HELP W/ WIRING HD FOGLIGHTS ON CRASH BARS. What have I done?
#11
02-18-2009, 09:58 PM
Outstanding HDF Member
Thanks for the responses. I think I'll have to print them out and look at the bike and try to soak it all in.
I'm thinking some of these ways I'm using the switch that came with it, but in a different location, and determining that I could get my power to them at any time, maybe not needing to do the passing lamp mod, at least I could run the fogs w/ low or high beam.
I'll just have to look and see where I'm comfortable putting the switch if I use their switch, Ultra says a good place is next to where the passing lamps switch is, I'll have to look at that and see if that makes sense to me, and the wiring descriptions he gave sound good, just need to look at it again and try to absorb what I'm being told here.
Thanks again, if anyone has any other tips or pics, by all means....
I'm thinking some of these ways I'm using the switch that came with it, but in a different location, and determining that I could get my power to them at any time, maybe not needing to do the passing lamp mod, at least I could run the fogs w/ low or high beam.
I'll just have to look and see where I'm comfortable putting the switch if I use their switch, Ultra says a good place is next to where the passing lamps switch is, I'll have to look at that and see if that makes sense to me, and the wiring descriptions he gave sound good, just need to look at it again and try to absorb what I'm being told here.
Thanks again, if anyone has any other tips or pics, by all means....
It's illegal in all states to run fogs with high beams. I have them on my '08 Super Glide Custom, run off low beam in headlamp housing.
#13
03-16-2009, 02:59 PM
No, not tackled yet, but I did take the bike apart yesterday, the whole headlight and back bracket to expose the inside of the nacelle completely, the seat is off, the side panes are off, haven't loosened the tank yet, still figuring out some details, and am about to ask past posters some questions....
#14
03-16-2009, 03:03 PM
Many here (myself included) wire the HD fog lights to the Accessory Connector located under the seat/in front of the battery and is controlled by the ACC switch on the fairing cap of the EG and RG.
Won't help you on this obviously, but it's a good idea to ask the parts guy at the HD store to print out the installation instructions on accessories you are considering. Then you can know before you buy what you are getting into.
Good luck with your project.
Won't help you on this obviously, but it's a good idea to ask the parts guy at the HD store to print out the installation instructions on accessories you are considering. Then you can know before you buy what you are getting into.
Good luck with your project.
Can you tell me specifically how you connected your fog lights to this connector? Did you buy a matching plug and hook your fog light wires to it? Or did you cut the wires off the accessory connector and wire it directly somehow? Whether I use the accessory connector for this, or another project, I would really appreciate it if you could elaborate on how you interfaced w/ this connector to hook up the lights, and any other relevant facts.
This is the kind of problem I'm running into, a lot of people say, hook it up to this or that, but I need a little more to go on. If I've never done something before, I follow directions real well, but generally don't start improvising until I feel like I know better than whatever instructions are provided.
In this case, all I knew was I didn't like the instructions that came w/ the unit, but wasn't smart enough (yet) to do it the way I wanted.
#15
03-16-2009, 03:07 PM
Karz,
We meet again. I have the fog lights on my Road King Custom. I threw away most of the instuctions and wired them to one of the aux. switches on the nacelle. I don't have the running lights on the Custom so I had unused 2 switches. Made the install much easier and looked better. The only other thing you should do is run the wires inside the crash bars. I didn't and I regret it.
Dan
We meet again. I have the fog lights on my Road King Custom. I threw away most of the instuctions and wired them to one of the aux. switches on the nacelle. I don't have the running lights on the Custom so I had unused 2 switches. Made the install much easier and looked better. The only other thing you should do is run the wires inside the crash bars. I didn't and I regret it.
Dan
Can you also elaborate on what exactly you did, if you can recall?
I see my spare accessory switch, and it has two wires coming off of it, an orange one, and an orange/dirty white one, then they disappear into the wire harness.
I've heard other people claim like HPM noted above that they wire into the accessory switch near the battery, and others that claim to wire into the nacelle itself, but no one gives details as to how they did it, or why they did it, pros/cons etc.
I'd really appreciate anything you can tell me, whether for this or other installs, I learn a lot from other people this way, helps me understand the ins and outs of things.
I do have a service manual, but I learn better from watching, or next best thing asking questions.
Thanks.
#16
03-16-2009, 03:10 PM
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Oh man, I got these HD fog lamps figuring they'd be a clean install, said it had wiring harness yadda yadda...
I already posted a thread about whether or not to drill the crash bars to hide the wires to the lamps themselves, in anticipation of the lights getting here.
Well, now they're here and I just read the instructions. Aside from having to remove the gas tank which was a lot more work than I anticipated having to do, I don't see any trick install instructions or tips for wiring into the existing harley electrical system, which is what I thought I'd be getting. I thought I'd be able to use the existing accessory switch, or be able to wire it into the passing lamp switch or some other thing, but it doesn't say anything about that, it wants me to wire this ugly black switch w/ black wire on my clutch control housing.
I don't think that's gonna work. First of all, I already have all the other wires run inside the handlebars, and I have braided cables for anything not inside the bars, I'm not running this wire up outside the bars, and secondly, the wire's not even long enough for the mini apes I have anyway, which would mean splicing and adding onto these wires.
Can anyone help me? Surely there's a better way to do this.
The other problem is it wants me to wire into the low beam for power, but I want to run these w/ or w/out the low beam. Whether that means I do the mod for the passing lamps to run all the time too, or whether I wire these new fog lamps to run independently from the passing lamps and wire it in some other more direct way, I need to figure out something.
I've seen these on some bikes w/ apes and didn't see any switch wires exposed anywhere, can somone help me figure out the "right" way to wire this, opposed to what the instructions suggest????
Thanks.
I already posted a thread about whether or not to drill the crash bars to hide the wires to the lamps themselves, in anticipation of the lights getting here.
Well, now they're here and I just read the instructions. Aside from having to remove the gas tank which was a lot more work than I anticipated having to do, I don't see any trick install instructions or tips for wiring into the existing harley electrical system, which is what I thought I'd be getting. I thought I'd be able to use the existing accessory switch, or be able to wire it into the passing lamp switch or some other thing, but it doesn't say anything about that, it wants me to wire this ugly black switch w/ black wire on my clutch control housing.
I don't think that's gonna work. First of all, I already have all the other wires run inside the handlebars, and I have braided cables for anything not inside the bars, I'm not running this wire up outside the bars, and secondly, the wire's not even long enough for the mini apes I have anyway, which would mean splicing and adding onto these wires.
Can anyone help me? Surely there's a better way to do this.
The other problem is it wants me to wire into the low beam for power, but I want to run these w/ or w/out the low beam. Whether that means I do the mod for the passing lamps to run all the time too, or whether I wire these new fog lamps to run independently from the passing lamps and wire it in some other more direct way, I need to figure out something.
I've seen these on some bikes w/ apes and didn't see any switch wires exposed anywhere, can somone help me figure out the "right" way to wire this, opposed to what the instructions suggest????
Thanks.
#17
03-16-2009, 03:22 PM
karz10... calm down man... LOL.. here's some step by step directions and it looks like a lot but in reality it will take you about an hour to do this right...
1. temp mount the lights on the crash bar where you want them.
2. wrap masking tape around the outside of the mounting brackets.
3. mark with a pen the location of where the wires need to go inside the engine guard.
4. take the engine guard off with the lights still on.
5. take the lights off and drill the holes. (put grommets or something in the holes to protect the wiring)
6. drill hole on top center of engine guard where it mounts to the neck of the bike. (again, make sure you use a grommet to protect the wires)
7. loosen (do NOT take off) the two front bolts holding the fuel tank on.
8. remove the seat
9. remove the bolt holding the rear of the tank on
10. take a large 1/2 drive socket and slip it under the tab that hold the rear of the tank down to hold it up.
11. take a wire clothes hanger, bend it straight, then gently slide it under the rear of the tank towards the front and it will slide right out the front on the right side of the bike where the other factory harness is.
12. take 2 pieces of wire (i use red to signify power) at least 14guage and fish them through the holes you drilled in the engine guard. 1 to each side of the engine guard.
13. put your grommets in the holes (IMPORTANT)
14. make your connections to the fog lights with the red wires and put the fog lights back on.
15. put your engine guard back on
16. drill a hole and mount the switch that came with your fog lights next to the switch for your running lights. run the wires from the switch through the same location as the big harness going to the headlights at the neck.
17. tape the 2 red wires and the switch wires to the end of the wire hanger and pull them through to the rear of the tank and into the open cavity in front of the battery.
In the left side (as sitting on bike) plastic tray under the tank you'll find an orange/red wire that is ignition. you will need to wire 1 wire from the harness on the fog lights (should have a fuse on it) directly to the battery and the "trigger" wire to the orange/red wire and then the remaining wire will be ground.
you might need to extend the switch wires but i don't recall me having to do that. i think they were long enough as they were.
again, MAKE SURE YOU PROTECT THOSE WIRES WHERE THEY GO INTO AND OUT OF THE ENGINE GUARD otherwise they WILL short out eventually.
1. temp mount the lights on the crash bar where you want them.
2. wrap masking tape around the outside of the mounting brackets.
3. mark with a pen the location of where the wires need to go inside the engine guard.
4. take the engine guard off with the lights still on.
5. take the lights off and drill the holes. (put grommets or something in the holes to protect the wiring)
6. drill hole on top center of engine guard where it mounts to the neck of the bike. (again, make sure you use a grommet to protect the wires)
7. loosen (do NOT take off) the two front bolts holding the fuel tank on.
8. remove the seat
9. remove the bolt holding the rear of the tank on
10. take a large 1/2 drive socket and slip it under the tab that hold the rear of the tank down to hold it up.
11. take a wire clothes hanger, bend it straight, then gently slide it under the rear of the tank towards the front and it will slide right out the front on the right side of the bike where the other factory harness is.
12. take 2 pieces of wire (i use red to signify power) at least 14guage and fish them through the holes you drilled in the engine guard. 1 to each side of the engine guard.
13. put your grommets in the holes (IMPORTANT)
14. make your connections to the fog lights with the red wires and put the fog lights back on.
15. put your engine guard back on
16. drill a hole and mount the switch that came with your fog lights next to the switch for your running lights. run the wires from the switch through the same location as the big harness going to the headlights at the neck.
17. tape the 2 red wires and the switch wires to the end of the wire hanger and pull them through to the rear of the tank and into the open cavity in front of the battery.
In the left side (as sitting on bike) plastic tray under the tank you'll find an orange/red wire that is ignition. you will need to wire 1 wire from the harness on the fog lights (should have a fuse on it) directly to the battery and the "trigger" wire to the orange/red wire and then the remaining wire will be ground.
you might need to extend the switch wires but i don't recall me having to do that. i think they were long enough as they were.
again, MAKE SURE YOU PROTECT THOSE WIRES WHERE THEY GO INTO AND OUT OF THE ENGINE GUARD otherwise they WILL short out eventually.
I do have a question for you also. Towards the end of your post, you mention taking the trigger wire from the supplied wire harness, and connecting it to the ignition wire under the tank, in a plastic tray on left side.
I believe the wire that comes w/ my fog lights for the 'trigger' is a short red wire. I could probably connect it to something in the nacelle, but I don't know which wire would be best. If I go to connect it to the ignition wire near the rear of the tank as you suggest, I would have to extend it somehow.
I have not yet loosened the tank, so I haven't seen the orange/red wire yet, I see a lot of wires coming out from underneath the chrome dash and ignition switch area on my 03 RKC on that left side, but those are technically not under the tank, they're under the dash, on top of the tank. All the wires in that area are covered w/ wrap, so I can't tell much as of yet.
So, assuming I can find the right orange/red wire after loosening the tank, do you have any recommendations on extending the trigger wire, as for types of connectors or wire? Or given my circumstances, would you suggest tapping into a particular wire, and particular way, in the nacelle instead, assuming I still wired the other wires exactly as you described?
Hope that makes sense. Thanks again for your time.
#18
03-16-2009, 03:25 PM
#19
03-16-2009, 03:49 PM
#20
03-16-2009, 05:00 PM
actually, BigSky, I've had some good suggestions, but the last several posts from today to resurrect this thread were to get me to the next level. Some suggestions like yours are not detailed enough for me, I need the idiot-proof directions 
I printed everything out and took the bike apart yesterday, but then posted my return questions to clarify how I can move forward. A lot of it is straightforward, but which specific wire to attach to which other specific wire, and how best to do so, is where I start getting lost.
Like I just asked harleypingman and roadan above how they wired it to use the accessory switch. One implied they wired into the accessory connector by the battery, one implied he tied into the wires in the nacelle, but in either case, I don't have enough understanding of exactly how they did it, so I'm still stuck on a couple points.
Care to elaborate how YOU did it?
Thanks.
I printed everything out and took the bike apart yesterday, but then posted my return questions to clarify how I can move forward. A lot of it is straightforward, but which specific wire to attach to which other specific wire, and how best to do so, is where I start getting lost.
Like I just asked harleypingman and roadan above how they wired it to use the accessory switch. One implied they wired into the accessory connector by the battery, one implied he tied into the wires in the nacelle, but in either case, I don't have enough understanding of exactly how they did it, so I'm still stuck on a couple points.
Care to elaborate how YOU did it?
Thanks.