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Electrical wiring questions.

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Rainmaker

Rainmaker

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Erik
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I am getting ready to add some electrical wiring to the bike but I had a few questions . I currently have a fuse block under the seat that is tied into a switched power source on the bike. From here on out when I say fuse block I will be referring to this.

Heated Gear: Is there any reason not to wire my heated jacket and gloves directly to the battery with the provided harness and inline fuse Or should this be ran through the fuse block?


Cigarette lighter charger and USB port: My thought is to run this straight from the battery with an inline fuse so I can charge items with the bike off, any reason not to? Is 14 G wire and a 15 amp fuse enough for the cigarette adapter. It will be used for things like phone charging, radar detector, and slime air compressor


GPS Harness: My thought was to run this through the fuse block.


Datel Volt meter: The meter will be used to tell me I am still charging the battery when I have accessories on, nothing more. I read about not putting it on a switch, put it as close to the battery as possible, no fuse, don’t tie into this or that because the reading won’t be correct and while other people run it off the horn. Is powering the meter off my fuse block (powered by my tail light) really going to show significant difference than if I run it off the batter directly with a switch and a fuse? Also is a 14 ga wire fine?
 
Heated Gear, I would run direct to the bat.

Cig lighter, same.

GPS power. I run mine through the Fuse Block but powered all the time.

Correct on the DVM, you will see a drop on the tail light fuse but it will be constant and that will be close enough to give indication of what's going on with the battery.

[edit] Some meters have a way to calibrate out the error. Check the one you have.
 
Rainmaker said:
...Cigarette lighter charger ....It will be used for things like .....and slime air compressor
Click to expand...
Maybe its just me but for a compressor, which can be asked to run awhile, gets hot and can have a relatively substantial current load, I prefer a short fused lead with an SAE connector hanging directly off the battery (zip tie it under a side cover is usually convenient enough). IMHO some cig-sockets don't deal well with the current draw of a compressor and can get hot/fail due to the less-than-ideal connection they provide. If memory serves the Slime has an SAE plug as its first-line connector between the compressor and the various power-source adaptors.

If you go that approach, then you can use wire and fuse for the charger/lighter socket appropriate to the much lower amp devices you'll actually use that power source to support.

Rainmaker said:
....
Datel Volt meter: The meter will be used to tell me I am still charging the battery when I have accessories on, nothing more. I read about not putting it on a switch, put it as close to the battery as possible, no fuse, don’t tie into this or that because the reading won’t be correct and while other people run it off the horn. Is powering the meter off my fuse block (powered by my tail light) really going to show significant difference than if I run it off the batter directly with a switch and a fuse? Also is a 14 ga wire fine?
Click to expand...
Great meter for bike applications, here's a suggestion that'll take a few minutes but be fun and educational ... when you've got it in-hand just do some simple tests before mounting:

Put some scrap wire on the Datel screw terminals and with your bike idling touch 'em to the battery posts; note the reading. Do the same at the other connection points of interest/convenience, going back to the battery between each different location check to account for any battery volt change since your only idling. Should give you a good indication of/if any 'loss' at non-direct-to-battery connections and help you make a decision about where to make your permanent connection.

You can continue the experiment making temp connections with/without a switch if you want, but again IMHO, letting the Datel 'run' all the time can be a handy continuous indication of charging status even without accessories running, and it doesn't hurt a thing.

Yeah, 14ga (or even smaller) wire should be fine, IMHO, but if curious try different ga/lengths of wire on a temporary direct-to-battery test.

The empirical tests are easy and you'll know what your meter is telling you.

;-)
 
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Yes, use the heated gear lead that came with it. I agree with the rest of your plan except for the Slime compressor through the cig port. Everything gets hot that way. All of my bikes get an SAE pig-tail fused right off the battery. Auto Zone has some nice fused units with a tethered cap to keep them clean. Doubles as a battery tender point if you ever use one.
 
Thanks for the input guys.

Up to this point I have always hooked the slime compressor directly to the battery with clip because I had no other way. It didn't even cross my mind the cig lighter may get too hot. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll to a little pig tail separate.


Testing the meter at both spots and comparing the voltage is so simple I am almost embarrassed I didn't think of it.

Thanks for all the inpute
 
Here's a kinda related question:

What's the best way to make electrical connections on a bike? I've heard that soldered joints are actually weaker than crimped connectors - as the solder is brittle and all the bouncing around a bike does (dirt roads, light off-road duty, etc) can lead those to fail.

BS or not?
 
If I'm reading correctly, your switched source is the tailight circuit.
Running the fuse block off the tailight circuit limits the amount of power to the limit of that circuit. Alternatively, you could put in a relay (15A or even higher) that is triggered from the tailight circuit, but gets it's power directly from the battery.
 
The better fuse blocks have the relay on board, so there is a pair of large gauge wires for hot and ground, and a small gauge to tie to a switched circuit. Then there is a bus bar to bring grounds back together from the accessories.

Some blocks have separate fuse positions unswitched and the rest switched too. Lots of options available. I tied the sensor wire into the running lights on the Versys. Eastern Beaver had the right connector so I could make it a plug in connection too. No splices or taps is a good thing I think.
 
dukey33 said:
If I'm reading correctly, your switched source is the tailight circuit.
Running the fuse block off the tailight circuit limits the amount of power to the limit of that circuit. Alternatively, you could put in a relay (15A or even higher) that is triggered from the tailight circuit, but gets it's power directly from the battery.
Click to expand...

I believe the latter is how we set it up. I remember tying into the taillight harness, then we had a relay, fuse box and some more wires (obviously I had help).

relay_zps2c0df018.jpg[/URL

Jeff S said:
Here's a kinda related question:

What's the best way to make electrical connections on a bike? I've heard that soldered joints are actually weaker than crimped connectors - as the solder is brittle and all the bouncing around a bike does (dirt roads, light off-road duty, etc) can lead those to fail.

BS or not?
Click to expand...
I'm no auto electrician but I solder everything I can. In my past life I built mine resistant vehicles and the harnesses were soldered. That's good enough for me :mrgreen:
 
Jeff S said:
Here's a kinda related question:

What's the best way to make electrical connections on a bike? I've heard that soldered joints are actually weaker than crimped connectors - as the solder is brittle and all the bouncing around a bike does (dirt roads, light off-road duty, etc) can lead those to fail.

BS or not?
Click to expand...

Why not crimp and then fill with solder? I've done that on occasion, best of both worlds. I also like to use Posi-Tap products, never had an issue with them.

_
 
Unless you cold joint a solder connection, it's much better than crimp only. Expansion and contraction from daily temperature swings plus the added vibration of the bike will cause crimp only connections to loosen up. As mentioned before, crimp and solder will make a solid connection you won't have to worry about.:thumb:
 
The crimp-is-better-than-solder idea comes from the commercial aircraft industry where constant higher-frequency vibration can fatigue and break strands where they meet the solder joint after many thousands of hours of service. In almost every other application solder is better IMO.
 
SilverBullet said:
...... I also like to use Posi-Tap products, never had an issue with them.
Click to expand...
+1 on Posi-Tap. Included with Skene Designs and Clearwater products I bought, I've since been buying 'em direct from Posi-Tap and like 'em a lot in the smaller wire ga sizes. The P-T's for larger ga wire tend to be too bulky, IMHO (the one's that are color-coded black).

I've never had a crimp-connection fail, lots of auto and MC applications over decades, maybe I'm lucky. Always use a crimp-tool with a 'center-punch' that puts a deep dimple in the middle of the crimp ('punch' opposite the seam in the connector sleeve), never one of the cheapo versions that simply flattens the crimp. I like un-insulated connectors and use a piece of heat-shrink-tube extending over both the connector sleeve and the end of the wire for strain relief.

For sanitary multi-wire harnesses that need a disconnect (stuff that needs disconnect to remove body panels) I've used Molex connectors for years .... the pins require a specific Molex crimp tool for the two-step crimp (crimp to conductor and crimp to insulation for strain relief). Altex ( http://www.altex.com/Locations.aspx ) has a great selection of Molex connectors & tools always in-stock at least in the Austin location. A dab of silicon electrical grease on each pin and they're good to go for all-weather in any moderately protected MC location ;-).
 
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Sounds like you've got plenty of advice. So, I won't give you any more.
I use a REAL CRIMP TOOL; Not some old pliers.
I'm redoing the same things on my new(er) windjammer. I use a relay to power up all the big-juice items. The relay is keyed to the running lights, and the power is straight from the battery THROUGH THE MAIN FUSE. Since the main fuse is sized to protect the entire bike (minus starter), that's also close to the max output of the alternator.
Nothing worse than a dead battery or fried alternator. I crimp all connections and heat-shrink the connection which prevents flexing right at the one exit point. If I want to solder, I use ROSIN-CORE solder, not acid core. And tinned copper strands solder better, but I normally only use tinned on a boat.
 
1=if the fuse block is "triggered", only a small gauge wire is needed, ie 22ga[since it is only turning the power circuit on=not actually carrying ak
ll the power.
2-pre-tinned copper wire makes soldering so much easier, land or sea[only rosin-core solder as said before. the "new" ROHS solder is a ***** to work with].
3-neatness always counts
4-never overfuse
5-SM&P's dictate all loads are fused from a distribution system[don't count on main 50amp fuse. Blow that one and the entire bike is dead!].
my .02, YMMV
 
Yes, the Main fuse is only protecting the entire bike, but ALL POWER other than the starter feed should pass through it.
Every branch circuit needs it's own fuse for the load on that circuit- heater, fog lights, horn, GPS, etc.
IF YOU SOLDER a crimp, feed the solder from the anchor side, not the crimp side, and just enough to START to fill the crimp. If too much is used, it will wick to beyond the crimp and make a hard spot with softened wire outside of the connection.
 
All good advice Erik!!

My reasoning for wiring the GPS directly to power instead of a switched circuit is that a fuel stops, killing the ignition kills the GPS.

Sometimes it takes a while to relocate the satellites. If you wire it directly, you can still check route instructions or changes while filling up and you are ready to go immediately when you restart the bike.
 
donroger1 said:
All good advice Erik!!

My reasoning for wiring the GPS directly to power instead of a switched circuit is that a fuel stops, killing the ignition kills the GPS.

Sometimes it takes a while to relocate the satellites. If you wire it directly, you can still check route instructions or changes while filling up and you are ready to go immediately when you restart the bike.
Click to expand...

Someone on a different thread noted they "hard wired" their GPS to battery only to come out to the garage one weekend to a dead bike-forgot to turn GPS off upon parking! My garmin gives option of leaving it on at power off[cig ltr] and leaving it on for an hr or so it still was running on internal battery. YMMV my .02
good luck! second thought-a small sealed battery to keep it running with key off?
 
donroger1 said:
All good advice Erik!!

My reasoning for wiring the GPS directly to power instead of a switched circuit is that a fuel stops, killing the ignition kills the GPS.

Sometimes it takes a while to relocate the satellites. If you wire it directly, you can still check route instructions or changes while filling up and you are ready to go immediately when you restart the bike.
Click to expand...

When I kill the power to my GPS it prompts me to continue with battery power or it will automatically shut down in 1 minute. I suspect I can get a few hours off of the internal battery.
 
When I installed my Fuzeblock I put jacket, gps and cig lighter outlet as switched. You don't want to be charging anything with the bike off. I charge during the ride and my gps battery kicks in when I shut the bike off at gas stations. Voltmeter and an SAE wired direct to the battery for the airpump.
 
Guavadude said:
When I installed my Fuzeblock I put jacket, gps and cig lighter outlet as switched. You don't want to be charging anything with the bike off. I charge during the ride and my gps battery kicks in when I shut the bike off at gas stations. Voltmeter and an SAE wired direct to the battery for the airpump.
Click to expand...
I don't have anything wired up to an unstitched circuit. Cig lighter, stebel, GPS, and soon heated grips, all wired to switched circuits. My battery monitor (just an led light, no readout) is spliced into the circuit for the cig lighter.
 
Couple of points that I didn't see:

Stress relief. Whether you solder or crimp, stress relief is important at a wire termination. Two things can happen, the wire will work loose in the crimp or attachment point and worse could fatigue and break at a weak point (stress riser). To combat the stress at the termination point, heat shrink tubing over the termination the stretches onto the wire insulation for a length (an inch or so) gives relief to the attachment point. It also helps keep moisture and dirt out.

Proper stripping. If you score the wire when you strip the insulation, then you create a stress riser and that's where flex and vibration will cause the wire to break. A good pair of wire strippers reduce scoring.
 
I have two things on unswitched circuits: regular cig lighter socket (in the fairing pocket) and GPS power.

You have to be careful to turn off your GPS, yes, but over the years the battery on my GPSs have gotten weak, and since I don't feel like replacing them, I need to leave the power on or they will power down regardless of whether I say to stay on or not. The best plan of attack is to simply make it a habit not to leave anything theft-able mounted on the bike. If your habit is to remove that stuff, you never have to worry abut it, even in the garage, either getting "borrowed" nor running your battery down.

The lighter socket makes plugging the bike in to a maintainer dead simple. Just roll in and plug in. I can use the same socket to power other things (phone charger, etc) so it's multi-purpose.

Works for me. YMMV.
 
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