Electrical socket

[JIMDAILEY]

Hey guys, I am sure this has been discussed before, but I am looking for help to add a plug-in outlet to my 3rd gen. Where and what type of outlet works the best? And where is the best place to tie in to the electrical? I would like for it to be hot when the key is turned on. I want to plug in my GPS.
Thanks for anything you guys can help me with.

Jim Dailey
MOOT #66

[rjb/AKA Bob Barram]

Hello, Jim, I would buy the basic cigarette lighter from Autozone or wherever and also get the unit that allows you to piggy back off of another fuse, like the ignition or lights in the fuse box.
If you feel comfortable cutting the cigarette lighter connection off of your GPS power cord then connect the wires that way and it allows you to run it directly to the GPS, just means that cord will stay on the bike all the time but you will not have a bulky connection to hide.
Make that connection at the fuse box and run the wires to the front of the bike and mount it off of the windshield bolt or get a clip to put it on the handlebars.

[guywheatley]

I attached mine directly to the battery. Be sure to put a fuse close to the battery on the pos. side. I just ran the wire that came attached to the adapter under the gas tank up to the triple tree. It's the curly wire next to the frame on the right hand side in the photo. Find a convenient spot and wire tie the socket in place. Mine is attached to the risers on the left side close to where I have my gps mounted on the bars. I moved it to there from a spot between the gauges. I couldn't see the gauges sometimes because of wires when I had stuff plugged in. I also got one designed for outside use. It has a rubber cap to cover the jack when not it use. The first time I did this, I didn't have the cap, and the jack rusted on the inside.
I'll get a pic of the jack tonight.


Here they are:

First one is the jack without anything plugged in.


Second one has my gps adapter plugged in.


Here's what it looks like from the seat.

[Dlcarrales]

I just went and got the supplies at Radio Shack and will be doing mine this weekend. 

[tmds3]

Guy, did I miss where you posted the finished light install on your shield? from what i can see in the pic looks good

[guywheatley]

Guy, did I miss where you posted the finished light install on your shield? from what i can see in the pic looks good

Thanks David:
Here's a shot right after I put them on.

From this thread
http://www.magnaownersoftexas.com/forums/index.php?topic=3112.0

This was before I added the angled spacers. When I first put the lights on, they were aimed to the sides because of the angle of the shield. I took a couple of large nuts and ground them down at an angle to offset the shield's curve. The last thing I need to do is move the headlight forward. The best solution would probably be the VTX mod, but I'm too chea ...  I mean frugal for that. I think I can fabricate a couple of plates to move the existing light forward then get a bill cap for it. I believe that will give me just the look I want.

[hootmon]

You could also run it from the battery but then throught the fuse, then through a relay with a switched wire for activation.. This will make it "no power" when the ignition is off, without overloading an existing circuit... That's the way I'd do it.

[guywheatley]

You could also run it from the battery but then throught the fuse, then through a relay with a switched wire for activation.. This will make it "no power" when the ignition is off, without overloading an existing circuit... That's the way I'd do it.

Sounds like what I need for my road lights. Not being an electrical engineer, I'm clueless about the relay. Can you find something like that at an auto parts store, or is this more of a radio shack item? What exactly is it called?

As far as your aux socket goes, I'd leave it powered when the bike is off. Yes there a chance of running down the battery, but I'd think that's minimal. Most things plugged in there won't draw much juice. And there are a lot of things you might like to have power too when the bikes off. GPS, cell phone, MP3 player, 12V light, etc.

[Greg Cothern]

Whenever I add anything to my bikes that needs power, I build a stand alone harness with appropriate rated fuse links, switch, etc straight from the battery to the add on component.  This way if it for any reason has a major issue your bike's harness is not in the equation..