Eastern Beaver Aux solution and aux switching for added lights?

[sixstring531]

Looking at the 3 or 4 circuit solution from Eastern Beaver to add some lights to my 2015 1200 ES. It looks simple enough to plug into the provided Aux port on the bike, but I am curious how one would go about the switch on/off of these lights. Do I need to purchase a separate switch? As it sits I think Eastern provides one "always on" port with the other two being switched.

Left as is, is the assumption these would simply come on with the turning of the key? If I wanted to add a separate switch, what solutions are out there?

Thanks in advance, gents!

From EasternBeaver:

3CS-HD

 

[audiowize]

The aux light plug that the bike comes with has a 20A switched and 20A unswitched circuit you can use. The EB kits give you ~35A or so and only use the factory wire to activate the switched circuits. Most aftermarket lights I have used draw well under 10A of current while running, so I don't think you need the beefy kit.

https://www.amazon.com/Wired-Isolated-Module-3-32VDC-5-30VDC/dp/B09T3RT5MG/ref=sr_1_10?crid=26M308CPWSM8S&keywords=12V+DC+10A+solid+state+relay&qid=1675280075&sprefix=12v+dc+10a+solid+state+relay,aps,137&sr=8-10

You can use something like that to switch the power to your headlights.

https://sw-motech.us/en/products/power+supply/4052572041529.htm?gclid=CjwKCAiAuOieBhAIEiwAgjCvcuTUf-7URpGCDMjcitw1pTgp0BFiJULmzr9uz3FaapMxtZGnaQoRjBoCDiUQAvD_BwE

This can be mounted to your handlebars to provide power to the relay posted above.

https://easternbeaver.com/Main/Bike_Specific/Tenere_700/Other/other.html

You'll also need the aux light power lead from there.

The ground connection from the EB harness needs to be connected to your lights, all the ground connections on the Amazon relay, and the ground connection on the SW Motech switch (so the backlight works). The switched +12 from the EB harness would go up to the switch (connect it to whichever wire produces back lighting, you can use a 9V battery to double check this). The other wire leaving the switch goes to the IN+ wire on the relay. The V+ wire on the relay connects to the unswitched wire coming from the EB harness, and the Vout goes to your lights.

Do note that even if you put in the 3CS-HD kit from EB, you will still need almost all of this in order to properly switch the lights.

 

[sixstring531]

Appreciate the input, folks!

Looking again at the 3HD from EB — it has the switch relay receptacle, so would there be a switch with the male side of the relay that I could plug in there and would be used to switch? Curious what that is for.

 

[audiowize]

The EB kit has a relay that switches power to some or all of the power plugs when you turn the ignition to the bike on.

 

[sixstring531]

The EB kit has a relay that switches power to some or all of the power plugs when you turn the ignition to the bike on.

Ok, so their included relay only powers the two switched plugs when the bike sends power to that aux port, which is with the turn of the key? I was under the impression it allowed me add a switch for those switched outlets.

Seems like this is more complicated than in should be. If I want aux lights on a switch, why would I need the Aux port? Couldn’t I just run directly to the battery with a switch and inline fuse? I guess you run the risk of running the battery down if you leave them on. I may be overcomplicating this one

Is there a wiring diagram somewhere to show the flow of how/where to insert a switch into this circuit, assuming I use the aux port?

These are the lights I have (gift from a friend), which look like they draw 2.14A, so I am probably good on that front.
https://www.amazon.com/RIGID-INDUSTRIES-Flood-Universal-2-Pack/dp/B074TVQ4LQ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3H1G5E6URM7JH&keywords=rigid+industries+fog+lights&qid=1675386286&sprefix=rigid+industries+fog+lights,aps,130&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

 

[audiowize]

You could cut the harness they sell you and insert a switch to have your own control of that relay, but that seems like a waste of an expensive harness.

Those lights are 2A each, so you could run a fused wire (the fuse is not optional) from the battery to a handlebar switch and then out to the lights, but be sure that switch is rated for at least 5A (some margin is nice) and use at least 16 AWG wire. The Tenere I just bought had this setup and I ripped it all out and put it in the trash. The rocker switch installed to handle the current of the lights was enormous and had to be mounted in a giant hole that was poorly cut in the left inner fairing plastic. It was not a particularly elegant solution and was gross to look at and in a difficult spot to access. The SW Motech switch (and similar other options) can be mounted on your handlebars and easily accessed.

5A DC switches aren't exactly small, so to get a more reasonable switch, you'd end up using a relay to control the power going to the lights. You are correct to be concerned about accidentally running down your battery by leaving the lights on.

The Eastern Beaver kit would be a really nice option if you wanted to run some huge lights and a bunch of heated gear. It would give you 35A to play with that could be switch off from the ignition.

I can make a drawing of how to connect the parts I listed above if that's of interest to you.

 

[sixstring531]

Appreciate it brother! Love this forum.

I think I know how my buddy had it wired in, which seems to make sense to me.

It came with a wiring harness like this: https://www.amazon.com/HARNESS-SRQ-SRM-E4-6-SR-6-10/dp/B009NLMYKG/ref=sr_1_14?crid=1542LB1ZE1B7N&keywords=rigid+industries+switch+relay&qid=1675387116&sprefix=rigid+industries+switch+relay,aps,141&sr=8-14

which had two plugs (one for each light) one 2red/1black end with connectors and a switch, and then two other wires (just one red/black) that were cut out. I think those are the power that is supposed to go to the aux wiring harness. So, set it up like he had it with the switch and then run the power from the harness he gave me to the aux port, so it only receives power when the bike is on. I like the idea of the EB module in case things need to be added later.

Does that roughly make sense? If I were to use the above wiring switch/harness from Rigid, is that how I would run it into the Aux (instead of the battery as pictured on Amazon)

 

[audiowize]

Does that have a relay? The description says it does, but I don't see it in the photo.

 

[sixstring531]

It says it is not a switch relay, but an isolation relay (built in?) that isolates the power but does not switch the power. Not sure I get it, but It is what Rigid makes for their product, so my assumption is it is correct and tested as such. I am looking at their other harnesses now to see what info I can find.

 

[audiowize]

You could get the aux light cable from EB and cut that rigid harness and just wire those together. That would work just fine. If the Rigid harness doesn't have a relay, one would have to assume that the switch they provide is up to the task of dealing with the current the lights demand.

 

[sixstring531]

I think you said this from the get-go, but the EB complete harness may be overkill for this application due to the low draw of these lights, correct?

I still may get the full thing for future applications, but in the event I don’t the larger EB, I can probably get the Simple Aux cable (middle, here https://www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Bike_Specific/Tenere_700/Other/other.html) and wire switched hot and ground to my Rigid cable and switch. Still may be good to through an inline fuse in there.

 

[sixstring531]

I do like the SW Motech switch you sent earlier. Much nicer than the rigid switch.

 

[audiowize]

The aux light feed that's on the bike is already fused, so there's not a lot of concern there. The problem you can run into is running wiring directly from your battery with no fuse.

The SW Motech switch has the added benefit that you don't need to drill any holes into your bike to get your lights installed.