Best Place To Tap Into Power For A Radar Detector?

[XLR8]

I'm new to wiring, relays and all that. Learning how to be a software developer in my youth and code slaving didn't leave much time for much cept beer and girlies.

I have an 05 FJR and I'll be installing a Passport 8500 x.50 using the direct cord from Passport - not the smart cord that plugs into a lighter.

I was wondering if there is a simple, easy fast place to attach to. I tried using a search and checking fjrtech.com but didn't find anything. It must be easy.

So when I find the right wires (looking for switched power) just attach my wires right. Hot to hot & ground to ground? Splice them all together?

Just never done this before. I did install my own hyperlites though!

-r

 

[ruddels]

i used left side horn wires, not is use after magnum horn harness instll

id suggest using taillight ( not brake light) and just ground to fram...

I'm new to wiring, relays and all that. Learning how to be a software developer in my youth and code slaving didn't leave much time for much cept beer and girlies.
I have an 05 FJR and I'll be installing a Passport 8500 x.50 using the direct cord from Passport - not the smart cord that plugs into a lighter.

I was wondering if there is a simple, easy fast place to attach to. I tried using a search and checking fjrtech.com but didn't find anything. It must be easy.

So when I find the right wires (looking for switched power) just attach my wires right. Hot to hot & ground to ground? Splice them all together?

Just never done this before. I did install my own hyperlites though!

-r

 

[Bearly Flying]

All you ever need to know....

https://www.fjrtech.com/getdbitem.cfm?item=25

 

[CAJW]

All you ever need to know....

https://www.fjrtech.com/getdbitem.cfm?item=25

+1 on that /\. Don't go for a quick fix, take the time to install power & ground strips, you'll be time and headaches ahead in the long run cause' farlkes have a way of breeding others. Next you'll want a plug for your vest or GPS or XM or whatever...... If you don't, you'll end up with spaghetti wiring all over your bike and/or mass quantities of terminals all screwed to the same lead for power or a ground. I installed a separate terminal strip for a common ground location to prevent "stacking" of terminal ends. Also, one option that I did was to connect the hot to a headlight wire that comes on after the engine starts which saves on battery draw during starting. Just be aware that any powered items won't be hot until after the bike starts and/or after shutdown with the key left on.

 

[Woodstock]

Definately go with a relay and power strip, it's not that much harder and it will save a lot in the future.

I went with the Universal power plate, which comes with pretty much everything you need.

As far as where to power the relay from, there are a couple of popular options.

- Horn (also discussed above), the horn switch is on the ground side, so hot side is good.

- Running lights up front

- Headlight (which will not turn on until motor is running)

 

[XLR8]

Thanks for the info everyone.

I hear you guys on doing it right however, the only thing I need to attach to this bike is my radar detector so I was looking for a simple place to do this. I don't run heated gear, GPS, XM radio or any of that so I think a bank of attachments would be overkill for me.

In any case the info is fantastic for the future and learning so let me see if I have some of the concepts right to attach a relay and how relays work.

- Run power directly from the battery to the relay

- Attach the the relay to some other switched power source and that will activate the relay letting power through from the battery?

- Attach your **** to the relay

- In the relay article on FJRTech.com, he mentions the big black heat coated power loom. Was he just pointing that out for reference? I'm a literal guy and I'm not sure why that was mentioned. Am I supposed to use that? He said to run right off the battery? Got a little confused there.

I can handle the above steps though I think.

How about the original question though. Is there a simple switched power wire to attach to? Can I just attach there without worrying about whatever is on that circuit? I have a trip coming up quickly and I might not be able to gather everything together by then.

-r

 

[Bounce]

All you ever need to know....https://www.fjrtech.com/getdbitem.cfm?item=25

+1

I got my hot source (to feed the energizing circuit of the relay when the ignition switch is on) from the jumper that auto-parks the windshield. I wanted the auto-park disabled and so the +12 was available without having to compromise the insulation anywhere in the wiring harness.

4th paragraph down at: https://www.bikes-n-spikes.org/mods/pdb/pdb.html

Use the heat resistant loom any time you run a line through the engine area. You can use it or a different kind of loom (split or spiral) when going somewhere without the heat. It's used for abraision resistance in those cases (and to clean up multiple lines as needed).

 

[Woodstock]

Thanks for the info everyone.
I hear you guys on doing it right however, the only thing I need to attach to this bike is my radar detector so I was looking for a simple place to do this. I don't run heated gear, GPS, XM radio or any of that so I think a bank of attachments would be overkill for me.

In any case the info is fantastic for the future and learning so let me see if I have some of the concepts right to attach a relay and how relays work.

- Run power directly from the battery to the relay

- Attach the the relay to some other switched power source and that will activate the relay letting power through from the battery?

- Attach your **** to the relay

- In the relay article on FJRTech.com, he mentions the big black heat coated power loom. Was he just pointing that out for reference? I'm a literal guy and I'm not sure why that was mentioned. Am I supposed to use that? He said to run right off the battery? Got a little confused there.

I can handle the above steps though I think.

How about the original question though. Is there a simple switched power wire to attach to? Can I just attach there without worrying about whatever is on that circuit? I have a trip coming up quickly and I might not be able to gather everything together by then.

-r

Pretty much, but as the relay has 4 connectors, what you've written could be taken a lot of ways, some of them very bad.

The fjrtech writeup has the specifics for relay connections, the thing to keep in mind is that the relay coil should be connected to both your tapped (usually switched) hot lead and the other coil connector to ground.

The other 2 connectors are the relay "switch", one of them should go directly to the battery (not a tap on anything), and the other to what you want to power (fuse block, or radar detector or whatever - making sure you have at least an inline fuse to the device), and from the device, off to ground (back to the negative battery, not chasis, esp. if it's audio anything).

If you get something like I did from electrical connection, the directions are pretty clear. I used it because I wanted to power lots of different things at some point in the future (V1, Garmin, Starcom, etc).

 

[XLR8]

id suggest using taillight ( not brake light) and just ground to fram...

OK guys, I need to leave for a trip and am not going to have time to do relays and a powerstrip and all that. Also, the only electrical thing I plan to attach is a radar detector.

So the tailight should be OK for power right? Which wire is it? The yellow one or blue one?

Later when I have more time I can do the whole powerstrip thing if I want.

-r

 

[madmike2]

Because I set mine so that I could use the voltmeter option, I wired it straight to the battery. Sitting idle it isn't going to draw that much current and I've leared to turn it off, anyway.

 

[XLR8]

I finally decided I needed to quit being so cheap so I sprang for a multimeter available from Radio Shack. Works great!

It's the blue wire.

I'll for sure need to go back and do a more professional job of wiring with some better connectors. Everything is closed today. I really really dislike those crimp connectors and think I'll get some posi-lock connectors after the trip.

-r

 

[Bounce]

https://www.bikes-n-spikes.org/mods/shield/shield.html

Use the jumper from the auto-retract as a +12v source. Don't use it for much load without a relay, but a V1 outght to be okay.