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Mr Calendar



Joined: 14 Jun 2004
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PostPosted: 13:53 - 06 Feb 2006    Post subject: What wires? Reply with quote

Just going to (finally) add some extra lights to the bike.
However, just wanted to check what wire I should be buying (and where from). It's just funny letters and numbers to me so any clarification will help Smile

Guess I'll be using a 5 and/or 10amp fuse so wire must meet that spec.

I'm also wanting to do a tidy job so any pointers in that direction would be useful. So far in my mind I've got the wire running from the battery to the tail unit (aux fuse box). Then up the frame to the front, somehow feeding it through the fairing to add the lights and a spur to a separate switch. Does that sound usual?

Oh, while I remember I'll be adding in a power lead for a GPS unit as well. Guess that'll be another wire the length of the bike as I want it on its own fuse Confused

Thanks in anticipation for any pointers Thumbs Up
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stinkwheel
Bovine Proctologist



Joined: 12 Jul 2004
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PostPosted: 17:47 - 06 Feb 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, you need to work out how much current the wires will be expected to carry.

Power = Voltage x current

So, Current = power divided by Voltage

Most additional lights draw 55w, presumably you are going to be using two of them so 110watts of power draw. Bike running at 14.5 volts means you will have a current of 7.6 Amps.

So you would want a 10 Amp fuse.

Automotive cable comes in two types, standard and thinwall. You would want 2mm square standard (17.5 amp) or 1mm square thinwall (16.5 amp) for the above application to give a good factor of safety.

More info HERE.

You can get all the bits you need from www.vehiclewiringproducts.co.uk

You would normally wire lights in using relays as the cable going to the switches (and possibly the switches themselves) won't cope with both the headlamp and auxillary lighting current but should manage fine with the very low 'switching' current to activate a relay. Depending on which lights you want to use and such.

If you plan to put in a lot of different electronics then using an auxilliary fuse box could well be the most convenient and neat way to go. Wire it direct to the battery, you may even be able to find one with relay holders in place which makes things a lot neater. You can also power the fuse box itself through a relay so it only comes on with the ignition (use the feed to the rear brake switch as your 'switching' current).

It is handy to draw yourself a diagram of what you want on MS paint before building it. Here is one I did for someone a while back for relay controlled auxillary lights (two sets, one for dip, another for beam) on someones bike.

https://www.bikechatforums.com/download.php?id=8587
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