Wiring in additional lights

[northwestparider]

I've read a number of threads about adding lights for additional visibility. My plans are to get the clear lenses and switch turn signals out to the switchback lights. Many articles with lots of good information. My bike came with a top box that is not installed that also has a light in it.

I was looking under the seat of my 2008 ST1300 tonight to find where to pick up the power for the lights. It seems that they have significantly changed wiring on motorcycles. I'm used to bullet connectors on my 83 V65 Magna. I do not like to cut factory wiring. How do you guys splice in your additional lights? Maybe I'm just overly anal but it's like really taboo for me to cut into a harness.

I'm open to suggestions. Pictures would be great too!

Sir, please put the wire cutters down...

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

I was looking under the seat tonight to find where to pick up the power for the lights

You can come right of the battery and start a new harness.

 

[northwestparider]

Yes, that would work well for driving lights. I'm working on hooking up the brake light that is in my top box though.

 

[Obo]

To access the brake light or tail light you'll need to tap into the existing wiring. This can be done just under the seat where the wires run to the rear lights. There's no easy way to add more brake lights other than that. As for more tail lights, you could run power from a new harness to the top box, but you'd need to run said harness off of a switched power source, which I'm not sure there is under the seat. It's easier to just tap into the rear harness or one of the leads to the tail lights.

 

[skulldugger]

When I installed an LED panel on my topbox I splice into existing brake, tail and turn signal wiring using a product called posi-taps. You can find them online. I bought mine from Admore lighting.
They work like a charm.
J

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

Something like this is popular and effective, a "trigger" is still needed.

 

[st11ray]

Get an easternbeaver PC8 or a Fuzeblock auxiliary fuse box. I only tapped the bike wiring for the switched power to my PC8 except for tapping into the brake lights for Hyperlites and a lightbar with Positap weatherproof connectors. I have driving lights, air horn, 2 sets of heated gear and battery tender leads all with their own separate relays and wiring harnesses.

Main

Eastern Beaver PC-8 Motorcycle Fusebox with 8 fused circuits and 50A ability utilising Japanese quality parts

www.easternbeaver.com

 

[SMSW]

It would be helpful to us if you note your bike - year, and 1100 or 1300 in your profile. That way it will appear under your avatar. Or just tell us.

I had a 1300 and this might (or might not) apply. I picked up power for aux turn signals/tailights under the pillion seat. On the 1300, you can, with a bright flashlight, see the back of the lamp holders for the indicator lights and their wires down aft in that pocket. I could barely get the lamp holders out because the rubber gasket grabbed the housing. Before putting each one back, I dabbed the rubber with a bit of silicone grease, and twist locking them was now a piece of cake.

I got brake light power (for an aux brake light) by looking under the rear fender, then following the wire that feeds the brake lights up and back into that under pillion seat area. I wanted a dry location for the tap. (This is my memory - I did this a number of years ago).

As noted, I used posi-taps.

For aux lights up front, horns, and power outlets (powerlets, aka DIN or Hella outlet) I ran new circuits off an Eastern Beaver PC8 stashed in the pillion pocket.

Posi-Tap- No Crimp Tap

Tap Wires, Sample, EX-130RR, EX-140R

www.posi-products.com

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

I'm probably overthinking this, not sure you can add brake lights without splicing into the harness. If your on a 1300 as mentioned above there is easy wys to tap in from the tail section.

I was thinking about these if you were trying not to randomly cut for power... don't know if they fit in the fuse box.

Amazon.com

 

[SMSW]

A postscript to my earlier post. Get another bike, now you have two (or more) and make it a V Strom. Eastern Beaver sells a break-out harness that plugs into the bikes OEM connectors and gives you extra wires for additional brake, indicator, and tail lights. No damage or change to the bike's wiring - its all plug and play. Too bad one is not available for other bikes.

 

[ST Gui]

Somewhere here there's a post where Mellow shows where to get power from the fuse panel. I think it was switched. This would be the place to get a "trigger" voltage for a relay or PC-8 etc without compromising the wiring harness.

Otherwise it's either Posi-Taps or cutting and splicing which would only be for switched powered devices. With a fuse box like the PC-8 or Blue Sea etc you're only looking for one point for 12+ to trigger the power relay for the various boxes. So it should only hurt for a little bit.

Another way would be to find a small connector that supplies switched power and make a harness that connects the two while providing a lead for 12+ for a relay or PC-8 etc. Then at a later date or sign of trouble you could remove that extra circuit and connect the two OE connectors and Bob's your uncle. This would involve finding factory connector and terminals and some wire crimping. That could be a lot of work. A source of a lot of factory connectors is Cycle Terminal.

If you're not inclined to add any more electrical farkles (blasphemy!) then a fuse box would be overkill.

 

[ST Gui]

not sure you can add brake lights without splicing into the harness.

Yeah I tend to agree. Cycle Terminal sells the connector that plugs power into the tail/brake light sockets but that's only half of what would be needed. A shade-tree approach would be to take a lead with a terminal and just wedge into the brake light position on the connector. Then tie-wrap it to the factory wire. I think I did that for ... "a friend".

That should really be a trigger wire for a relay and not the 12+ for the trunk's light. I say that because an EMS 3W LED strobe connected there (shade-tree or otherwise) causes the factory brake light to fluctuate albeit very slightly. It's not noticeable to the causal observer but it's there. FWIW. The trunk's light may not impinge on the brake light's power at all.

 

[northwestparider]

I'm pretty sure I bought some terminals from Cycle Terminal in the past when working on my V65. I was looking at his website last night some. I think the connectors are HM 090's but I want to be sure before I reach out to him. I'm going to try to see if there are any numbers or markings on the turn signal plugs.

A postscript to my earlier post. Get another bike, now you have two (or more) and make it a V Strom. Eastern Beaver sells a break-out harness that plugs into the bikes OEM connectors and gives you extra wires for additional brake, indicator, and tail lights. No damage or change to the bike's wiring - its all plug and play. Too bad one is not available for other bikes.

This isn't a bad idea. I'll PM you my address and you can have the V Strom delivered. The sooner the better we're getting real close to riding season.

 

[northwestparider]

I've been doing a lot of digging around. I think I've found several places that sell the connector that holds to the bulb sockets. I'm looking for the matching connector. I've also sent some rfq's out to companies. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

I've been doing a lot of digging around. I think I've found several places that sell the connector that holds to the bulb sockets. I'm looking for the matching connector. I've also sent some rat's out to companies. I'll keep you posted.

Post a picture.

 

[northwestparider]

Is this what you wanted the picture of?

 

[jmcarruth]

A very simple, and inexpensive way to do it. Source the #30 terminal from the hot side of the solenoid. Source the #86 from the stock fuse block.

 

[northwestparider]

I heard back from Cycle Terminal, he said that there is not a mating connector.

I'm still waiting for a response from a company that specializes in connectors. We shall see.

 

[STRider]

So if you check the wiring diagram and then the routing in the ST1300 service manual, you'll find that there's a connector for the rear brake light switch under the middle cowl, behind the engine.

I used matching male and female 3-terminal Hitachi connectors (only two terminals are used), some appropriate gauged wire and created a tap to insert between the OEM connectors. I doubled up the wires going into the terminal for circuit downstream of the brakelight switch, so it's hot when either the front or rear brake is applied. That wire then feeds the light panel in my Givi E52 Topbox.





No wire cutting. NO Posi-taps or Scotch-lock wire taps. No OEM insulation was violated in this project. Should I sell the box I can revert to factory fresh configuration in minutes.

"No wire hangers Posi-taps or Scotch-locks ever!"

 

[northwestparider]

So if you check the wiring diagram and then the routing in the ST1300 service manual, you'll find that there's a connector for the rear brake light switch under the middle cowl, behind the engine.

I used matching male and female 3-terminal Hitachi connectors (only two terminals are used), some appropriate gauged wire and created a tap to insert between the OEM connectors. I doubled up the wires going into the terminal for circuit downstream of the brakelight switch, so it's hot when either the front or rear brake is applied. That wire then feeds the light panel in my Givi E52 Topbox.





No wire cutting. NO Posi-taps or Scotch-lock wire taps. No OEM insulation was violated in this project. Should I sell the box I can revert to factory fresh configuration in minutes.

"No wire hangers Posi-taps or Scotch-locks ever!"

This is the exact type of connection I want to make. I just wasn't thinking I was going to have to go so far up the bike to get to a connector. Thanks for the pictures and information. It looks like you have the right side fairing off. Do you have to take it off to get to this connector?