electrical questions / fuse block question

[dean owens]

hey guys,

i have a few electrical questions. i got to thinking that i have a number of things hooked up to my battery right now.

- +/- from HID projectors
- battery tender plug
- gerbing plug (from previous owner but i hopes of using it one day )
- grip warmers
- planning on getting a stebel nautilus

i'm wondering if it isn't just time to wire up a fuse block. i figure i'd leave the battery tender plug hooked directly to the battery but move everything else to the fuse block.

the local auto store has one of these (ebay link for pictures sake)

it is rated at 30 amps. i'm assuming that'll be fine. i'm also assuming i'll need one of these to run my grounds to.

i have done some research but i'd like to make sure i have everything straight before i go off and buy the parts.

1 - almost everything is showing that i will need a relay between the battery and the fuse block. is a 30A relay enough?

2 - do i need to put a fuse between the battery and the relay? i wouldn't think so but i wanted to check and make sure.

3 - since i will be putting this either under the tank or under my seat should i run 12awg wire since it will be longer wire runs?

4 - i had planned on using a relay to hook up my hand warmers. but if this fuse block will have a relay on it to keep it from getting power unless the key is on i would think i shouldn't have to run a relay for the hand warmers now.

trust me, there will be more questions to follow, but i'll stop here for now. thanks.

 

[SirIsaac]

Hi Dean,
My opinions are as follows:

it is rated at 30 amps. i'm assuming that'll be fine.

Sounds fine to me.

i'm also assuming i'll need one of these to run my grounds to.

That looks like a good idea.

i have done some research but i'd like to make sure i have everything straight before i go off and buy the parts.

1 - almost everything is showing that i will need a relay between the battery and the fuse block. is a 30A relay enough?

You only need a relay if you want everything to go off with the ignition. Since you have nowhere near 30 Amperes available from the FZ6 electrical system to power this fuse block, a 30 Ampere relay is not really necessary, but it won't hurt.

2 - do i need to put a fuse between the battery and the relay? i wouldn't think so but i wanted to check and make sure.

In my opinion you should put a fuse in the supply wire to this fuse block, as close as possible to the battery. An unfused wire of any length running from the battery to somewhere on the bike makes me nervous. As above with the relay, you would not need a 30 Ampere fuse.

3 - since i will be putting this either under the tank or under my seat should i run 12awg wire since it will be longer wire runs?

12 AWG is generally good for 20 Amperes, so it will be more than adequate. You could probably get by with smaller, but bigger is (usually) better.

4 - i had planned on using a relay to hook up my hand warmers. but if this fuse block will have a relay on it to keep it from getting power unless the key is on i would think i shouldn't have to run a relay for the hand warmers now.

I don't see a need for two relays.

Good luck.

Jeff

 

[Fred]

You're wiring your bike much the way I did mine. So this video should help.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcQdkdeVWqs]YouTube - How to wire a motorcycle, the right way.[/ame]

 

[Motogiro]

:steve: That's what I love about this forum. So many good folk with different experiences working to help each other. Very Cool!!!:rockon:

 

[dean owens]

thank you all for your help. the video is very helpful. i'm now just trying to figure out particulars. i've been trying to figure out where i wanted to put my fuse block. i drew out these two possibilities.

the first would be with the fuse block on the bike. with that option i would need at least 6 wires (if not 8) running from the fairing to the bike.

the second option is with the fuse block in the fairing. i'm still running 8 wires that way.

i've recently thought that maybe i should just have two fuse blocks... one in the fairing and one on the bike. that way i would only have to run 4 wires from the fairing to the bike... (- from battery, + from fuse/relay, stebel relay switch, and dim wire). both blocks would be pulled off the same fuse/relay.
anything i might be overlooking here?

only thing now is to look for connectors so i could easily take off my fairing if i needed to. i found this site and he has a bunch of connector options. here is the connectors page with all his connectors. i was strongly leaning to the .090 connectors until i contacted the owner of the site. he suggested i use the sl sealed connectors because they can handle as large as 14awg. any thoughts?

if you guys have any suggestions/thoughts feel free to share them.

thanks