Power supply to GPS

jsanvega

New member
Has anybody installed a power connection to a GPS, and could explain how? I can't see where to connect. Thanks
 

Mikestib1

New member
I got a pigtail for a battery tender and connected it to the battery to hook up the charger or power my electric vest.
 

wallacem

New member
I bought a 12 volt power unit from the local autozone, mounted it on the left of my fairing dash, wired it direct to battery. Works and looks fine. Found a mount to put the GPS in front of the bar bag, like it better there. Note the fork protectors. Wallacem
 

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ofdave

Member
GPS units are nice.
Me, I'd rather ride without because when you get lost and ask for directions, you meet some nice people!
Not admitting to getting lost.
 

randy1149

New member
You can snake a power lead from the battery up to the front of the bike in the handle bar area. I used a straightened wire coat hanger to help snake the wire up front. Typical black 16 AWG extension cord works fine, using crimp connectors for the connection to the battery. I installed a 20 amp fuse in the positive lead at the battery to be safe. If you go this far install a 12V aux socket installed in the left or right front inner cover... their nice to have. I wanted a 12 volt source always hot for accessory stuff.
 

jsanvega

New member
I bought a 12 volt power unit from the local autozone, mounted it on the left of my fairing dash, wired it direct to battery. Works and looks fine. Found a mount to put the GPS in front of the bar bag, like it better there. Note the fork protectors. Wallacem

What do you mean by a "12 volt power unit"? Is that an additional battery?
 

randy1149

New member
With all due respect if your just looking for 12V to power the GPS why don't you just snake a fused wire from the battery to the unit. Or if you want a keyed power source connect it to the heated grips connection already there in front end of the bike... see the first pix. You can just crimp an SAE Connector into the wires and leave the connector free for future use.

Or install a 12V cigarette receptacle and plug in the GPS when you need it. Snake a wire from the battery. No Tupperwear removal needed. The 12V always there can come in handy. See right side arrow on pix below. The arrow on left is my heated grips control, which is also connected to the wire from the battery. I used 16 AWG wire with a 20amp fuse. The grips use 4amps max on high, which gives the cigarette receptacle the remaining.

In addition I have a Bestem top box and installed another one of those receptacles from the battery so I have a place to charge something while riding. Also an SAE pigtale connector from the battery out under the seat on the left side of the bike, for battery charging and source for my heated jacket. All source wires are connected to the battery with crimp ring connectors with no problem.
 

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ofdave

Member
A "power unit" is not an additional battery, it's another source for power.
I recommend adding an SAE connection like those used for Battery Tenders-they can be very handy and are available at most bike shops for 8-10 bucks(online a bit less).
I have always done the same as Randy and connected directly to the battery. And put a fuse inline on each run. LED lights need only 5-7.5 amps, my Wolo horn has a 15 and the typical GPS would not need more than 10 Don't skimp out on wire size-I usually use 14 ga. although 16 is enough for most uses.
The faired models have an edge with the heated grip connector already there to use. The faired models also have an edge in having a nice place to mount the receptacle and/or switches. Us naked owners have to come up with other ways and places to mount stuff.
There is also the option of using a distribution block if you plan to have more than one or two powered accessories. This is a good read on them and good info on using a relay-http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/relay.php.
The GPS connection won't need a relay but lights and a stronger horn might.
Remember, when disconnecting/connecting from the battery, always disconnect the negative first and hook it up last. I usually wrap a piece of electrical tape around the ends of both the positive and negative when they are disconnected-just to avoid them touching anything on the bike. I have fried my share of fuses totally unrelated to the wiring I'm working on-don't want to do it again.
Give it a shot and if you hit a snag, jump back in with more questions-somebody will get you going.
 

Merlin III

New member
The proper way to extend the new power wire to the handlebars is to remove all the plastic (Tupperware) and to run the wire from the battery along the wire harness. If you don't want do all that work, just snake it through under the tank area until you can grab it from the front of the bike. When you do take the plastic off for general maintenance, you can simply re-arrange it to it's proper position along the wire harness. I bought a cheap hookup ( I think it was around 13 dollars) that has a fuse, on-off switch, a cigarette style outlet and a USB port outlet. It also has a light that indicates whether or not the power is turned on or off. I almost forgot, but it also has a BMW style port that hangs concealed under the tank that can be used to charge your battery or plug in a BMW style plug for a heated jacket. Here is a photo of the main unit.
Power supply.jpg
 

randy1149

New member
The proper way to extend the new power wire to the handlebars is to remove all the plastic (Tupperware) and to run the wire from the battery along the wire harness. If you don't want do all that work, just snake it through under the tank area until you can grab it from the front of the bike. When you do take the plastic off for general maintenance, you can simply re-arrange it to it's proper position along the wire harness. View attachment 95

That's exactly what I did, snaked the wire up to the front. When I get a Round Tuit with the Tupperware off I"ll dress off the wires.
 

Steven

Member
In addition I have a Bestem top box and installed another one of those receptacles from the battery so I have a place to charge something while riding.

That's cool, I was going to do the same thing, but I was thinking about doing it to the side cases...which I don't have yet. Hmmm, maybe both???
 

randy1149

New member
That's cool, I was going to do the same thing, but I was thinking about doing it to the side cases...which I don't have yet. Hmmm, maybe both???

If you install an aux plug in a side case or top box install it with an connector so you can remove them easily.
 

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Steven

Member
Thanks Randy

I'm curious, I bought a GPS and it came with bare wires on the power wire. If I want to connect it to the heated grip connection is the connectors you showed all I need to make the connection (waterproof). I do realize that I need to connect the GPS power wire to the connector first. I've seen where you can buy these connectors with bare ends.
 

randy1149

New member
Yes that's all you need. You don't need to use the existing heated grip connector. Peel back some of the outer sleeve to expose the wires and use a crimp tap to the wires themselves. When I use crimps I use liquid tape to waterproof the connection.

While your at it, you might consider tapping an extra spare 12 V connector into that heated grip 12V supply and run it to a convenient easy access location for future use since the amount of work getting to it is a pain in the ass taking off all the Tupperware.
 
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