My oem harness was in perfect condition(I live in a dry climate), so I thought why not use it.(and the kit from roadstercycle only has about 10inches on stator wire on the plugs, so I had to use the factory harness to try this out). Jack from roadstercycle makes a very high quality kit and will do custom lengths for the wires so you can keep the joints down to the minimum. I work in the electrical industry so just a few words about crimp vs solder joints. A lot of people believe that solder joints are better, and this is simply not true. It all comes down to the quality of connectors, tools used, and the skill of the person. With that said, I crimped my joints(supplied in the kit as well as solder joints if you prefer). What I used were non insulated heat shrink 14/16 awg crimp butt joints. Over that I used a longer heat shrink and over all the wires pvc sheathing to protect it all. As to the more power, I could not feel it, but it should make a little more as the stator is only working half as hard most of the time, and it takes hp to generate electricity. Yes to the question of wired directly to the battery, and a maxifuse was used as they are more robust. Hope all this helps you guys, I wanted to pay it forward for all the tips I have gotten of this site in the past years.