Ducati 1198S loom repair

Not a big job, this one: just a loom repair as part of a rebuild after the crank snapped, as sometimes happens. Some of the loom wrapping had come loose, and Andy wanted to replace the ‘bare minimum’ original battery leads with high capacity ones. This is normally very simple: just make new ones to fit. But Ducati looms tend to crimp the main earth and feeds alongside the battery cable, so you can’t replace one without disturbing the other.

The trick is to cut off the old battery lead, drill out the cables, pull the remaining strands away and then use something like a sharpened screwdriver to prise the other crimp open. At that point you have an undamaged earth or positive feed cable, ready to re-crimp (or I prefer solder) alongside a new, fat battery cable. As I haven’t found a source for right-angled battery terminals you have to re-use them. The job is finished with a bit of adhesive heat shrink.