[KVauSsie]

Dunno for sure on that bike but the accessory terminals on my VN2K are "hot" all the time, not key switched. Must be fairly common as it seems to be a relatively frequent gripe.

Different model but same approach may work for you -

ignition SWITCHED accessory WITHOUT cutting

ignition SWITCHED accessory WITHOUT cutting (UPDATED VIDEO) Bike: 2009 vulcan 900 custom I've been looking for FACTORY ignition switched power source for accessories, and from what I can find, the only 2 accessory leads that I can find (headlight bucket and under seat) are CONSTANT hot. So...

www.vulcanforums.com

This looks like a great solution, I'll dig a little deeper and see if something similar could be done with the KVS. Thanks for sharing!

 

[KVauSsie]

I’m not familiar with the rating on the accessory wires behind the headlight on that particular bike. Generally speaking though, you would not need the relay. The 30 amp fuse is over rated as well for The load you’re pulling (its rated to the wires, which is fine but unnecessarily too large). The accessory wires are also fused and it would be preferable if the fuse on your lights was the same or less than that accessory fuse. At the watts the lights pull….that Is 1.25 amps On 12 volts. The wire is probably rated for 30 amps. I would put a fuse that is the same as the accessory wire because you would rather trip the fuse closest to the problem (your new lights) before overloading the entire accessory wire run And tripping that one. Of course none of that really matters if your accessory wires are not switched like you want…you will just have to use the switch on the lights themselves. It’s difficult to explain every good use of a relay. The main advantage of using a relay though is when your accessory draws A lot of power and is also close to the power it needs, while the switch needs to be further away. Using a relay makes it so you don’t need to run large gauge expensive wires all the way from power to the accessory and way up to the switch. With your draw of a little over an amp and your access to wires that can handle that power close to where your mounting….a relay does not make sense. The other use is if you just absolutely wanted them to be switched on and off with power without actually using a switch no matter where everything is located. For lights, I would think you want a manual switch…no need for both in your particular circumstance

Yeah, thought as much with the 30A fuse, it does seem rather excessive! Appreciate your insights

 

[KVauSsie]

Thank you kindly for the responses guys. Not sure what I'll try next, I've emailed the place where purchased for any advice although not holding my breath (being a universal fit, I doubt they would have info for specific models. Doesn't hurt to ask, I suppose). Some of this seems a little beyond my scope of understanding for electricals but I'm happy to give most things a go. Tapping into the diagnostic plug as did the gentleman with the V900 seems like a great solution, I'll investigate that further to see if the KVS has something similar. I guess I could piggyback off the headlight, maybe? but very reluctant to cut into any original wiring. Or, I could just leave it 'as is' with a manual switch until I take it to Kawasaki for its 6K service and see if they can do it. I will post any updates. Thanks again

 

[KVauSsie]

Ok, so thought I'd try wiring the lights directly to the accessory connectors without relay and switch but no deal. Can't figure out why as the lights will work without the relay, direct to battery. I don't have a multimeter to test the accessory power, I'm thinking the lights require more power than they provide? Do the accessory connectors require a different relay?

 

[KVauSsie]

The lights and wires are fine. I just reconnected them back to the battery with switch and relay and they work.

I think I read somewhere that if you use the accessory connectors you need to install a kawasaki relay kit to fire them up. That could be the problem, I'm guessing

I'll make do with using a switch manually for now then grab a cheap multimeter and investigate further in the next week or so. Thank you all for your replies

 

[KVauSsie]

Does that bikes aux power only on with the motor running? I can’t imagine why it would, but seems like a logical next step without a multimeter

I tried accessories with the motor running and without.

To answer Sabre-t , yes, it's definitely 30 amp

 

[KVauSsie]

• The accessory circuit needs the relay to work

Upon further investigation, this appears to be correct. Need Kawasaki relay kit to fire up the accessory connectors. The guy in this vid tests the cables with mutimeter, without relay connected and there is zero power. After connecting the relay, presto, there are over 12 v coming from them. My relay supplied with lighting kit is obviously not required for this type of application as it would connect after the accessory connector, not before (assuming it's the same relay, probably not ). I think that makes sense lol. This guy covers it in a bit more detail

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" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

So looks like I'll be hunting for a new oem relay kit, unless there's a cheap substitute of course

 

[KVauSsie]

Some specs on the lights

• Power - 15W
• Operating Voltage - 12V DC
• Waterproof rate - IP 67
• Color Temperature - 6000K
• Material - Die cast aluminum housing
• Lens material - PC
• Lumens- 1050LM
• Lifetime - 30000+ Hrs

That’s great the lights are still fine. Seems like they did something odd with the accessory wires on that bike. BTW…I just took another look at the website for the lights. They are 15 watts each for a total of 30. That’s still only 2.5 amps though.
[/QUOTE]
That may be a concern. I think someone stated that the whole accessory circuit should not exceed 25 watts. I have swapped out my halogen and incandescent globes for leds so I'm hoping that will help

 

[KVauSsie]

My point earlier was that since the OP already has a relay, he could use the relay "trigger" terminal in the factory accessory relay socket without actually using the factory relay. Based on looking at the relay pictures it appears plain old "Faston" terminal would work to plug into the relay socket terminal.

The optional accessory relay is basically as follows so it wouldn't be hard to identify which of the terminals is the trigger wire to the relay coil, then insert the Faston terminal into that slot.

Probably could narrow it down to one or two terminals just by looking at the color code. Since one of the coil terminals usually would be connected to ground, and Kawasaki typically uses Black/Yellow (BK/Y) for ground, if you see BK/Y to one terminal, the terminal across from it the narrow way should be the switched wire that triggers the relay.

Of course, with a voltmeter it would be only a matter of checking the terminals.

View attachment 260256

The relay I have has different pin locations to the oem setup. Not sure if I could've modified it to suit but regardless it's all a bit beyond my scope of understanding and willingness to tinker. I have bitten the bullet and ordered the factory relay, it looks like a very simple install and comes with its own mounting bracket. I'll just plug in, mount and wire the lights directly to the accessory connectors behind the headlight. Pretty sure I won't need the switch, relay or 30 amp fuse that came with the lights. The accessory circuit already has a 5 amp fuse which I think is sufficient for now. If I decide to add any more accessories down the rack I'll make sure everything has its own dedicated fuse.

Appreciate your help and thanks to everyone for their input. I've got a couple of weeks to wait on the relay and I'll report back on the results.

 

[KVauSsie]

That's a fair point. Although I can't see myself switching them off too often, if at all (the purchase was all about being seen, as well as seeing), it's definitely something to consider. Cheers

 

[KVauSsie]

@KVauSsie since you have some time while you wait for the relay, you might be interested in checking out this thread

Vulcan S Accessory Power Calculations

Yeah, I know...but I'm an engineer [emoji849] Thanks to the admittedly small alternator there are only a 25W of accessories you can add to the Vulcan S (per the manual)...so I did the "power budget" you see below. Remember, exceeding the 25W limit means the alternator might not be able to...

www.vulcanforums.com

and other posts by its op, Rangemaster. He's a knowledgeable guy on this topic.

Yeah, came across that while looking for answers, he's a real guru, that Rangemaster. Very helpful info.

I figure I've gained up to 60W by converting all lighting to LEDS so going 5W over the recommended 25W for accessories should be ok, I believe.

 

[KVauSsie]

I have auxito 26W headlight/high beam and 5W small headlamp, that's already a 30 to 40W reduction. Not sure of the difference between r&g tail tidy setup and oem (perhaps someone could enlighten me) but I'm sure there's also a small reduction. Can't find any figures on my indicators but I'd be amazed if they were greater than the 10W each for the oem, as stated by Rangemaster

 

[KVauSsie]

Yep, that makes sense. Thanks for the advice!

 

[KVauSsie]

Is the Fuzeblock wired directly to your battery or accessories?

 

[KVauSsie]

Ok, so I've installed the OEM relay and connected both lights, one each to the 2 available accessory connectors behind the headlight.

I realise that 30W for both lights is 5W over the recommendation for accessories but as previously mentioned, I think I have enough room to play with, considering the LED conversions.

I also believe 30 Watts at 12V converted to amps is 2.5, so I imagine the factory 5 amp accessory fuse should be sufficient.

Hoping it all works out ok. Thanks again all for your help

 

[KVauSsie]

That's 20% over the recommended max for the circuit. That will continuous draw when the lights are on. The wiring can probably handle it, but why take that chance? When they come on, the startup current will be even higher, momentarily. Personally, I would not do that, but it's your bike. With the LED headlight savings, the extra 5 Watts should not be a problem for the charging system, but it's that one circuit that you could be overloading.

Yeah, I get that. I'm banking on Kawasaki being very conservative with their accessory limits. Risky perhaps, but the fact they've supplied a 5 amp fuse (60 watts at 12V) for the accessory circuit suggests to me that the wiring could comfortably handle 30 watts (2.5 amps at 12V).

I guess the problem for me now is wanting to connect a usb charger for my phone. Do I risk loading the accessory circuit further or is there an option to go direct to battery without the concern of it discharging while bike is off? Perhaps a discussion for another thread

 

[KVauSsie]

Problem solved re the phone charger. Just ordered a quad lock wireless charging kit with a 12v to usb smart adaptor. It has an auto function for wiring direct to battery...

Motorcycle - Waterproof 12V To USB Smart Adaptor - Quad Lock® Australia - Official Store (quadlockcase.com.au)

Use Auto function to keep the device off until input voltage rises above 13.5V and turn off when input voltage drops below 12.5V. Perfect for your motorcycle, ATV, etc, to avoid battery drain.

 

[KVauSsie]

Thanks for the suggestions anyway. The quad lock kit is a little pricey (not overly imo) but it looks like a very solid, high quality unit. Loved their website with the 3D setup and simple customisation of parts to suit your needs. I thought it was brilliant. Seems to be a very popular choice too