marriedman Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 Damn! Your undertray is clean! Nice wiring too, very professional looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rectaltronics Posted August 12, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted August 12, 2015 I've admitted it several times before, I am ignorant about many things, Electricity being at the top of the list. In the past, I had multiple things running straight to the battery for power. This time I told myself that I would do it right. So I started looking into fuse blocks. This is where the problem begins. It's not that I am having trouble finding them online, I am finding too much and I am going into information overload. I don't get what a relay is and why it is necessary or why it isn't part of the fuse block. It's like explaining hard disk partitioning to someone who doesn't understand bit sizes much less file allocation tables. I'm surprised that someone who knows what a FAT is can't wrap his head around electrical plumbing. All a relay is, is a switch. A pushbutton switch, except instead of your finger pushing the button, it's an electromagnet. Send power to the magnet and the switch contacts close. And you only need it if you're switching large amounts of power, like an aftermarket horn, or if you're running switched power to heated gear/grips. in which case the trigger power to the relay would be driven from something like the taillight circuit. The puny wires and small contacts of handlebar switches aren't made for that much power. So the idea is, the puny pushbutton wires operate the relay's electromagnet, and the bigger switch contacts in the relay and bigger wires going to and from the relay's contacts take care of the higher power. The fancy fuse blocks and programmable logic controllers are all nice, and look sexy when the seat is off in the parking lot on cruise night, but in the end, anything that reliably gets the electrons where they're going and back is all you really need. Years and years ago I bought a Blue Sea block, had all kinds of lofty ideas. Then I realized how much room it took under the seat. It's still in a drawer in my office. Powerlet ran straight to the battery. Heated gear connected to the Powerlet, and since it wasn't switched, the Powerlet could be used as a battery charging point. The power to the rest of my stuff - garage opener, GPS receiver and alarm - was managed by distributing it through a few old battery bolts and nuts wrapped up in weatherproof stretchy electrical tape and zip-tied to the side of the battery tray. And a decade later it all stayed perfectly reliable and absolutely corrosion-free. One nut/bolt as a binding post for wiring to/from battery +, another for battery - (mainly for the alarm) and one more tapped off the taillight for the GPS and garage opener. Can't see it until the side cover comes off so only my mechanic and I know how ghetto it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 I have an FZ1 on three of my bikes and love them, never had an issue either. On VFR On ST1300 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RDMcD Posted August 13, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted August 13, 2015 I use the Denali PowerHub2 fuse block available from TwistedThrottle.com. Similar to the FZ1. All my accessories run from it - heated gear, Battery Tender, USB, and RD power. Has 6 fused, 15A circuits, each able to be direct (always on) or switched. Basic fuse block install is easy, but getting the accessories connected to it properly (routed, soldered, insulated and sleeved) took all day. Here's my install and a picture of the unit with the cover off. I use the Denali PowerHub2 fuse block available from TwistedThrottle.com. Similar to the FZ1. All my accessories run from it - heated gear, Battery Tender, USB, and RD power. Has 6 fused, 15A circuits, each able to be direct (always on) or switched. Basic fuse block install is easy, but getting the accessories connected to it properly (routed, soldered, insulated and sleeved) took all day. Here's my install and a picture of the unit with the cover off. Just a heads up to anyone who has the Denali powerhub. I installed one last year to run my voltmeter, Gps,and heated vest .Everything was working fine until fall came and I started to use the heat. After a few weeks my volt meter started flickering and the heat would cut out, until finally it quits altogether. Upon inspection things seemed ok. After alot of head scratching I found the problem. The power supply from the battery is a nice heavy #10 wire with a silicone sheath, good quality. The plug at the relay was a small spade connector meant for maybe a #14 wire with a gob of solder holding it together, no crimp. The resistance made enough heat to melt the solder and cause an intermittent connection. Up here in Canada I paid over $100 for this, was not impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njride Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I use the Denali PowerHub2 fuse block available from TwistedThrottle.com. Similar to the FZ1. All my accessories run from it - heated gear, Battery Tender, USB, and RD power. Has 6 fused, 15A circuits, each able to be direct (always on) or switched. Basic fuse block install is easy, but getting the accessories connected to it properly (routed, soldered, insulated and sleeved) took all day. Here's my install and a picture of the unit with the cover off. I use the Denali PowerHub2 fuse block available from TwistedThrottle.com. Similar to the FZ1. All my accessories run from it - heated gear, Battery Tender, USB, and RD power. Has 6 fused, 15A circuits, each able to be direct (always on) or switched. Basic fuse block install is easy, but getting the accessories connected to it properly (routed, soldered, insulated and sleeved) took all day. Here's my install and a picture of the unit with the cover off.Just a heads up to anyone who has the Denali powerhub. I installed one last year to run my voltmeter, Gps,and heated vest .Everything was working fine until fall came and I started to use the heat. After a few weeks my volt meter started flickering and the heat would cut out, until finally it quits altogether. Upon inspection things seemed ok. After alot of head scratching I found the problem. The power supply from the battery is a nice heavy #10 wire with a silicone sheath, good quality. The plug at the relay was a small spade connector meant for maybe a #14 wire with a gob of solder holding it together, no crimp. The resistance made enough heat to melt the solder and cause an intermittent connection. Up here in Canada I paid over $100 for this, was not impressed. Im absolutely not familiar with the denali setup, but i have the pc8 and im an electrician by trade, I remember being quite happy with the workmanship on my pc8 wiring harness, it's done properly, as 6 yrs and 2 bikes have proven. Crimps, done properly, are better than solder, part of that is because lots of people who think they know how to solder have no clue, crimping has the same problem as well, people using shitty needlenose pliers to crimp. You cant pull apart a compression connection done properly, the wire will break first, espicially with these small guage wires were dealing with. Both methods done to perfection, as an electrician, I'll still take properly done crimps when it comes to durability. They respond to heat cycles much better, soldering is best for placing compomonents on a circuit board, not inline connections or splices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marriedman Posted August 19, 2015 Author Share Posted August 19, 2015 I found a good deal on a Fuzeblock and just have a simple question for you veterans. The bright white plug here: That is the taillight for switched power, correct? Closer pictures: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Marsman99 Posted August 19, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted August 19, 2015 Yes. Tap into the green wire and you're set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marriedman Posted August 19, 2015 Author Share Posted August 19, 2015 Thanks Marsman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marriedman Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 Bring this thread back up. quick question for the 7th gen owners and then another just in general. 7th gen owners - where did you mount your fuzeblock? General question - how did you mount it? I have seen some that are screwed through the undertray and some that are tied down and even some with industrial strength velcro. Thoughts and opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superfunkomatic Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 On all of my bikes with plastic under the seat, I've drilled holes through and used zip ties to mount the fuse block. That way it's on tight but easily removable or repaired if there's an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marriedman Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 Ah! Brilliant idea superfunk! I think that is exactly what I will do. I just need to make sure it does't hit the seat anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Conedodger Posted September 3, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted September 3, 2015 I used 3M VHB double stick tape. Has held up for a few years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marriedman Posted September 4, 2015 Author Share Posted September 4, 2015 And the Fuzeblock is in! Lights still work, so that's a good sign. Now I just need to take the fairings of and run power to my RAM Mount. I ended up not doing the zip ties because I couldn't see his to secure it without the ties in the way of the seat. Sent from my phone, please forgive brevity and misspelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Marsman99 Posted September 4, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted September 4, 2015 I used the 3M dual lock with a strip on either side of the fender centerline to compensate for the fender profile, i.e. a strip on either side of the block base so they straddle the center of the fender curvature. I can't really pull it off now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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