The switch you're referring to picks up it's power from the relay contained in the control box that is shipped with the Ericas. There are two relays involved. One before the switch and one after it. The first relay is powered by the headlights on the FJR. This way, they don't come on until after the bike starts. When the headlights come on, the relay is tripped and sends voltage to the switch you're referring to. If the switch is turned on, or just left on, it then forwards the voltage back to the control box again, activating the second relay which in turn powers up the lights. At first, they come on full bright and then dim down to whatever setting your dimmer is at... this delay is about a quarter of a second, and is normal operation for the unit. (my fuseblock is mounted underneath the passenger seat, and my switchable power source is the rear tail lights. Would this serve the same function (not powered on until bike starts) as it would if I connected them to the headlights?)
I learned this after talking with Glenn at Cearwater about the installation of my Kristas back in March.
Not sure if I did a very good job of explaining this, but you can always call Clearwater. They can do a better job of explaining than I can.
Concerning eliminating the switch, you might not want to do that. There may well be times when the bike is running that you want to turn off the Ericas. If you're worried about drilling holes in your plastic, you can always locate the switch someplace a little more inconspicuous. However, plan this out before drilling. Thanks for the tips. It does make sense to have the option of shutting them off.
Hope you read up on what we posted about wiring and switch locations in the Clearwater group buy thread. I've read the entire thread about 15 times now, looking for ideas, etc.
Any other questions about installing your wiring, call Clearwater. They're great!!!
By the way, YES you wan wire directly from the fuse block, both positive and negative. It's designed for this. In addition, you don't have to tap into the lowbeam wire coming from the relay up under the speedometer/tachometer if you don't want to. You can accomplish the same thing by hooking the wire that you are instructed to connect to the headlight relay.... to a switched power source at the fuse block, and simply turning them on and off with the switch that comes in the kit. It will work, but the lights will come on as soon as you turn your key on... unless you've turned off the switch. However, I would recommend you do it the way Clearwater suggests. It's actually pretty easy once you find the wire coming from the headlight relay. This makes sense and basically addresses my first response in RED up above. Thanks for the clarification!
By the way, your voltmeter is best hooked up straight to the battery. This way there is no voltage drop associated with current draw if you try to hook it up from the fuze block. It's not that big of a deal, obviously you can do it either way. It can indeed be hooked to the fuse block and it will serve you well. But several on this forum have advised against it in the past, FWIW.
Again, give Clearwater a call. They're happy to help.
Gary
darksider #44
