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Staves
| Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 11:25 am: |
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OK, we're all smart in different ways, right? Well, electrical is not one of my strong areas. I have two items to connect on my Uly: a dash-mounted voltmeter and a set of aux. PIAA lights. I have the wiring harness for the aux. lights and plan on using the supplied on/off switch. I also have two posi-tap connectors for the voltmeter and lights. I have no idea what wires to tap into. I understand, for my purposes, that it should be a wire that is only hot when the bike is running. Can I please get a plain-language explanation of what wires I can tap into for both the voltmeter and the aux lights switch? A photo of the wires would also be very helpful. I've looked at the service manual but my brain shuts down when faced with electrical diagrams. Many thanks, Scott
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Rwcfrank
| Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 11:37 am: |
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For the voltmeter tap into the wire on the back of the accesory plug (to the left of the gauges. |
Johnnylunchbox
| Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 01:12 pm: |
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I would also wire the relay for the PIAAs (you are going to use a relay right?) to the same positap on the accesory wire. |
Staves
| Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 01:55 pm: |
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So I can use one posi-tap to connect two wires (PIAAs and voltmeter) to the accessory socket wire? Sounds good (and simple enough for even me). Johnnylb - yes, the harness has a relay. Thanks for the help. ST |
Sleez
| Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 03:24 pm: |
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i would run the power wire all the way from the battery. it is ok to run the signal wire from any source, but i highly recommend running at least a 14 awg wire for the power! the relay has an input from the switch that doesn't need to be high amperage, but the lead that runs through the relay to the light themselves will be carrying all the current. this should be 14 awg all the way from the battery to the relay and on to the lights. i am sure many people have done it differently, but this is the "right" way. my .02!! i ran mine with 12 awg from the battery to a fuse holder to the relay, then 14 awg to the lights. i used a tap into the hi-beam wire to signal the relay, no extra switch. if i want to disable the aux lights i can pop the fuse out. (Message edited by sleez on May 16, 2009) |
Ronmold
| Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 03:59 pm: |
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Make a good ground connection also. The bolt where the factory grounds are at the front of the steering head is a great spot and it would be a great time to check the factory ground wire condition as they tend to wear there. Use at least a 16ga flexible wire for the ground which should be good for 10A at that short distance. |
Johnnylunchbox
| Posted on Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 12:51 pm: |
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Yes, run the power for the lights directly from the battery, with a fuse as close to the battery as possible. The relay trigger can be from the accessory line positap. I took equal lengths (enough to go from from the lights to the battery and then some) of both my power wire and ground wire. I put them in a drill chuck and twisted them together slowly. Then I fished that "braided" line along the wiring harness back to the battery. A straightened out coat hanger is your friend. I used the negative terminal of my battery as the ground. I suggest soldering all your wire connections and using heat shrink wrap. |
Staves
| Posted on Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 01:04 pm: |
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Almost there! These are great tips. The PIAA harness wires directly to the battery, so no worries there. I'm still not sure about exactly what wire to tap into for the aux light switch and voltmeter power. Here are the wires (like you don't already know what they look like). Can someone be kind enough to point out which black wire I can tap into? \image(wiring} |
Staves
| Posted on Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 01:06 pm: |
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One more time
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Staves
| Posted on Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 09:40 pm: |
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Red wire, black wire? Yellow wire? Should I just twist them all together and posi-tap the whole shebang? Please take a minute and let me know. Someone pity me and my ignorance of the magic called electricity. |
Staves
| Posted on Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 09:45 pm: |
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BTW - the pic is of the back of the accessory plug on the dash. I need to tap into a wire to power a voltmeter and switch for aux lights. |
Mnrider
| Posted on Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 11:28 pm: |
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Yes the O/R is hot with key on and the black is ground you can wire your volt meter right to that. You can also wire your switch to those wires. Looks like it's already had some wires taped into it for something else. (Message edited by mnrider on May 17, 2009) |
Verdad
| Posted on Monday, May 18, 2009 - 02:08 am: |
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Scott, could you say what PIAA kit (with harness) you have? As in model or kit number. I've been looking for the "right" one and couldn't figure it out. Also, what brand/model volt meter are you installing. Sorry, but I'm all about plagiarizing.... Thanks, Russ |
Staves
| Posted on Monday, May 18, 2009 - 08:10 am: |
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Mnrider - thanks! Russ - I have a set of HID Cross Country PIAAs that come with a good quality harness. Only problem is that they're expensive. If you shop around online the best price currently is about $450. See for details (not best price): http://www.shopatron.com/product/part_number=73082 /353.0 Trail Tech makes a light that may be the exact same as the PIAA (depending on who you talk to) and they are $135 each. http://www.trailtech.net/single_hid_mr11.html The advantage of the PIAA set is that there's the electrical harness included. If you're electrically inclined, this may be a non-issue. I'm using the Kuryakyn voltmeter from site sponsor American Sportbike: http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/16076.html It's recommended by other BadWeB folks and it fits nicely on the upper right side of the Uly dash. Best, Scott |
Will547_us
| Posted on Monday, May 18, 2009 - 09:56 am: |
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Russ, The PIAA 510ATP kit from Drag/PU also contains the harness w/relay, switch, etc. I paid about $186 for the kit. With the harness and relay wired directly to the battery the wire to power the switch is wired to the socket behind the dash. Cheers, Will (Message edited by will547_us on May 18, 2009) |
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