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 that's pretty much useless.
Now I've tried looking here on the forum, and unfortunately every thread i found here says to splice into a factory wire for a signal to activate a relay.
BUT.......I refuse to cut/splice into the factory harness. There is ALWAYS a factory wire that is un-used for one reason or another that is ignition switched. so I decided to find it.
So here is a writeup that some of you might find useful.
Remove Seat
Take out this screw that holds the RIGHT side cover in place
Remove the side panel (1 push clip in the orange panel, and 2 in the black panel. DO NOT pull on the orange panel to loosen the black panel or you'll break the 2 mounting tabs holding the orange and black panel together. Make sure you pull the black panel itself to release the 2 push clips holding it)
This is what you'll find behind it.
Behind the relay box is a little "pocket". In there is a hidden plug. (trying to point it out with a screw driver)
I unplugged the the end with the yellow wire coming out and tested the 4 pins coming from the harness. they are ALL COLD with the key OFF. with the key ON this is what they show (PS: according to the factory service manual, that is the diagnostic connector, and I also found that that is where aftermarket add-ons such as a gear indicator would plug in. I am NOT damaging or removing the ability to use it as a diagnostic connector. I'm merely replacing the plug with a new FACTORY plug to use the ignition switched source, and I can also make a plug that retains BOTH the factory diagnostic lead, AND the ignition switched source)
1
I build another plug matching the factory plug, but with the electrical connector in the location of the switched 12volt wire instead of the ground connector which is where the original factory plug has it's lead coming out of.
Just like the factory plug, I used a female bullet connector on the end of the wire, to make the best waterproof connection possible.
Well there you have it. FACTORY ignition SWITCHED 12volt. Use that to as a signal wire to activate a relay connected to a fuse block, and you can wire in all the accessories you want and it will all shut down when you turn off the key.
I'll continue this writeup showing what I did.
6-port fuse block from auto parts store
Automotive 4-pin relay (i used 40amp) from auto parts store
I then removed the plastic battery cover/tool tray (hate that thing anyways), and used a piece of flat steel to build a battery hold down/fuse block mount. I then used the 2 screws that hold the plastic tray in place to mount the flat steel. I marked and drilled the mounting screw locations for the fuse block, and bolted the relay to the front of the fuse block. you can see the relay between the fuse block and the gas tank.
Here is the new plug with the female end bullet connector, and a wire with a weatherproof male end bullet connector that goes to the signal pin of the relay.
Here is my finished product. battery hold down with relay and fuseblock all wired up.
Here is a video showing how with the bike off, the switch for the heated grips does NOT power on. But with the bike on, I can turn the heated grips on. And then when I turn the power to the bike off, the heated grips shut off also.
mmhh....all the threads on here about accessory wiring, and having to tap into other wires for signals, etc.. i figured a writeup like this would have gotten alot of attention. this is the first time i did such a detailed writeup on something to try and help others. normally i keep my cool mods to myself. LOL
It may be because the links that you say are there really aren't there... For example, in your first post, you mention " Here is what it looks like once you fish it out" but there is no link to any photographs... Your facebook video doesn't work either. Its an nice write up though, and well worth the read, as everyone is always wondering where to splice into wires. So don't go all postal just because you haven't been voted best posting to the forum for the year. It's all about helping out others when they need the help.....
oh i didn't know that there were links that weren't working. they all showed up on my screen just fine when i tested it, including now. thanks for bringing that up. i'll try and look into it and fix that. same with the video. i would have fixed it sooner, but nobody said that the pics weren't working. sorry.
A good place for a thread like this is in the how to section. I would of done this if seen it before putting my running lights on as I hated taping into the head light wire.
All the pics work for me but not the facebook link.It works for you because its yours.
You might want to add a piece of rubber on the fender to keep mud & water off the fuse box.I added one to mine because of the small gap between hard fender & the plastic one that moves with the swing arm.I used like a small kitchen mat wife had,just but a hole in mat to put where the peg stick in fender & it stays right there.The mat is thin & kinda sticks to fender
A good place for a thread like this is in the how to section. I would of done this if seen it before putting my running lights on as I hated taping into the head light wire.
All the pics work for me but not the facebook link.It works for you because its yours.
You might want to add a piece of rubber on the fender to keep mud & water off the fuse box.I added one to mine because of the small gap between hard fender & the plastic one that moves with the swing arm.I used like a small kitchen mat wife had,just but a hole in mat to put where the peg stick in fender & it stays right there.The mat is thin & kinda sticks to fender
ok. i was trying to figure out why kawa afterthought couldn't see the pics, cuz they work on all 3 of my computers. the video i'll have to upload to youtube later and update the link.
believe it or not, i just noticed the "how to" section yesterday (don't ask how i missed that. LOL). any chance one of the mods could move it please, or should i just repost it there???
also good point on closing the rear fender gap. unfortunately my wife just took off this morning on the bike and won't be back until sunday, so she'll get plenty of ride time and rain/dirt on the bike, so i'll see what it looks like when she gets back. LOL
He may be on a work server or something that blocks the source of your pics. I could view all the pics last night at home, but this morning at work they're gone as well...
Where did you get the new connect you built that plugs into the factory test connector? Do you have a part number so I can order one from Kawasaki, or is it a standard I could find at a Radio Shack or other electric supply house?
Thanks for all the hard work. I too would have used this had I known before hooking up my relays for lights etc. All the links worked for me, I really never used the how to section before as I didn't know about it. I browse the main post every night however. Maybe you can post this and future post in both places? Thanks again.
Where did you get the new connect you built that plugs into the factory test connector? Do you have a part number so I can order one from Kawasaki, or is it a standard I could find at a Radio Shack or other electric supply house?
kawasaki only sells the parts in packs of 50 for the connectors, and same with some of the other parts. i'm actually playing with the idea of making the plugs to sell on ebay. let me know if you would be interested in buying one if i did start making them.
above one of the pics of the connector, i did explain that it was the diagnostic connector. there are 4 (FOUR) pins in there. one of them is a ground for the diagnostic, and one of them is a ignition switched 12volt. i'm not to worried about the other 2 pins at this point. that same connector is used for some aftermarket accessories.
the diagnostic still works fine, by unplugging the new plug with the 12volt connection that you made for this install, and plugging the stock diagnostic connector back in.
Great writeup - This is exactly what I was looking for - a way to hook up key-operated aux lighting without cutting any of the existing wires. I can use this to trip a relay.
Great writeup - This is exactly what I was looking for - a way to hook up key-operated aux lighting without cutting any of the existing wires. I can use this to trip a relay.
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