Please use fuses when adding wiring to your bike

[WingAdmin]

Fuses are not just an inconvenience...they are an extremely important safety item. Wiring without fuses (or with oversized fuses) will melt and burn.

Burned GL1500

[virgilmobile]

And always use the fuse at the point of connection,not at the load end.

[Dogsled]

And always use the fuse at the point of connection,not at the load end.

Yikes, gotta change my aux. power supply fuse down to the POC.... I have one connection at the battery and want to run two aux power plugs off one line for 2 GPS units. The wire should be heavy enough, what amp fuse would anyone recomend?

[virgilmobile]

Fuse to protect the wire in case the device or wire shorts out.example...a #14wire can safely carry about 7 amp over a few feet so don't put in a 20.obviously you can use a smaller fuse.so look at what you want to hook to the wire(amps required)size the wire to 125% of the max load and gust the same.
I suspect that to operate a GPS and a phone charger a #14 wire fused at 5 amp would surfice.

[littlebeaver]

That's Scary man, this is why I ask alot of questions, this is why I insist on doing it the best way I can...

[Dogsled]

Thanks Virgil, didn't mean to hi-jack the thread but I do have the fuse for the existing power supply up near the plug. It's all apart now so I can change it easily. This is a great heads up to keep in mind when adding accesories.

[robb]

A 14 guage wire is good for 15 amp load on bike. Generally all your 12 volt plugs will be fused internally to protect the device they relate to. Fuse the wire within 1 foot of battery or accessory terminal and it will protect bike if wire becomes damaged.

[littlebeaver]

I have a question, I have a auto type stereo and I was going direct to the battery with a fused line, being that the stereo has a on off switch and I know the line is hot all the time , Well what I'm asking is do I need a 12volt relay for that ...? Or does the stereo switch on off keep it from running down the battery..silly question I know.. I have my running lights on a relay..

[WingAdmin]

I have a question, I have a auto type stereo and I was going direct to the battery with a fused line, being that the stereo has a on off switch and I know the line is hot all the time , Well what I'm asking is do I need a 12volt relay for that ...? Or does the stereo switch on off keep it from running down the battery..silly question I know.. I have my running lights on a relay..

It really depends on the stereo. Most auto stereos expect to have two power lines: one that is connected to the battery at all times (to retain the memory/clock), and one that is switched with the key (which is the main power line). You can hook both to the battery if you like, which means you'll be able to run the stereo even if the key isn't in the bike. Whether or not your stereo actually draws any significant amount of power when it is turned off (which it will be able to do, being that it's connected directly to the battery) depends entirely on the design of the stereo itself. You could hook an ammeter into the main power line and see if there is current flowing when the stereo is off to know for sure.

[HyperPete]

Fuses are not just an inconvenience...they are an extremely important safety item. Wiring without fuses (or with oversized fuses) will melt and burn.

That'll buff right out...

[robb]

I would suggest a fused wire from battery to radio continuous power. Tap that wire and break through a relay that is activated by any source that is made hot with switch. A relay is the safest insurance against forgeting to turn radio off and having to deal with a dead battery on ride day. About $10 for parts and a lot of peace of mind later.

My background has been industrial controls for more than 35 years. A fuse will protect the wiring and a relay will eleminate doubt and make it much easier to test later.

[littlebeaver]

Thank you Robb I will take your advise...

[joew7139]

I was checking some wiring on my GL1200A and saw smoke coming from under the seat. I was quick enough to pop the left side cover and cut the wire that was burning loose from the battery. The PO had installed a cigarette liter and ran the wires to the battery without a fuse. On further inspection I found the wire pinched under the seat and when I started moving wires around in the fairing area it shorted to the frame. If it had happened when I was riding or when it was parked next to my truck it could have been a lot worse. I was very lucky that day.
I disconnected the battery and looked for any more surprises the PO had left but couldn't find any.

[Dogsled]

joew,
mine was run the same way but fused up at the lighter. After reading this post I fused it down at the battery now. I have the radio out for the MP3 mod so I ran two lighters (one on each side of the radio plastic. Like you, the wire coming up under the seat and plastic COULD BE run out of the way but I couldn't keep it where I wanted. So up by the 2 new lighter sockets and along the frame I ran a nice bead of hot glue to hold wires in place. I never did this so I don't know how long it will stay secure. If anyone has done this and it doesn't work, i'd like to know, it seems strong.

[WingAdmin]

joew,
mine was run the same way but fused up at the lighter. After reading this post I fused it down at the battery now. I have the radio out for the MP3 mod so I ran two lighters (one on each side of the radio plastic. Like you, the wire coming up under the seat and plastic COULD BE run out of the way but I couldn't keep it where I wanted. So up by the 2 new lighter sockets and along the frame I ran a nice bead of hot glue to hold wires in place. I never did this so I don't know how long it will stay secure. If anyone has done this and it doesn't work, i'd like to know, it seems strong.

Hot glue can get soft at temperatures found around the motorcycle engine. A safer method is to use wire loom, which is a plastic sheath that you can run wires through. It's cheap, and comes in various diameters and lengths:

Wire loom

[Dogsled]

Excellent point AND tip, thanks.