Tracing wires?

[markyodo]

Kinda related to my other post on cheap farkles, I noticed a lot of DIY LED installs. I haven't been brave enough yet to start pulling body panels off my Spyder but I know the time is coming when I will have to.
Finless has some great videos, I suppose some are relying on the maintenance manual for more specifics, and there are some good topics in the DIY forum. I guess I am just being cautious and maybe a bit paranoid when it comes to messing with the electrical, and I think a lot more people would be willing to try a DIY wiring farkle if they knew it was relatively easy.

I was wondering how difficult it is to trace wires for these LED installs, especially when it's not part of a kit related to Spyder specific installations? What was it like the first time you went digging for wires?

Thanks.

[finless]

If you buy the LED kits then they usually come with connectors the plug between existing connectors. Pretty fool proof.
Some kits come with posi-taps and instructions to tell you which wire to tap into.

If you DIY it yourself, then you have to find the info on which wire.

For tapping into the turn signals up front it's easy. There are only 2 wires on the plug to the mirrors. Cant mess that up!

For rear break, running, and turn it also easy but you have to know which wire color. That info has been posted here and is in some of my videos.

All in all for basic LED lights it's easy in my opinion.

Bob

[Gray Ghost]

You can find service manuals on ebay for about $25 or so. I have traced wiring on bikes before and it is so much easier if you have a diagram. One of the nice things about the BRP diagram is that it gives you an idea where on the bike you can find a connector that you have located on the diagram. In the photo with the "arrows" you see a connector labelled KIC, then in the other photo you will see that KIC is located in zone 2 and the part number of the cable.
ScreenHunter_95 Jan. 14 08.31.jpgWiring2.jpg

[markyodo]

Thanks guys.
Gray Ghost - your explanation helps a lot. I'm ordering a service manual now.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

These can be bought at any auto parts store and is very useful to verify that the chosen wire is what you want .....................JMHO......Mike

[SpyderFun]

...I noticed a lot of DIY LED installs. I haven't been brave enough yet to start pulling body panels off my Spyder but I know the time is coming when I will have to...I was wondering how difficult it is to trace wires for these LED installs, especially when it's not part of a kit related to Spyder specific installations?

My 2-cents would be to see if there is a fellow Spyder Owner nearby that can help you out...especially of they have already done the mod you are trying to do. Sometimes a little help is all you need and Spyder Owners are always helpful!

[finless]

You can find service manuals on ebay for about $25 or so. I have traced wiring on bikes before and it is so much easier if you have a diagram. One of the nice things about the BRP diagram is that it gives you an idea where on the bike you can find a connector that you have located on the diagram. In the photo with the "arrows" you see a connector labelled KIC, then in the other photo you will see that KIC is located in zone 2 and the part number of the cable.
ScreenHunter_95 Jan. 14 08.31.jpgWiring2.jpg

Correct me if I am wrong but one thing the electronic manuals on Ebay do not have is the big fold out wiring diagram! At least mine did not come with that. The excuse the seller gave was he could not scan that as it is not a 8 1/2" by 11" page but is a huge fold out.

So buyer be ware if your looking for the BRP complete wiring diagram.

Bob

[pitzerwm]

The "Green" manual that I got on Ebay, does have the full electrical schematics, and you can print it out full size.

[finless]

The "Green" manual that I got on Ebay, does have the full electrical schematics, and you can print it out full size.

OK lets make sure we are talking about the same thing. I am talking about the huge fold out page that shows the entire wiring diagram.

Lamonster's video here shows what this is at .51



My green manual did not come with this. Figuring it out from the single pages and how it all connects is not easy without the large fold out!

After buying a real manual that has this page... I would not go without it....

My .00002 cents....

Bob

[markyodo]

After buying a real manual that has this page... I would not go without it....
My .00002 cents....
Bob

ROFL - Well that video was an eye opener & scared the crap out of me.

[finless]

& scared the crap out of me.

Why? Actually that sheet WAS AN EYE OPENER and seriously... It's big but not near as complicated as you think.

I work for Xerox and you should see the ones we have for the Igen Color Press.... This one is simple to understand!

Well sorry not trying to brag but it is..... Maybe because I have worked with ones much more complicated. Again sorry.. not trying to brag.

But again, it is worth getting a real manual if you want to go to that level of understanding with your Spyder...

Bob

[trikermutha]

Well Kinkos,UPS does pretty good job of printing.

Would that be considered a real manual if I had them print one up from the green manual?

[finless]

Well Kinkos,UPS does pretty good job of printing.

Would that be considered a real manual if I had them print one up from the green manual?

It's not in the green manual. Please some show me other wise!!!!!

I work for Xerox and Kino's uses most of our products. To print that from an electronic source or copy it from a original document, requires a "Wide Format" printer something most Kinko's rarely carries unless they have a lot of customers doing blue prints.

Bob

[Gray Ghost]

Correct me if I am wrong but one thing the electronic manuals on Ebay do not have is the big fold out wiring diagram! At least mine did not come with that. The excuse the seller gave was he could not scan that as it is not a 8 1/2" by 11" page but is a huge fold out.

So buyer be ware if your looking for the BRP complete wiring diagram.

Bob

You quoted my post including screen shots that I made from a page of an electronic manual that I purchased from ebay for around $10. It was a comprehensive manual that covered all the 2013 models, including the wiring diagrams for all of them.

Sorry that the manual you got was not complete. I have looked at the specifications on several of the ebay manuals and all that I recall had wiring diagrams as well.

[trikermutha]

It's not in the green manual. Please some show me other wise!!!!!

I work for Xerox and Kino's uses most of our products. To print that from an electronic source or copy it from a original document, requires a "Wide Format" printer something most Kinko's rarely carries unless they have a lot of customers doing blue prints.

Bob

The Kinkos in my area seems to print WIDE FORMAT prints with no problems..I have taken electronic version prints to them several times and when I was done folded/rolled them up to take them home..

So you are saying the electrical diagrams are not in the green manual??or the prints are incomplete?

[billybovine]

I have a Midwest manual for 2008 to 2010 GS/RS. The 2008 part the wiring diagram sucks because it is in pieces. The wiring diagrams in the 2010 updated section are good full size and needs to shrink to 25% of it's original size to fit on my 22 inch monitor.

I also have the 2013 Midwest/Green Manual for all models. It is from a digital source, not scanned, so the quality is excellent. It can be highly magnified without distortion. To print out the wiring diagrams from it at 100% would require a paper size of 44 X 30 inches.

IMHO I see no point in getting the paper manual.

2013 rt wiring.jpg

2013 rt wiring 2.jpg

[trikermutha]

[markyodo]

Purchased a PDF of the manual for $8.95 and wanted to report that it is complete and does have the full wiring diagram which I can have printed full size if required. Thanks everyone, lots of good info.