[egold54]

Hey guys

I want to get my bike ready for night ridding and to use my gps.

I want to add in those 55w walmart driving lights, air horn and a cig lighter maybe also a hardwire gps which I've seen online instead of using the cg lighter, maybe add 2 more lights which would function as added tail lights.

I do not know about wiring relays and such. I saw this video and thought this could be something I could do.

Could one of you electrical experts explain in more detail what this guy is doing and if you think it's a good idea.

Thanks

Evan

 

[Big B]

I wired in a separate fuse block on both our bikes to accept added electrical mods so as not to make the batter look like an octopus. Adding a relay to the mix is simple, all you need is a diagram. Our bikes are also hard wired for GPS and my wife's bike has a 12V outlet. You should fuse everything you wire in for circuit protection.

What else you wanna know?

 

[elfnyc]

hes just confuuuuuzzzing as fook and annoyin if ya ask me
this is the dummy proof way just remove the switch and bulb indicator if you dont want them in line

 

[egold54]

I thought this would be a easy way to use one central box to run everything off of so when you turn the key on everything is active. I do not need a seperate switch for the lights having them on all the time is fine.
Am I right to think

Find the key switch wire tap into that run it to the new fuse box with an inline 30 amp fuse before the box for power.
Ground from the neg battery to the ground of the fuse box?

I assume that ero fuse thing is to run the different mods to one for power one for ground?

am I close lol

 

[Big B]

I thought this would be a easy way to use one central box to run everything off of so when you turn the key on everything is active. I do not need a seperate switch for the lights having them on all the time is fine.
Am I right to think

Find the key switch wire tap into that run it to the new fuse box with an inline 30 amp fuse before the box for power.
Ground from the neg battery to the ground of the fuse box?

I assume that ero fuse thing is to run the different mods to one for power one for ground?

am I close lol

I had my driving lights wired so they ran w/ the low beams. You can have them however you want.

You don't want to tap a keyed wire and run to the new block. Wire in a relay and use the keyed source to power the new block via the relay.

As far as the ground goes, you can make them anywhere. Although I picked one location, and ran all my grounds there.

Here are some pics of my wife's Aero. I didn't use a relay to have switched power cuz I wanted it live all the time

Here is the accessory block I installed behind the left side over

I made a ground junction harness by soldering in a few pigtails, and the fused power wire to connect the new fuse block to the battery

Here are my grounds connected and bundled w/ a wire tie.

 

[egold54]

Thanks for all the help B

On your first pic the left side of the red wire is where you taped into the key switch then into the fuse box? Where does the red wire coming out of the fuse box go? The wires coming from the fuse box are hot to each ad-on?
Then the ground from each ad-on to the pigtail? if that's right that makes sense.

once the key is turned on everything becomes hot that would be fine for me.

Lights, cig lighter, gps horn they all should be on once the key is on.
What would be the purpose of a relay then to be able to mount a switch?

 

[RONW]

Originally Posted by egold54

I thought this would be a easy way to use one central box to run everything off of so when you turn the key on everything is active. I do not need a seperate switch for the lights having them on all the time is fine.

What happens when you know that your battery is weak? It's wiser to have a switch so when you ever need it, it's there. Day or night, those 55amp lights you have in mind means that your battery will be draining 110 amps total while you're idling in traffic, or for that matter, while warming up your engine. Plus, you don't absolutely need your auxiliary lights ON during 100 percent of the day time. A bike's battery is no powerhouse. On top of that, the stator-RR charging system is barely able to replenish your battery in comparison to an alternator.

Find the key switch wire tap into that run it to the new fuse box with an inline 30 amp fuse before the box for power.

If you're talking about the main +12 wire that feeds an aftermarket fusebox, that wire has to be wired directly to the battery's positive terminal. Period. As far as a counterpart "ground box," I think it's a wise idea. I never trusted ground wires that's soldered to the inside of an auxiliary light shell, for example. I know it's hassle routing a ground wire back to a ground box or to the battery's negative terminal and all that.

(I forget already, but if I left the ground wire in place, the wire soldered to the auxiliary light shell, after running a ground wire to the battery negative post, in my case, the fuse kept blowing for some reason. Might have been only with me. Or you may also need to disconnect and tape up the internal ground wire.)

 

[Big B]

Thanks for all the help B

On your first pic the left side of the red wire is where you taped into the key switch then into the fuse box? Where does the red wire coming out of the fuse box go? The wires coming from the fuse box are hot to each ad-on?
Then the ground from each ad-on to the pigtail? if that's right that makes sense.

once the key is turned on everything becomes hot that would be fine for me.

Lights, cig lighter, gps horn they all should be on once the key is on.
What would be the purpose of a relay then to be able to mount a switch?

No, as I stated, mine is wired directly to the battery so it has power all the time. The red wire going to the accessory block is fed off the + side of the battery, that is seen in one of the other pics.

Yes, you will need to add a relay and use a keyed source wire as your trigger to power the block once you've hit the key. That is the purpose of the relay. You will also need separate relays to power your driving lights and air horns.

Your cig lighter and GPS will not need relays.

 

[Big B]

What happens when you know that your battery is weak? It's wiser to have a switch so when you ever need it, it's there. Day or night, those 55amp lights you have in mind means that your battery will be draining 110 amps total while you're idling in traffic, or for that matter, while warming up your engine. Plus, you don't absolutely need your auxiliary lights ON during 100 percent of the day time. A bike's battery is no powerhouse. On top of that, the stator-RR charging system is barely able to replenish your battery in comparison to an alternator.

They are 55 watt, not amps, there is no need for a switch if he chooses not to run one. I ran mine on the low beam circuit, cuz I ran my high beam during the day, so the lights were not on. They were needed more for to assist the low beam at night.

 

[TxShadow49]

Just a quick note. Some states, Texas included doesn't allow the driving lights to be on when the headlight is on high beam. Also, I thought I read somewhere on here that if the driving lights are wired into the headlight system without a seperate relay, it kind of overloads the starter button and relay.Did I just misunderstand that?

 

[ShadowBmtTx]

Hey RONW. ( If you're talking about the main +12 wire that feeds an aftermarket fuse box, that wire has to be wired directly to the battery's positive terminal. Period. ) Why? Not questioning your statement, but looking for enlightenment. I ran my fuse box power line from the starter relay( 10 ga) because I didn't want the box to be hot with the ignition switch off. Did I mess up?

 

[Big B]

Hey RONW. ( If you're talking about the main +12 wire that feeds an aftermarket fuse box, that wire has to be wired directly to the battery's positive terminal. Period. ) Why? Not questioning your statement, but looking for enlightenment. I ran my fuse box power line from the starter relay( 10 ga) because I didn't want the box to be hot with the ignition switch off. Did I mess up?

no, that's fine.

 

[Big B]

Just a quick note. Some states, Texas included doesn't allow the driving lights to be on when the headlight is on high beam. Also, I thought I read somewhere on here that if the driving lights are wired into the headlight system without a seperate relay, it kind of overloads the starter button and relay.Did I just misunderstand that?

nope, you are correct in your assumption.

 

[RONW]

Originally Posted by Big B

They are 55 watt, not amps, there is no need for a switch if he chooses not to run one.

whoops, yes, watts, not amps.

I'm unaware whether the OP is planning to run high-beam during the day which would shut off auxiliary lights wired to the low-beam wire. Other wise, I disagree with not needing a switch. And secondly, someday when he's caught with a battery on it's last breath, he may realize the value of the presently overkill switch. I also don't know how well the 1100 charging system works never having owed one. With my Shadow 600, I shut off the auxiliary lights at stop lights when I have them on a nights. Whereas, the alternator on my Valk has the capability of outputting something like 55 amps continuously. But on the 600, the auxiliary lights get shut off and on as a matter of routine. Too much pushing already. Too many new batteries.

 

[ShadowBmtTx]

no, that's fine.

Thanks Big B .

 

[Eldorado]

I run those 55w auxilary lights and seriously thinking going down to 25 or35 w, If I use my electric gear at the same time as those lights are on it is sucking up a lot of power even when running at speed, right now I've learned to manage the stuff, here are a couple of articles you might want to read espeically since you are thinking about adding the horn
Calculating Excess Electrical Capacity - Learning Center - Powerlet Products

Introducing the

 

[RONW]

Originally Posted by ShadowBmtTx

Hey RONW. ( If you're talking about the main +12 wire that feeds an aftermarket fuse box, that wire has to be wired directly to the battery's positive terminal. Period. ) Why? Not questioning your statement, but looking for enlightenment. I ran my fuse box power line from the starter relay( 10 ga) because I didn't want the box to be hot with the ignition switch off. Did I mess up?

You say you're not questioning my statement? I am. By "directly to the battery," I thought that the OP intended to tap the nearest handy hot wire (14 ga) as the donor circuit to power his aftemarket fusebox. Cannot do that. So, perhaps, I used too broad a brush and painted the wrong wall. Tomorrow, we celebrate statehood day if that has anything to do with it.

Moving on, if you tap +12 off the (10 ga) starter-relay wire, that's should be guud enough, since either of the 2 larger wires that connect to the relay prongs feeds the stock fusebox down its route. Secondly, both of the larger starter-relay wires turn off with the key eliminating the need for a relay to shut off the second fusebox. Blurry pic below but that's all I had handy.

 

[TorontoBoy]

There are many advantages to using a relay. A relay uses another circuit, for example your rear light, as a light switch, or trigger. Once the switch is "on", i.e. you turn your bike on, the relay turns on, allowing 12v to go directly from your battery to your accessories. Think of a relay as a strongman and the boss man. The boss man tells the strongman to lift, but the boss need not expend much energy. The boss man (trigger) knows when to lift, but the lifting is done by the strongman.

When your accessories get 12v directly from your battery, there is less electrical drain due to smaller wire gauges and competition with other needs, and they work better. Lights will be brighter, horns will be louder.

The alternative is to not use a relay and tap directly into your bike's existing wiring. Because of the additional electrical load from your accessories, your existing wiring may not be able to handle it, may heat up and possibly burn out expensive connections such as your starter switch. This can never happen if you use a relay.

Wiring with a relay is a little more work but well worth it. Accessories work better. Relays only cost $2.00, so are very cheap.

 

[gmck]

easiest and safest way is to get a Gonzo harness. by the time you buy the parts his prices don't seem too bad at all.

 

[verdeva]

If you trigger the driving light relay off the headlight power the driving lights will turn off when the starter is engaged. You don't want the two 55 watt driving lights powered while trying to start the bike. A switch can do the same thing if you remember every time.