Amp wiring and install in a saddlebag

[gordorad]

I've realized that most amps have a type of built in relay.......So, all I need to do is run a wire to the remote input, and it will switch on with the key...but, what wire?

I removed right side cover, and it appears that the accesory leads has been used by a compressor (po) for the horns. 

I'm planning to mount this amp in one of the rear saddle bags.  Would either side be beneficial??  I have leatherlyke....I plan to drill a small hole (s) for the wires. 

What other switched wires do I have to choose from???  Thanks..

Gordo

[YoungPUP]

Use a Relay 50amp(?) triggered by the Aux wire to feed a small fuse block, then add/do as you wish.

[Gryphon Rider]

Assuming that the compressor wires provide a source of power for the horn button to complete the control circuit of a relay, you can splice into those wires.  If the accessory terminals are used to power the compressor directly, check to see if the 5A accessory terminal fuse has been replaced with a larger one.  If so, I strongly suggest putting a 5A fuse back in and use a relay to switch the compressor, which should be powered by a fused circuit directly form the battery.  An alternative for the "on" signal to the amplifier would be to tap into one of the brown wires that powers the running lights.

[gordorad]

I think the brown wire is the key.  From what I gather, I don't need an additional relay....Just to find a switched wire, (brown) and run that to the amp "relay" input, and wire the 12v input to the battery with an inline fuse..... 

Ok, I'll start looking for a brown wire.......where do I start??

[RP#62]

I think the brown wire is the key.  From what I gather, I don't need an additional relay....Just to find a switched wire, (brown) and run that to the amp "relay" input, and wire the 12v input to the battery with an inline fuse..... 

Ok, I'll start looking for a brown wire.......where do I start??

At the wiring diagrams, otherwise you're feeling your way in the dark.
-RP

http://www.rattlebars.com/valkfaq/schematics/

[Joe Hummer]

Make sure you find a good quality weatherproof connector for your wires between the amp and the bike.  If you ever have to take the bag off...like to replace a rear tire...or brake pads, you will be damn glad you thought ahead and put in the connectors. 

Joe

[gordorad]

That's a great idea Joe......I was looking for some sort of quick disconnects for the speakers wires, and I guess I will require that these disconnects are on the outside of the bag......

Any on where to find these weatherproof types of disconnects??

[BF]

gordorad......

You really should consider an Auxiliary Fuse Panel for wiring all of your accessorie into.  Even if you don't need it now, if you want to add something at a later date, it'll save you a ton of wiring and figuring out.  

Alot of folks use the Centech fuse panel and love it, but you might wanna take a look at the PC-8.  IMHO, it's a much better product than the Centech.  It gives you six switched fused circuits as well as two unswitched (hot, always powered) fused circuits.  You might want to use the unswitched circuits for stuff like power ports or alarms and such.  Use the switched circuits for stuff like heated jackets, spots, fog/driving lights, radios/cd players, amps for stereos, etc.

I'm using the PC-8 along with the 50 amp relay/wiring harness.  30 amp power for the switched circuits and 20 amp power for the unswitched.  

http://www.easternbeaver.com/main/products/fuseboxes/pc-8/pc-8.html

If you want, I can post some pics of my PC-8 install.  

[gordorad]

That would be great...I"d love to see some pics....It looks like that would fit nicely under the seat in the manual area???

Sounds like a good idea.....

[dragon_slayer_129]

Since you never said if you were installing a small 2 channel or a larger 4 channel amp to your bike the basics are the same no matter what.  To power your amp you want to use a fairly heavy multi-strand wire (more strands the better) directly off the battery.  Then you need roughly the same gauge wire for the ground wire.  You can trigger the amp to turn on from any circuit that is hot only when the key is on......you aren't drawing your power from the trigger wire you are only turning the amp on with it.  You are powering the amp with the heavy wire that is connected directly to the battery.

Just one thing to remember while you are jamming out without the bike running you can kill a bike battery pretty fast running an amp in your system.  I killed a large truck battery with a 3 amp - 6 speaker - 2 12" subs in a ported box in roughly an hour while tuning a parametric eq and amp levels in my jeep......yeah it's loud but you need that while cruising topless (the jeep that is) and with big mud tires humming down the road.


Dragon Slayer 129

[gordorad]

It's a relatively large 2 channel amp......about 9x9x2.  Power ratings really don't mean much, but it should be more than sufficient for two 4inch coax speakers...  I believe the rating is about 75 pk per channel at 4 ohms..

I plan to use 12 gauge for the hot and ground and probably 18 for the remote.....

But now I"m thinking I might want to get one of these fuse block thingies that will allow me to hook up and microwave and a blender too!!

[BF]

That would be great...I"d love to see some pics....It looks like that would fit nicely under the seat in the manual area???

Sounds like a good idea.....

Exactly....that's where I put my PC-8...between the the OEM tool pouch and the battery......the part where the original manual and paperwork went.  I had to dremel the battery box cover just a tad, but it works great.  

When I ordered my PC-8, I ordered the 50 amp relay wiring kit (30 amps switched....20 amps unswitched) with the 30" leads and added the option to have both battery leads the same length.

I didn't want the leads running over the top of the battery, so I ran them a little long and around the over flow bottle.  You could probably get away with the 24" leads (or maybe even less), but I'd rather have more than I need than not have them long enough.  There's plenty of room for the side cover with it ran over the overflow bottle like that too....the wires don't get in the way of that at all.  

The PC-8 is a simple intall.....here's just the PC-8......











And here it's wired with all of my accessories wired into it (I got alot of stuff  ).....







The PC-8 comes with it's own relay.  You simply run the two leads to the battery pos and neg and you'll also need to run a wire from the PC-8 leads to that switched wire under the side cover......this one (note the black wire running up into the rubber sleave).....



....then run the three leads to the PC-8 and you're done with it's install.  Then all you have to do is run your wires from your accessories to the PC-8.  Note that you'll still need to use a separate relay for high wattage items such as driving lights and such......but usually, things like that will come with their own relay provided.......just wire them into the PC-8 and/or any switches that you might want to use to turn any accessory on/off.  

btw.....the relays I used for my driving lights and my spots are tucked under the PC-8.  

[RonW]

not to get off topic, but so that's what that notch on the rubber strap is for. Never knew that before now.

[BF]

Apparently.....it was that way when I bought the bike.