Nomad 1600 - GPS wiring into headlight question

[darryldale]

Before I start digging around I thought I would ask quick here and see if anybody knew the answer.

I am going to wire up the GPS on the Nomad this weekend (2006) and figured I would just tap into the running lights on the front of the bike.

Anybody know off the top of their heads colours of the wires I should be tapping into (which is positive, which is ground).

Could get out the voltmeter and check but what the hell somebody here might know the answer and save me the time.

Darryl

[Weedo]

On my 900 it was the red wire for power but I wouldn't leave it to chance in any case. I'd test it no matter what.

[Metalman]

There is a plug in the headlight shell that's energized by the accessory circuit. I believe it is protected by a 10 amp fuse. I'd use that as a source of power but you will need to fuse the power lead for the requirements of the GPS unit. Or you could wire it from a fuse connected to the battery and the GPS unit would be on even if the ignition is off.

[DanL]

Originally Posted by Metalman

There is a plug in the headlight shell that's energized by the accessory circuit. I believe it is protected by a 10 amp fuse. I'd use that as a source of power but you will need to fuse the power lead for the requirements of the GPS unit. Or you could wire it from a fuse connected to the battery and the GPS unit would be on even if the ignition is off.

I think that's a 10 amp fuse on it. You will need to wire in a relay so it can use the ignition switch to turn on. I tapped into one of the front signals for the switchable power and then into the accessory circuit for the main power.

[jmax]

I've got an 08 and used a accessory outlet wired into the headlight bucket. You have a double hot and double ground inside the headlight. I used a relay to the blue/yellow wire that is energized after hitting the "start" button. These sites might help with more info.
KawaNOW Message Forum - any ideas about power outlet?
Hook Up Driving Lights (wiring)

[RichLockyer]

Front running lights are red with blue tracer. All grounds on the bike (except the battery cable) are black with a yellow tracer.

Left turn signal is green, right turn signal is green with a yellow tracer.

Another source is the headlight power feed ahead of the high-low switch. This one is blue with a yellow tracer, but this one is only active when the engine is running (or after you've tapped the starter, or shut down with the kill switch or kickstand... I wouldn't want to sit there programming the unit with the engine off and the headlight on... too easy to forget.


Why switched power? I run power to my GPS mounts 24/7... I just remove the unit when I'm away from the bike. The mount draws no power... just use the accessory leads (red with blue tracer, looks like a large flat blade receptacle but it actually accepts two male "bullet" connectors, as does the accessory ground connector).

[ersterhernd]

If your GPS is a Garmin with a mini-usb connection, a few of us have used this wire from Gilsson. It has 1A fuse in the line between the bike and the GPS. Works great for the 25 bucks it costs. The GPS on my 900 is wired to the running lights also.

[DanL]

Originally Posted by RichLockyer

Why switched power? I run power to my GPS mounts 24/7... I just remove the unit when I'm away from the bike. The mount draws no power... just use the accessory leads (red with blue tracer, looks like a large flat blade receptacle but it actually accepts two male "bullet" connectors, as does the accessory ground connector).

Some of use will forget the gps is on the bike and come out to a dead battery tomorrow morning!

[Ride4Life]

Originally Posted by DanL

Some of use will forget the gps is on the bike and come out to a dead battery tomorrow morning!

If a gps kills your battery overnight you need a new battery.

[DanL]

Originally Posted by Ride4Life

If a gps kills your battery overnight you need a new battery.

My Sirius radio in my van is on unswitched power. I've left it on several times. The problem lies in that I don't drive it every day, so when you leave it on for a week, dead battery!

[Bob Myers1]

Huge amp draw difference between Sirius and GPS. My Garmin only draws .4 amp when the screen is lit to its brightest setting and unit is calculating. That is a 5watt draw max!
My sirius unit on the otherhand draws a max of 2 amps, thats 24 watts. A 2amp draw on a motorcycle battery can deplete it enough to fail to start in 48 hours easily. 5watt(.4amp) would take app. 5 times that long not taking into account the ability of the battery to rejuvenate itself(somewhat) over a period of time.