use?

Thanks
Chip

 

Doubtful.

The battery-to-ground wire is as thick as your little finger, so, assuming contact point on bike frame is clean, adding an extra wire would accomplish nothing.

However, a new wire connection from green wires on voltage regulator directly to battery negative or to a frame connection nearby is a good idea since it goes around the already overloaded wiring loom.

Honda had this extra wire on CBR 600 r/rs in 1986-88, same time as VFRs, but why not on VFR is a mystery.

 

That's likely what I'm thinking of.

At the end of last year my bike died on me while riding. The battery was dead when I tried to fire it back up, but the battery takes and holds a charge just fine. I'm thinking it may be a grounding issue, not sure. I'll find the link to it and put it here in a little bit. I'm not sure where to look but I thought I'd start there.

 

Here's the link to my original issue I'm trying to research at the moment...

http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/32516-6th-gen-stalled-will-not-restart.html

Contaray to the name of the post it has since restarted adn ran fine... I drove it home with no issues that day, but haven't dug really deep to find the issue, so that's what I'm working on now.

 

If you haven't checked charging voltage with bike running, you should begin there.

Meter leads across the battery terminals (engine running at about 5000 rpm) show between 13.5-14.5 vdc if things are OK.

 

The day it happened I got the volt meter from our maintenance department after pushing the beast back to work. I didn't know at the time about the 5k rpms to test but at 3500 it was at 13.8 volts across the battery terminals.

When it gets to above zero I'll put the battery back in and check it at 5k...

 

Your battery ground copper goes to a steel bolt on the aluminum engine.

It is also good to have a ground going from the battery to the frame because
if the bolt going through the engine case becomes corroded ( and it does) and the head of the steel bolt and the copper wire becomes corroded (and it will), you would still have a good ground by having that second ground.

Most people do not find the corrosion until they are taking the engine out of the motorcycle, and then they pull one of the long bolts out and see this white powder coming out of the hole.

 

But, Don, the ground wire to frame connection is checked each time someone turns on the key and the lights come on........and the starter works.

If someone did add an extra ground wire and the main ground wasn't properly connected, there could be a fire when the starter was engaged cuz of excess current in the smaller added wire.

 

The starter goes through a fuse. No fire possible, unless you have a wire that is too small.

I have seen many motorcycles and cars that the headlights and horn will work but the starter will not engage because the terminals are dirty or corroded and the connections will not support a load, so the starter will not work.
Cleaning the terminals always solves the problem.
Corrosion is more of a problem than people think.
We cannot see electrons -we can only measure them.

 

Wires to starter relay go through a fuse, but the large, fat wire sending +12v to starter is not fused.

 

You cannot send electricity anywhere.
You can draw a load on a circuit though.

Trust me, the start circuit has a fuse.