| Author | Message | ||
     Anonymous |
Hey Everyone, I was wondering where the best spot on the bike is to hardwire in a GPS for power? I would like to have the power be cut with the rest of the bike. Thanks. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
Not sure if it's the best place, but you can splice into the back of the front aux outlet. That is key switched on/off. Fairly simple / easy location. You could also set up a relay I believe, and come from the battery. Depends on how many electrical things you plan on powering. If you have a bunch, like Froggy, you might consider a fuze box set up like these: http://www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/Fusebox es/fuseboxes.html http://www.centechwire.com/catalog/cycles/ap1.shtm l | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
My front aux outlet is powered by the run/stop switch, not the key. (09 XT) Other years may be different though. | ||
| Gamdh |
+1 Whisperstealh I installed the centech with an eastern beaver harness ( march '08)...still working great.  The centech I have has both switched and non-switched power. I tapped into the wires on the underseat outlet for the relay. Eastern beaver used to offer a kit with the Centech and a harness, he now has his own version of the fuse block linked above. Very high quality stuff. At any one time.. I have run HID lights, heated gear, GPS and XM Radio on this setup. It would handle more.. assuming the bike has the power. (Message edited by gamdh on June 07, 2011) (Message edited by gamdh on June 07, 2011) | ||
| Anonymous |
So I was looking at these fusepanel wiring kits from EasternBeaver, and I'm a little confused. (Sorry don't know much about electrical) Basically, I buy their fusebox, and wire my devices that need power to it. How does the "switched" portion work? Does that mean I can incorporate a switch of my own easily into the circuit somehow? What does the relay in the harness do? I see that it draws directly from the battery.. does it somehow know when the bike is off and cut power.. orr? | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Power the relay off the back of the auxiliary plug as suggested by Whisperstealth. Run juice to the relay straight from the battery. When you key ON the bike the voltage from the auxiliary will close the relay and make available the juice from the battery. This is done so that you can run higher amperage devices without blowing a fuse on a lower amp circuit like the aux plug circuit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8Os4WFUALA | ||
| Froggy |
Posting as anonymous is prohibited unless you have a valid reason. Please refrain from using the anonymous option. If you have a valid reason, send me a PM. Thank you.  You are way overthinking this with these boxes and relays. Just splice into the wires coming out of the cigarette outlet. It is switched on and off with the key on your bike, and is already fused too. It is tied into the bikes built in accessory line designed for exactly what you want. | ||
| Jphish |
If all you're powering is GPS or similar - the aux outlet wires are fine & simple solution. On 08' X - key powers outlet - not kill switch. Easy to test though. | ||
| Froggy |
Jphish, the ECM controls the accessory line on 08s, not the key like on 03-07. | ||
| Desert_bird |
Here's a related question on aux wiring, for those with the knowledge: When laying hot wiring from a relayed aux fuse box to the front to power extra electrics , is there a rational for having a separate hot line for every electric item? Or is it OK to have one heavy (enough) gauge wire from the aux fuse box to the front, then tapping that for all electric needs? What should one consider if deciding to piggy-back off of one line - other than the overall amperage and voltage drop considerations? DB | ||
| 7873jake |
D_b, Run a larger ga wire from the power point you intend to draw from (direct lead from battery, aux circuit on the bike, etc). I will defer to EE types here or the instruction manual for your relayed aux fuse box as to what ga wire to use. Once that is run to the area you want service to (behind the fly screen for instance?), then install your relayed aux fuse box for service. That keeps you from having to make multiple runs forward (or aft, if you want to install a DC coffer make in the top case for instance  )for each item you want to add. Having a separate hot line for each item coming off of an aux fuse box closer to where the accessories will be (like Gamdh's Centech setup) makes tracing issues easier as the box is only connected to the bike by the hot lead and the ground lead. Then, anything you add/farkle will be on its own lead from that fuse box. For instance, I have my GPS and Sirius receiver wired together on the same circuit because they aren't power vampires and if I lose pwr to both, I sorta know where to start, either on the one wire from my power source to the aux fuse block or the one circuit that the accessory is on. AND I don't lose two 'slots' on my aux fuse block. If you tap or piggy back an existing circuit, you'll need to know, among other things, what size fuse feeds it back in the OEM block, which you already said, and whether or not it is switched/controlled by the key. I usually try to avoid digging too much in to the factory harness or cutting in to the loom just so that the next owner doesn't have to decipher my madness if something goes dead for him. I think that was at least part of what you were asking...? (Message edited by 7873jake on June 07, 2011) | ||
| Froggy |
The cigarette outlet isn't part of the main wiring harness, so worst comes to worst if you totally butcher it, you can get a new outlet for $15. Best part is that is easy to disconnect and move to another bike, I was doing that for a while before buying another for my 1125R and CR.  (Message edited by Froggy on June 07, 2011) | ||
| 7873jake |
I don't think I knew that but I'm going out now to check because if that's the case, (and I don't doubt it for a second!), that will make my day! Jut like knowing my options are open for more add-ons. | ||
| 7873jake |
What's that tidbit cost? Mine had evidence of being tapped by the prev owner and I'd love to replace that just because I can. I just don't like splices or breaks in the factory insulation if I can avoid it. And I might build a modular 3 pc in-line plug that would allow me to pull power from that lead without violating the integrity of the original insulation. | ||
| Desert_bird |
Thanks for the reply Jake. (and don't mean to hijack this thread. So this will be my last addition on this point) Already have a Centech aux box but near battery in back, because my windscreen is about as packed as anything. I have no option but to run lines up as I need them. Would be great to minimize that. Question was whether there was any mechanical or electrical no-nos to having each farkle run off single hot line up from the aux fuse box. It just occurred to me - and i'm thinking as i write - that running one hot mother line up front from the aux box would mean that it would have to be fused at the box to accommodate the maximum amount of amperage that all those piggy-backed farkles would collectively draw. This leads to increased chance that more sensitive items tapping that line would fry were there a short/surge, because they would be on a line with fuse rated much higher than their needs. In other words, an argument against this approach is that a lead per farkle (or one lead per clustered farkles with similar power needs) to appropriately fused outlets at the aux fuse box provides greater measure of protection from shorts because it isolates each farkle. Of course some farkles have their own inline fuses, like my GPS and iphone charger cable. But my volt-meter, LEDs and HIDs do not, and therefore might fry if they were feeding on the same line fused high enough to accommodate the hungry Nautilus horn. I think that guy will pull something like 10-12 amps and needs a 15 amp fuse. Worst case scenario - I go for the horn, there is an associated power surge/short, and the all my farkles go dead! Am I totally off base here? DB (Message edited by Desert_bird on June 08, 2011) | ||
| 7873jake |
You are correct in that you wouldn't want to place the Nautilus on a shared circuit (as I described with my GPS and Sirius) but it should be served off of a different, dedicated and un-shared circuit, fuse capacity and such permitting. I don't recommend piggy backing a lot of add-ons mainly because if they don't have the same amperage draws and you under fuse that circuit to protect the most delicate item, you'll be changing fuses often. I did so because the two items (1) had their own fuses built in to their cables and (2) had about the same amperage needs. Your last paragraph describes exactly why each item needs its own circuit. Your Centech provides that distribution and, with the right fuses, could serve all of those needs. (Message edited by 7873jake on June 08, 2011) | ||
| Jphish |
Froggy makes an excellent point on AUX outlet. Not many places you can 'redeem' yourself for $15. I didnt cut wires - used posi-lock connectors. Lasted 27K mi & 3 years with no problems, for my Zumo. |
