Choose a fuse for aux lights

SHUMBA

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I'm planning to add additional LED driving lights on my new Tenere. What's the preferred power source located on the fuse panel?
Is a ground wire to a point on the frame a suitable location or just attach the ground to the negative terminal?
Appreciate your inputs.
SHUMBA
 

tallpaul

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There is a connector for the factory auxiliary lights under the rhs cover where the battery is located. All bikes have this feature. A search should find what you need as this was asked only a few weeks back. :)
 

dmulk

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I just re-wired my aux lights. I now have a rigid hyperspot and a pair of rigid d2 drivers that i have wired to a relay harness that was included in their light kit. I have modified this relay harness so it attches to a lighted switch mounted to my bars. I bought a cheap 7/8 handlebar lighted switch on amazon, ripped the cheap switch out and replaced it with the slightly less cheap one on the harness. I then cut the hot wire that runs from the relay to the switch at the relay and positapped it to the pink highbeam trigger wire. This now allows me to flip the aux lights on using the lighted aux switch and use my highbeam switch to control them. I can also leave them off and use the oem high and low beams normal if i want. Works great.
 

Boris

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Just took delivery on a new '18 and noticed some wired connectors under the seat, encased in plastic.
Would this be what's refered to here, or something else entirely?
No, the heated grips and light wiring blocks are definitely under the right hand side, side panel.

I'm fairly sure the under seat connectors are for diagnostic checks, perhaps someone can confirm?
 

SHUMBA

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There is a connector for the factory auxiliary lights under the rhs cover where the battery is located. All bikes have this feature. A search should find what you need as this was asked only a few weeks back. :)
OK,Thanks for that. I have some LED lights that I had on my Africa Twin. I'm convinced that adding extra LED lighting to one's bike is of great benefit when riding in daylight hours. Many car drivers claim "I'm sorry, I didn't see you" nonsense. The extra lighting helps you to be seen by others. Thanks tallpaul, I shall be looking for this connector location......Cheers.......SHUMBA
 

robson

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There is a connector for the factory auxiliary lights under the rhs cover where the battery is located. All bikes have this feature. A search should find what you need as this was asked only a few weeks back. :)
can I buy a connector to plug it into?
 

tallpaul

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The connector is a Sumitomo 3 pin. I bought one off eBay. Edit: just for clarity, when you buy a connector you get both halves. As one half is part of the wiring loom already you will be left with an unused half.
 
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SHUMBA

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Many thanks tallpaul. I'll have a look on Ebay and have a look. I'm far from an electrician, so for me, the simpler the better when it comes to wiring.....SHUMBA
 

Checkswrecks

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The wires and connector beneath the seat are for diagnostics, so leave them alone.

An aux light(s) should be powered off a relay in this or most any vehicle. And you will also want to add other items over time, such as heated jacket, cell phone power, aux horn (another relay if a high amperage one), etc. That's why most owners will add a fuse block such as the Fuzeblocks FZ1 shown below or Eastern Beaver PC-8. That's one set of wires to the battery and an easy place to run all your accessories from. I went with the FZ1 because simply by moving the fuse you can change power source to/from switched or always-on. The easiest place to tell the fuse block when the bike is running is to splice into the cigarette wire, which is at the top of this compartment.

Fuzeblocks: https://www.advdesigns.com/fuzeblock.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAyMHhBRBIEiwAkGN6fAfE9P6GEYcvYpGIe-E2uTCJQL9qACKOx562_nbLpyWh28co2K9UZRoCUtQQAvD_BwE


As for size of fuse, it's always a minimum of 3 to 5 times the electrical load. If you are adding a 60W light, the bike has a 12V system, so:
3 x (60/12) = Minimum fuze
3 x 5 = 15A

The diagram below shows how to hook it all up. Pin 86 would connect to the cigarette lighter wire and pin 30 would connect to the Fuzeblock.

Don't forget to consider wire size. Most of our routings are well under 6' so you can get away with 16 GA on an intermittent circuit like a light, but ought to use 14 GA. The trigger wire and pin 85 ground wires can be 18 GA or almost anything, as they carry very little current.
 

SHUMBA

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Thanks for your detailed information and instructions along with photos...most helpful, I must say I am very grateful.
At this time I haven't taken delivery of my new '18 Tenere, but when I do I shall refer to your instructions.
Thanks so much SHUMBA
 
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