Here's some basic equipment you will need when wiring your chopper...
Small soldering iron, wire stripper, snips and resin cored solder...
You only want a small iron for general wiring. Instant heat ones are good in that their tips don't need regular dressing and you don't have to worry about them over heating, but his type are much cheaper to buy and do a great job.
I only use stripper for stripping wires. This stripper is also a crimper, but on your chopper, stick to soldering joints and junctions... crimping is not longlasting or sufficiently secure for a motorcycle... vibration, bouncing over road irregularities ingress of rain oil and dust...
And the snips? Yes you can cut wires with your pliers, but I guarantee you'll also scratch that lovely new paint job sooner or later...
Connectors of various styles and sizes. Colours denote wire size that fits into them.
Top left are male and female connectors that can take an extra female connector.
Bottom left are bullet connectors for inline joins. There are a number of size bullets including one being "Ford" and the other "Holden" and also a very fine one.
Bottom right are a pair of spade connectors. Most fittings including swithches, head light globes, some fuse boxes and other components have a male spade fitting.
Top centre are a few sizes of connector ends for screw on attachment. When purchasing, make sure the metal around the hole is substantial. The bottom sample is thin and will easily break through normal movement of the wires on your bike, especially when trouble shooting on some dark and wet night!
As mentioned I don't crimp wiring joints on my chopper, but solder them. That means plastic needs to be removed. Two top right samples show how. Touch the item on your grinder to remove most of a strip of plastic (see top) and then twist remainder off. Take care not to grind through metal...
Heat Shrink in varying sizes... and it ain't cheap, but it is essential for a neat and lasting job. Snips cut it nicely
I shrink the heat shrink with this paint heater, but am told your wife's hair dryier works too. You can use a match or the heat of the soldering iron if you don't melt the plastic in the process by getting too close...
Another very useful tool and easy to make from a piece of hacksaw blade. Its' for pushing out the female spade connectors you find in stock wiring looms... including back of modern headlights... see below
Modern sealed beam and headlight globes all use this excellent connecting system... excellent that is until you want to pull your wires through that litlte hole in the rear of your headlight shell so you can remove it!!
This little retaining brass tab is what the tool pushes away from the plastic connector body...
Push the the front... takes a little practice... you separate tab and plastic body and pull out the female connector...
Soon, I'll do a post on soldering connectors and joining wires...