F800GS How did you wire up your GPS?
 

I just purchased a new F800 and before I pull battery cover off of bike I wanted to know.... How did you wire up your GPS? Straight to the battery or is there a connection for accessory power in the wiring harness other than the power port next to the key switch?

If you want to use the white GPS plug sitting on top of the battery, but you'll need to buy the mating plug which costs about $25, and this outlet is switched with key and stays on for 1 minute after you shut the key off.

A cheaper alternative is to use posi-taps to tap into the GPS wire and terminating in SAE connectors and you put the same on the wire coming from the GPS and call it done.

I read the manual, but didn't see anything referring to a plug that is built into the wiring harness. I guess I will pull the cover off one night this week and look under there to see what I have.

Congratulations on the new 800 Grneggz! :clap I ran my LED lights to the plug Gadget Boy is referring to. Fairly easy setup. For the GPS, I put in the Touratech Instrument Cover:

http://www.touratech-usa.com/Store/P...GS-F650GS-Twin

Ran Instrument cover directly to the battery. This accomplished several things: Cut back the glare from the headlight through the panel at night. Extra outlets (BMW and Standard 12V). Did not shut the GPS every time I stopped the motor. And bypassed the Canbus, so I charge directly into the BMW port with the trickle charger.

I have a Zumo 220 and just found out that I can't use the white Canbus plug to power it. Looks like it has to be hard wired to the battery. I was looking at this on Touratech's site. I would really prefer to use the plug if there is a way to do so.

I run a switched Centech AP1 tapped into the licence plate light and, among other things, wire the GPS into the Centech.

I ran mine strait to the battery terminals with an in-line fuse, easy. Just don't forget to leave it on overnight!

One other thing I discovered is since I have multiple things going to the battery terminals I had to crank down on the screw pretty hard to get a good connection. Before I did that the bike would do reset noises and the speedo and tach would twitch... bad connection. Getting some dielectric grease for the terminals would be good too. :D

I used a powerplug (or what's the name), simple thingie, plugs into the 12V socket next to the key and is hooked on my Touratech GPSMAP60CS mount, works like a charm.

When you pop off the center cover of the faux tank you will see the plug.
I used it for a voltage monitor here are some pictures:

http://f800riders.org/forum/showthre...mp-GPS-adapter

Later I went back and wired my GPS into the same connection. I have a Garmin Nuvi 500 (not the Zumo motorcycle unit, but the Nuvi all-arounder waterproof unit). What I found when I did that was that even though the CANBus was supposed to shut off the port ~1 minute after I turned off the key that sometimes it would stay hot indefinetly even with the GPS UNplugged!

I was using the Garmin hard-wire 12V --> 5V adapter. I figured that something about the way the voltage converter worked was confusing the CANBus and making it stay on (similar to how the expensive BMW battery charger tells the CANBus to leave the accessory plug on so that battery charging can occur).

It made me nervous so I just hardwired the GPS directly into the battery.

Straight into "always hot" fuse section in Centec. fuse box. I want to be able to use the gps while the bike is turned off.

Tor, I have five Zumo's connected to various bikes - a couple on switched power. The ones on switched power will ask you if you want to continue on internal power when the switched power is turned off. So connecting to switched power does not mean you cannot run the Zumo with the switched power off. Probably the best (and cheapest) way to hook up the Zumo to an F8 is to pick up the hot side of the accessory socket wiring with a "vampire jack", and call it good. I connected mine to the battery, but if I was doing it again, I would tap into the accessory socket (as GB says) just to have the Zumo shut down when I turn off the bike.

I put a waterproof switch on the dashboard.......connecting the gps with the BMW plug. What you need to be aware of is that with most gps`s....even through they are switched off.... There is an idle current running through the power circuit....that could slowly drain the battery. So just be aware of this if you connect it straight to the battery. If you connect it to the bmw plug....the canbus will power it down after a few minutes..... But there have been some reports of the canbus not doing so....and with the result of a dead battery. Mine turns off after a few minutes.....which switches the unit to battery power.....and at the end of the day I just switch it off with the installed waterproof switch. Had no issues.....:thumb:thumb

Erling


http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x...k/IMG_0377.jpg

Please enlighten me and show me where to order the $25 mating plug "vampire jack" As I stated before I would prefer to plug in to the existing BMW accessory jack. If there is a mating plug for this I want to know about. I appreciate all your responses.

This is where I got mine (no affiliation other than being a happy customer):


http://f800depot.com/bmw-switched-power-cable.html

This is what I was looking for. Now, if you go to the link for the BMW adapter plug/switched power cable it shows the GPS plug wired directly to it. My GPS has a power converter that reduces 10-30 Volts DC to 4.9-5.25 Volts DC. I don't have a meter. Do any of you know if the Canbus port is already reduced to the lower GPS power requirement? If it its I can eliminate the converter, if not I have to use the converter. Thank You.