More and more electrical accessories in the market are becoming available for different types of motorcycle. Before you start splicing and cutting wires, you need to take a few minutes to determine the best approach to motorcycle accessories as doing the wrong thing may result in a dead battery, destroyed electrical systems or even fire. Improperly wiring motorcycles may result in coverage denial.
As far as wiring motorcycle accessories are concerned, there are several things you need to consider. We, at Siima MotoWear have done our research and we present the right way to wire motorcycle accessories:
Wire Capacities and Sizes
Always make use of flexible insulated type of copper wire which is designed to be used for automotive. Wires always come into different diameters known as the gauges. With AWG or American Wire Gauges, the lower the wire number is, the heavier it is. Using too small type of wire can be very dangerous and needs to be prevented. This is the reason why you need to select the best kind of wiring motorcycle accessories which are harmless. This is not only to prevent accidents but also to assure that the wire is suited to your motorcycle for maximum performance.
Fuse Sizing
Fuse comes into different ratings and styles. The most famous kind of modern motorcycle accessories are mini fuses and ATC. Always make sure that the fuse you’re going to use matches the kind of motorcycle you have. Fuse holder is readily available in some motorcycle shops and auto part stores. You also need to select the next capacity of fuse to assure that it can best help you. Fuse sizing also plays an essential role to enhance the function of your motorcycle.
Circuit Protection
All wiring motorcycle accessories with electrical circuit needs to be protected by
the use of circuit breakers or fuses. The fuses are the commonly chosen ones since these are very compact. The circuit breakers are primarily bulkier but are also made available as manual and auto reset. This only means to say that you need not to carry some spares with you anymore.
Switches
Switches for wiring motorcycle accessories are primarily designed to be used for your motorcycle rated for load as well as weatherproof. Those switches that lights up with built in type of LED are excellent ideas. Oftentimes, these switches can just be mounted near the cluster of the instrument or even with bracket or handlebar mount. The bosch-kind of automotive relay can also be used when the current draw is relatively high the same as auxiliary lamps.
Connectors
One of the most difficult parts of the wiring project is in searching for the right connectors. You will usually need 2 different types: one which will interface with another or existing wiring in your bike/motorcycle and another one that will connect between different accessories.
It will just be right if you take a picture of the connector. The SAE connector is also simply suggested for the connection end of the accessory. As per the plug end, it usually has 2 connectors which really complement well to each other. The first one has insulator and the other one does not.
The good thing is that this is handy considering the frame of your motorcycle that is grounded to the battery. If ever a positive wire touches the frame, you will already be able to make a short. If you want to be really sure to wire the SAE connector’s insulated end to power, you no longer need to worry about it.
Accessory Circuit
If your motorcycle has no dedicated accessory circuit, it will help you to get a copy of the wiring diagram of your bike. Then, look for a non-critical circuit. Now, you will be able to do the proper wiring by making it sure that the circuit is perfect to your power needs. As per the wattage that the accessories draw, it must just be right below the circuit’s power limit. For instance, if your circuit has a 5A fuse, you need to make it sure that you use less than 12 volts * 5 amperes=60 watts. You need add up all those draws. And, you must never ever replace the fuse just so you could allow more current.
As far as wiring motorcycle accessories are concerned, there are huge numbers of choices to choose from. This is the reason why motorcycle owners are experiencing great difficulty in determining which among them is best for their motorcycle. If you are experiencing great difficulty in this kind of matter, you need to consult a motorcycle enthusiast and a motorcycle expert to help you out with your decision. There’s no other person to help you out with regard on this matter other than them. They can best help you select the best kind of wiring motorcycle accessories you need.
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