Aux lights power on a Interstate

[DavRed]

Any Idea where I can come up with power for a running light relay?
I have only found 1 place under the right side cover that has power with the key on.
I already used this place once for a horn Relay. But now want to add some spot lights on another relay.
Just not sure that is a good idea from this location.
The pic below shows where i taped into the "key on hot" for the horn relay
Seems to be brown with a white stripe under the right side cover. Not sure what it is for. But it is hot with the key on...


Thanks in advance

[X Ring]

Dude, that is not real bright tapping into a wire you don't have any idea what it's for.  In this case it is the BRAKE TAIL LIGHT wire.  

My suggestion for you is to use the accessory circuit to activate a relay that will carry power to an auxiliary fuse block.  Power for the fuse block comes from the fusible link.  Install a fuse inbetween the fusible link and the relay.  The power out of the relay goes to the aux. fuse block.  

I'm sure you figured out to use the stock horn wiring harness to activate a relay for the horn.  Power for the horn will come from the aux. fuse block through the relay to the horn.

For your aux lights, tap the blue wire with the white stripe between the start switch and the hi/lo beam switch.  Use this to activate your aux light relay.  DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE USE THIS WIRE TO POWER YOUR LIGHTS.  YOU WILL BURN OUT YOUR START SWITCH.  Run a wire from your aux fuse block to the relay and then to your aux lights.  This will provide power to the lights.

You can mount both your horn, aux lights and aux fuse block on a piece of lexan and install it in your fairing.  

Do a search for aux fuse blocks/panels and you'll find several threads about it.  It should give you some ideas.  Also, if you don't know anything about the electrical system on your Valk, I suggest you find someone to teach you.

Marty

Edited to correct my mistake.  God that I/S wiring harness in the shop manual is tiny and hard to read.

[DavRed]

WOW X Ring
Thanks for the SMACK to the back of my head. (like Daddy use to do)
DUDE is not something I have ever been called..(I’ll add that to my list)
OK… I will fix the horn thing at the same time as I wire the lights.
Guess I will pull some head light stuff apart. And find the “blue wire with the white strip between the start switch and the hi/lo beam switch”.
Thanks for the help from an old dirt farmer….

David

[X Ring]

I'm a South Mississippi farm boy.  I'm glad I could help.  When you get the relay for the aux fuse panel, go to the parts store and get a 40 amp one.  You can use the normal 30 amp ones for everything else.  You can also pic up a aux fuse panel there that will take care of 6-8 circuits so that should give you plenty of room to expand.  You can get a small piece of lexan at lowes for a couple of bucks.  Btw, there's an advantage to using the headlight power wire as a trigger for the aux lights relay.  When you press the start button, the aux lights will go out with the headlight which will provide full battery power to the start and ignition circuits.

Marty

[Rocketman]

I think ya'll are talking circles around each other.
The I/S has a loose wire under the side cover that is for just the sort of thing you want to do.  I don't recall if the tourer has that wire.  I also can't recall the color scheme.  If it wasn't connected to anything, more than likely, that's what you actually want.  The way I read your original post, you connected up to this loose wire, rather than tapping into a wire that was in use.  Am I correct?  If so, then check the color scheme with a wiring schematic, and if it's the aux power wire, then you're good to go.  Of course, he's right about using a relay and a more powerful powered wire to run big stuff like air horns and lights.

Mark

[X Ring]

Rocketman, you need to go back and read the original post again.  DR was asking what he could use to trigger an aux lights relay.  In addition, he said he found a switched hot wire, the brown wire with the white stripe, and tapped it for his horn.  I explained a safer way to do it without overloading his circuits.  The wires you talk about are the aux circuit and you can use them to activate a relay that will supply power to an aux fuse panel. 

Marty

[DavRed]

Seems the brown wire I used for the Horn Relay is the brake wire.
I also thought that there was an accessary wire under that right side cover, somewhere. But so far I have not found one.
I will just have to wait till I have more time to tear stuff apart to get to the headlight one. Can't take that much time right now. I got to much riding to do.  
Lights can wait...
By the way we are talking about a 2000 Interstate...

[vanagon40]

Here's where the accessory wire was located on my 2001 Standard (ignore the question marks)

[DavRed]

I will take another look tonight. The interstate has a big bunch of wires around that area for the radio. It may be behind that somewhere. I may have to dig a little....Thanks for the pic

[Rocketman]

I didn't think he'd tapped an in-use wire, but I guess I just interpreted it wrong.  Oh well.
Be careful when you're picking wires in there, though.  There's an unused wire that is actually for the optional passenger PTT button.  It shows up as having voltage with the key on, but it's lower voltage, and not stable.

[X Ring]

DR, the accessory terminal that V40 posted the pic of will have two wires in it.  White with black stripe is the hot wire and green is ground.  In addition, when you put a ring terminal under one of the screws securing the the fusible link, put it under the one at the top.  That is alternator side.  If something happens to cause the link to blow, the link will protect the rest of your electrical system.

Marty

[DavRed]

OK guys. I do not see anything in the right side of my Interstate that loks like that pic. I am not the first owner. So that may be why. I will just wait till the temps get to 100 around here next month. I will have my down time then. I will try to find the blue/white wire then...In the head light.
I had to put it back together. I got 350 miles to go tomorrow morning. But she is shining
Brake lights still working!!!
Thanks for the input!!!!

[Ricky-D]

I feel that the best outcome will be realized if you create a completely new and separate system powered directly from the battery.

If you want to use a existing switching source like for instance the horn button you can incorporate a relay and avoid any kind of overload on the switch or the wiring.

The stock wiring is very complex and blindly tapping into switched/powered lines may do great harm to the electrical system and breakdowns from such only occur when riding.

See you on the side of the road!

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[BF]

OK guys. I do not see anything in the right side of my Interstate that loks like that pic. I am not the first owner. So that may be why. I will just wait till the temps get to 100 around here next month. I will have my down time then. I will try to find the blue/white wire then...In the head light.
I had to put it back together. I got 350 miles to go tomorrow morning. But she is shining
Brake lights still working!!!
Thanks for the input!!!!

You DO have one of those.  It's probably buried up under all of that other stuff, but it IS in there.  A while back, there was another poster that had trouble finding the acc. wire too.  His was in there, but it was buried way in the back closer to the center of the bike. 

[BF]

Any Idea where I can come up with power for a running light relay?
I have only found 1 place under the right side cover that has power with the key on.
I already used this place once for a horn Relay. But now want to add some spot lights on another relay.
Just not sure that is a good idea from this location.
The pic below shows where i taped into the "key on hot" for the horn relay
Seems to be brown with a white stripe under the right side cover. Not sure what it is for. But it is hot with the key on...


Thanks in advance

Dude    You really need a PC-8.  I know I'm late to the party here, but read my posts in this link/thread before you go any further if you havn't already.......  

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,39256.0.html

[Ricky-D]

Pretty old thread.

Probably gotten rid of the bike by now!

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