12 volt no cutting = happy me

[Love@FirstRide]

Hey guys, first off thank you to everyone who already wrote guides on how to install a 12 volt cigarette lighter on the fz6.

I used about 40 dollars in parts from autozone and about an hour because the battery bolt couldn't reach the nut with the new terminals.
I ended up screwing the bolt in without the terminals from the battery or the additional small circle terminals, then sliding an allen wrench under the nut to hold it up while i unscrewed the bolt, put terminals on, rescrewed into the nut while the allen wrench held the nut up and in place so the bolt threads were able to catch.
Pretty easy all and all just required some critical thinking and patience due to my big hands and small spaces..

Now i have everything attached it works but it hits me i just got my bike a week ago i don't to drill holes into the plastics... i tried.. i just couldn't bring myself to touch after countless measurements..... then CRITICAL THINKING comes back for me i see a small hose clamp i had from my CAI on my car. and just mount it right up to the bracket in the picture.

The extra terminal on the positive side runs to a fuse box with a 10 amp in it then to the cigarette lighter.
it hasn't caused a problem yet in a month but i ride pretty much every day longest bike has sat has been 3 days and it fired up just fine, year old battery.
:cheer:

PS (edit) Who likes my Mooseracing pad? taking votes on keeping it on or off lol

 

[millsd44]

Looking good! I've just installed one on mine as well, bought a £7 adapter on the Bay which connected straight to the battery.

Have you put yours with any kind of switch? Ideally, I'd like to have it activated with the ignition or even lights (i.e. engine running) but that is harder than first thought to put into the loom.

 

[Dry Martini]

If you want the PWR adaptor to powered by ignition, just use a vampire tap, and pick a fuse that only has power when IGN is on.

No need to go into the look with this method. Just cover any added wiring with its own plastic loom.
This space intentionally left blank.

 

[fb40dash5]

If you want the PWR adaptor to powered by ignition, just use a vampire tap, and pick a fuse that only has power when IGN is on.

*shudder*

Vampire taps are the debbil. They're the debbil under the dash of a car, where theoretically they'll never see moisture, let alone on a bike where it's almost guaranteed. Screwing up the stuff you add is bad enough, but when you rot out a wire in the bike's harness because you punctured the insulation...

Anyway, I hope you have a fuse on that thing, especially if you've got it constant-hot straight to the battery with no relay. If you want to add a relay, you can tuck it in the fairing easy enough, and the marker light wires make a convenient enough ignition-hot trigger. I'd also swap to a Blue Sea-style socket that's sealed better... you can also get a convenient mounting block for them, or make a bracket out of something with just a 1-1/8" hole saw.

I can't believe it took me 4 freaking years to add power to my bike. I got a Sena for my helmet to listen to tunes/navigation directions, so I added a Blue Sea USB outlet. My right side inner fairing got ugly from a brake fluid spill, so I took the hole saw to it with no issues, and just tapped the outlet onto said marker light circuit, since it draws <1A and I'm not too worried about it shorting or overloading. So much nicer now that I can charge my phone while I ride!

 

[Dry Martini]

*shudder*



Vampire taps are the debbil. They're the debbil under the dash of a car, where theoretically they'll never see moisture, let alone on a bike where it's almost guaranteed. Screwing up the stuff you add is bad enough, but when you rot out a wire in the bike's harness because you punctured the insulation...

When I say vampire taps, I am speaking of the ones that plug into the fuse block. It also has an additional fuse socket for a fuse suitable to the load you will be powering. I guess a better name is a "piggy back".

As for corroding wire splices, that is what quality electrical tape is for.

 

[Love@FirstRide]

Looking good! I've just installed one on mine as well, bought a £7 adapter on the Bay which connected straight to the battery.

Have you put yours with any kind of switch? Ideally, I'd like to have it activated with the ignition or even lights (i.e. engine running) but that is harder than first thought to put into the loom.

Na dude the guys at the motorcycle shop near my house said i would be alright going str8 from the battery ( i did put a little fuse box thing with a 15 in it) on the power side obviously and i like this because the fuse boxe's wire goes to the battery then the 12volt goes to that and i can add another accessory if i want without dealing with the battery terminal. at least according to the guys at the shop

 

[fb40dash5]

When I say vampire taps, I am speaking of the ones that plug into the fuse block. It also has an additional fuse socket for a fuse suitable to the load you will be powering. I guess a better name is a "piggy back".

Gotcha. I don't think I've ever thought to use those on a bike... but the ones that plug in like a fuse and have 2 slots for the original and new fuse work great if there's room. The chintzy ones that slip over a fuse blade, notsomuch, they don't like vibration.

Keep in mind if you go that route, you're drawing all the new load off whatever circuit you tap. No biggie if it's got a big feed wire, but that's often not the case, and most lighter outlets are rated for up to 10A. I just run a new good-size lead to the battery, you can split that off and use it for other stuff in the future, too. And make sure to use a relay (added or existing) if you want to switch it, the ignition switch probably doesn't care to carry another 10 amps.

As for corroding wire splices, that is what quality electrical tape is for.

No. Just no. :spank:

Electrical tape is for holding things together. Glue-filled heatshrink tube is for keeping moisture out of things.

< Has spent way too much time tracking down and fixing electrical gremlins caused by people armed with Scotchloks, PVC-insulated crimp connectors, wire nuts, and electrical tape.

 

[Dry Martini]

Gotcha. I don't think I've ever thought to use those on a bike... but the ones that plug in like a fuse and have 2 slots for the original and new fuse work great if there's room. The chintzy ones that slip over a fuse blade, notsomuch, they don't like vibration.



Keep in mind if you go that route, you're drawing all the new load off whatever circuit you tap. No biggie if it's got a big feed wire, but that's often not the case, and most lighter outlets are rated for up to 10A. I just run a new good-size lead to the battery, you can split that off and use it for other stuff in the future, too. And make sure to use a relay (added or existing) if you want to switch it, the ignition switch probably doesn't care to carry another 10 amps.





No. Just no. :spank:



Electrical tape is for holding things together. Glue-filled heatshrink tube is for keeping moisture out of things.



< Has spent way too much time tracking down and fixing electrical gremlins caused by people armed with Scotchloks, PVC-insulated crimp connectors, wire nuts, and electrical tape.

I use to work in the radio shop (local sheriff's dept) and we had a couple of crimp connectors under the front floor carpet. Thanks to the hole drilled through the firewall, floor pan under the carpet is perpetually wet. Taping up those crimp connections (which had a high current flowing through them) was the only thing that kept them from corroding. Scotch locks and the like are a no-no.


This space intentionally left blank.

 

[fb40dash5]

I use to work in the radio shop (local sheriff's dept) and we had a couple of crimp connectors under the front floor carpet. Thanks to the hole drilled through the firewall, floor pan under the carpet is perpetually wet. Taping up those crimp connections (which had a high current flowing through them) was the only thing that kept them from corroding. Scotch locks and the like are a no-no.

Being a mechanic made me an electrical connection slob. I even use bare connectors and heatshrink under the dash, even though I'm sure other ways work just fine in a dry area like that. In my younger, dumber days, I installed a few stereos with twisted together, taped up wire on the adapter harnesses, and those worked.

I put together a HF trailer for a customer once, did all the connections the right way, but one of the taillights in the kit was a dud. I told him to go back to HF and get it replaced free or just go buy some nicer lights somewhere cheaper than Napa. He came back while I was out with a new light, which my boss installed... with PVC-insulated butt connectors. The guy was back not a month later, and it wasn't even winter, with the connections my boss had made rotted out. You wouldn't even believe the crap I've seen under older trailers... I redid one that had a marker light powered (well, in theory anyway) with a wire made of, not even kidding, about 9 different sections of wire Scotchlok'd together. It made me realize that the old rule that anytime someone borrows your trailer they bring it back with the lights all screwed up... is probably not their fault 99% of the time.

Moral of the story: If your connections are, or might be, exposed to the weather... make them weatherproof. If moisture might get in (like into a wad of electrical tape) it's going to have a harder time getting out, so make it so it can't get in at all.

 

[raja777m]

If you want the PWR adaptor to powered by ignition

I'm planning for the same, tomorrow i'm going for battery testing to O'Reilly, and I'm gonna ask the guy on where to put it.

At first I thought of adding a switch, but felt, extra pain..!

I'll try to take a video of what he is talking..!

I purchased this for my bike and let it on terminals:
Motorcycle 12V USB Waterproof Cigarette Lighter Power Port Outlet Socket Black | eBay

Cheap, waterproof, works well. Both slots USB and Cigarette lighter, easy mount, comes with clamp, matte black looking.

 

[Love@FirstRide]

I'm planning for the same, tomorrow i'm going for battery testing to O'Reilly, and I'm gonna ask the guy on where to put it.

At first I thought of adding a switch, but felt, extra pain..!

I'll try to take a video of what he is talking..!

I purchased this for my bike and let it on terminals:
Motorcycle 12V USB Waterproof Cigarette Lighter Power Port Outlet Socket Black | eBay

Cheap, waterproof, works well. Both slots USB and Cigarette lighter, easy mount, comes with clamp, matte black looking.

damn that's a dandy little kit there for the 12 bucks ..

 

[Love@FirstRide]

View attachment 56517

View attachment 56518

View attachment 56519

i couldnt add them to my first post but heres the rest of the pictures