Help - Power/Wiring 2005 Meanie + Zumo 550?

[TMac]

Hey, Gang -

I have a Zumo 550 that should be arriving today, prepping for a quick spin out to the Black Hills this weekend/early next week.

Having just moved into our new home, I have not unboxed my books - which include the official Kawa Service Manual for my 2005 1600B Meanie - and would appreciate any instructions as to how to install the motorcycle power cable that comes with the Zumo 550? I have a Power Commander III USB installed - not sure if this will impact available power outlet(s). I am assuming I will need to:

1) Remove seat & fuel tank to connect to power & route cable, respectively

Any tips, links or install guides would be much appreciated - Garmin's install guide looks pretty sparse and I didn't find much specific to my Meanie, although I'm sure most of the Vulcan bikes have similar configs.

Thanks in advance!
TMac

[wayne1001]

I'm not sure how many amps the pcIII pulls but the accesory plug uses a 10 amp fuse , the same fuse for both connections. Check the current ratings on the pc and the Zumo

[TMac]

Thanks, wayne1001. Being electrically-illiterate, I *believe* the Zumo will pull 2 amps. What's really a bummer is the installation guide (or lack thereof) for connecting the power cable to the bike's electrical system does not suit my (lack of) skill level. It appears there is a 2 amp, 2-pronged connector that is supposed to plug into either another socket of some sort. If you all don't mind, I'll snap a few pics of the cable that comes with the Zumo, remove my Mustang seat and take a few pics of the electrical cabling as is, and maybe get some ideas?

Thanks!

[Kawa 900]

I installed my Zumo 550 on my VN900 Classic and used the electric lead suppled with the Zumo. I connected it to a power outlet that was available in the headlamp.

[TMac]

Thanks Kawa 900 - I'm surmising removal of the headlamp assembly will point to a power outlet into which the Zumo moto power cable "plug" can tap into, or alternatively, splicing the positive / negative cables from within the headlamp assembly to the Zumo moto power cable will work. I'll disassemble and take a look tonight, thanks for the input.

Great pics of your bike, by the way - enjoy the Mediterranean sun!

[TMac]

Success thanks to our friend from Malta! Given my auxiliary power outlets are taken (PowerCommander III USB and Thunder Manufacturing Vertical Teardrop airkit), I ended up taking the headlight assembly apart, then determined which of the three wires was positive for high beam (which I have on 100% of the time), which was positive for low beam, and which was the grounding wire. I then ended up stripping ~1 inch off both the positive and the ground wire on the Garmin power cable, spliced the positive into the high beam connector/wire and the ground into the ground wire connector/wire, then soldered both connections to ensure tight fit. It works like a champ - a bit of a workaround in that I do not have any spare aux outlets left, but it meets my needs. Thanks for the suggestion, Kawa 900!

[KenTri]

I just got a new Zuma 550 and want to install power cable on my 1600 Nomad. I'd rather not run the wire back to the battery directly because I'm not sure exactly how to attach that tiny wire in a reasonable way - I'll do it if necessary but it seems to make the most sense to connect it in the headlight since the wire management will be minimal. I'm not sure if I can run the wire back to the battery without taking pieces off the bike and I'd rather not do that if its avoidable.

However, when I connected the wires - power (red) on Zuma to blue/white on the bike and ground (black) to black/yellow (I think - hard to see) on the bike - I didn't get any power when I connected the unit. It turns out I blew the headlight fuse (i.e. no headlight) when I connected it so I replaced the fuse and got the headlight back but still no power to the Zuma. I put a meter on the connection point and got no reading.

I think this should be simple but it seems to have confused me - any help would be greatly appreciated!

Ken

[mkelley]

I connected my Zumo to the unswitched power available under the console. Loosen one bolt towards the seat, and slip the plastic console off and there's a cable right there. Either get yourself a couple of bullet connectors to put on the end of the zumo power cable or cheat the way I did and put some space connectors on the power cable -- they mate good enough with the bullet connectors on the power cable.

One good thing about having the zumo run off of unswitched power is that it remains on when you shut the ignition off (saves having the power up the Zumo which isn't a quick process) and it keeps track data collection going thru gas stops, etc. Yes, you do have to remember to power off the Zumo (or remove it from its mount) when you've got the engine off for more than a while (~15-30 minutes).

[Kawa 900]

Hi Ken,

it is possible that you caused a short and also blew the in-line fuse that exists in the wiring harness of the Zumo. Check that out as it is most likely that this is what happened.

Safe riding

George

[Kawa 900]

Originally Posted by TMac

Success thanks to our friend from Malta! Given my auxiliary power outlets are taken (PowerCommander III USB and Thunder Manufacturing Vertical Teardrop airkit), I ended up taking the headlight assembly apart, then determined which of the three wires was positive for high beam (which I have on 100% of the time), which was positive for low beam, and which was the grounding wire. I then ended up stripping ~1 inch off both the positive and the ground wire on the Garmin power cable, spliced the positive into the high beam connector/wire and the ground into the ground wire connector/wire, then soldered both connections to ensure tight fit. It works like a champ - a bit of a workaround in that I do not have any spare aux outlets left, but it meets my needs. Thanks for the suggestion, Kawa 900!

Thanks T Mac,

I like this forum precisely because everyone passes through certain difficulties and experiences and it is nice to share them with others. The members in this forum are like a big community spread out all over the globe who have a common interest and passion.

Best regards and safe riding.

George

[KenTri]

Hi Folks,

I thought I might have blown the inline fuse but the meter reading at the actual bike/Zumo connection point indicating no current so I'm guessing it might be further back in the bike wiring ... but I'll definitely check that fuse to be sure.

The other suggestion I saw from mkelley was to connect it to the unswitched connector under the console. That sounds like a reasonable approach to me but it requires (apparently) loosening a bolt under the console. Any chance of getting an indication where this bolt is?

Sorry about being a pain but "newbie" is a good description for me when it comes to this kind of stuff so I really appreciate the help!

Ken

Originally Posted by KenTri

I just got a new Zuma 550 and want to install power cable on my 1600 Nomad. I'd rather not run the wire back to the battery directly because I'm not sure exactly how to attach that tiny wire in a reasonable way - I'll do it if necessary but it seems to make the most sense to connect it in the headlight since the wire management will be minimal. I'm not sure if I can run the wire back to the battery without taking pieces off the bike and I'd rather not do that if its avoidable.

However, when I connected the wires - power (red) on Zuma to blue/white on the bike and ground (black) to black/yellow (I think - hard to see) on the bike - I didn't get any power when I connected the unit. It turns out I blew the headlight fuse (i.e. no headlight) when I connected it so I replaced the fuse and got the headlight back but still no power to the Zuma. I put a meter on the connection point and got no reading.

I think this should be simple but it seems to have confused me - any help would be greatly appreciated!

Ken

Originally Posted by Kawa 900

Hi Ken,

it is possible that you caused a short and also blew the in-line fuse that exists in the wiring harness of the Zumo. Check that out as it is most likely that this is what happened.

Safe riding

George

[mkelley]

The bolt I was mentioning is the only bolt (on the meanie console) that holds the console down. It's right on the top surface, all the way back towards the seat.

[KenTri]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for this ... I think my confusion is that mine is a Nomad, which may be different than your situation, so there are three "screws" that hold the console onto the tank.

I'm not sure if the wiring is the same under there or not. I'm tempted to go by a book for the 2006 Nomad but I can't find one .

Oh well - I'll keep trying! Maybe there's another non-switched connection point somewhere on the bike that I can use.

Ken

[mkelley]

My drifter also has 3 screws that hold its console on. I suggest you go ahead and remove those 3 screws and look for an accessory connector stuffed up under the front. You only need to lift the console enought to look underneath.

[Vulcan900]

I recently wired in my Zumo 550 using the power available on the horn circuit. Only on when the key is on, which works out great!!!

I stripped back several inches of the black sheathing and fed the red wire through the black factory loom, tubing, and grommet down to where the spade connector for the positive of the horn is (horn circuit is constant hot, switched ground). This completely hid the red wire. I then soldered the red wire to the connector and plugged it back onto the horn. The ground wire got a ring connector and was hung on a bolt under the tank. It has been there for a couple of months without a hitch.

[BassAddict]

I connected my Zumo via the bullet connects available in the headlight. It's an alway-on circuit but that's OK for this application. No splicing needed, just a couple of male bullet connectors and you're good to ride. Enjoy the Zumo - it's a great product!