Is this the "positive accessory wire" I should be hooking Hyper-lites up to?

[eruff]

Can you help me identify a certain wire? My bike is an '05 R1200RT. I am trying to install some Hyper-lites. The kit is called the "R1200RT II Dual Function Running Lights and Flashing Brake Lights" and is specific to the R1200RT. It is the pair of 16 LED version. I am trying to locate a wire, but don't have any idea what I am doing.

 

The instructions tell me to find the "spare accessory connector under the (rear) seat." Then it tells me to "Use the red tap connector [supplied] to attach the Hyper-light gray wire to the positive accessory wire... "

 

What complicates matters beyond my own ineptitude is that I had the BMW dealership install an Autocom on the bike, so you will see their work in the picture.

 

The pictures that follow are first, the rear of the bike looking backwards, with an indication of where the following close-up photos were taken. In the last two close-up photos, I have numbered the wires as you can see.

 

My guess is that Wire #1 is the power (hot wire) for the Autocom and the dealer may have already beaten me to the punch on tying in to the positive accessory power line, which I think is Wire #2. If that is correct, there's not much of Wire #2 left for me to tap into unless I unravel some more insulation, so I was thinking of tying into Wire #1 which I think is the Autocom wire. Would that make any difference?

 

Finally, I am fully prepared to be told that I am totally off base, and this is not the "spare accessorty connector" or that I am at the wrong end of the bike. I really don't know what I am doing and am hoping some kind soul will pull me back from the brink before I melt the bike and warranty.

 

Here are the pics:

 

 

Thanks for any comments!

 

-Eric

[R4ND0M_AX3]

Wire #1 is electricly the same as Wire #2.

 

I can't tell you if either of those is the correct wire to use though.

[eruff]

Thanks, that answers one of my questions. Do you see anything in the photos that looks like the "spare accessory connector under the seat?"

 

-Eric

[keithb]

Eric

I just installed a pair of eight LED lights on my 05 RT. I am not sure yours is the same but here is how I wired the lights. I only removed the tail light assembly and did not go into the trunk like you did. Remove the tail light lens. There are two bulb assemblies in the middle of the tail light with 2 wires attached to each assembly. A brown wire and gray wire. Pick one of the assemblies. Follow the instructions of removing the gray/brown wires and attaching them to the spade connectors supplied and then reattaching those wires. Then you mate 3 blue wires to a connector and crimp them together and then mate the 3 brown wires together and crimp them together. If this does not help I would definitely give Ron at Hyper Lites a call.

[ChuckM]

I had the same question. In an email from Don Lockhart, VP of BMW Riders of Maine, he suggested using the GREEN wire of the six wires going into the dignostic port. Don felt this would work better for the tap/splice than the accessory socket which causes the Hyperlites to stay on when using the BMW charger.

Chuck

[eruff]

he suggested using the GREEN wire of the six wires going into the dignostic port.

 

Chuck,

 

How do I identify the "diagnostic port?" It all looks like spaghetti to me.

 

-Eric

[Mainuh]

Eric,

 

Sorry I didn't get on earlier and it's late to call you, but in your 2nd photo, the plug inder the label "wire #3" looks like the diagnostic port (the pic with white lettering where wire #3 is to the right of the autocom). Wire 1, 2,& 3 are all connected to the accessory socket which is pre-wired there in case you want to add a BMW socket to the rear for a passenger. It should have about 6 wires. One of them green. The wire they went into for the autocom is the rear accessory socket. It you tapped that for the hyperlights they'd stay on for 1 minute after shutting the bike off, unless you use the BMW canbus charger, then they hyperlights would not shut off as you'd keep that circuit on the accessroy port hot as long as the charger was on (voice of experience). So, I switched to the green wire on the diagnostic port and it all shuts off instantly when the key goes off.

 

I get up just after 4AM EST, so heading to bed, but if you're still scratching your head tomorrow, send me an email with the best time to call (tuesday - I have your #) and I'll call. I got heavy involved in ride planning for the TT race in Nova Scotia and totally lost track of time tonight.

[ChuckM]

I have not installed the hyperlites yet (was going to do it this weekend). Here is a photo of the six wires going into the dignostic port. One of them is green (not solid). I was going to tap into that one.

Chuck

[eruff]

Here is a photo of the six wires going into the dignostic port. One of them is green (not solid). I was going to tap into that one.

Chuck

 

Is this the diagnostic port? Mine wasn't plugged into anything. But it only has 5 wires, not six, although one is green and white striped.

 

-Eric

 

 

 

[Mainuh]

Eric,

 

Yes, that's it. I thought it was 6, but hadn't gone out, pulled the seat off, and counted. The green wire is switched on and off instantly with the ignition.

[eruff]

Got 'er done! Thanks for the help, Don. With your guidance it worked right off the bat. Here's a pic, but I think the Hyper-lites are much brighter than the regular brake light, although the photo is not able to show it. (do you see my hand appear to squeeze the brake?)

 

Thanks again. This is a great board. I couldn't have done it without the help. I am not a mechanic type nor an electrician, but "I get by with a little help from my friends."

 

-Eric

 

[Mainuh]

Got 'er done! Thanks for the help, Don. With your guidance it worked right off the bat. Here's a pic, but I think the Hyper-lites are much brighter than the regular brake light, although the photo is not able to show it. (do you see my hand appear to squeeze the brake?)

 

Thanks again. This is a great board. I couldn't have done it without the help. I am not a mechanic type nor an electrician, but "I get by with a little help from my friends."

 

-Eric

 

Eric,

 

Looks great! Good job. Glad to be able to help a little. That's what forums like this are best for... sharing info and helping each other out.

 

I think Hyperlites are a great safety addition to a bike. Looks like you also have some reflective tape in the back? I've added the black 3M Scotchlite reflective tape to most of the non painted black plastic surfaces on the back of my bags & trunk. It's good to be seen! I know one of my biggest fears is getting rear ended. I've got photos of my hyperlites and 3M tape on my website under the "gallery of photos" on the 05 R1200RT link in my signature below. I had a pair 0f 8 LED Hyperlites left over from my K1200GT, so I tied those on over the blinkers and under the luggage rack. They really light things up now!

 

 

Again looks great! Now, tell me how you uploaded your "2 part picture"?

Ride safe.

[ChuckM]

Don,

Installed my hyperlites also. Work great. Thanks for your input.

Eric, like Don, how did you upload two photos overlapping each other and alternating back and forth...great visual.

Chuck

[eruff]

Eric, like Don, how did you upload two photos overlapping each other and alternating back and forth...great visual.

Chuck

 

Don and Chuck,

 

The two photos are an "animated gif" like these: (two images) and (three images I think). To do this you need two or more images stored in .gif format which you will combine into a single .gif file. You can't use .jpg format because jpeg doesn't allow layering. BTW .gif also allows interlacing and transparent backgrounds (those bouncy "Graemlins" above take advantage of transparent backgrounds). You might wonder, if gifs are so versitile, why does anyone use jpeg. The reason is that jpegs generally produce better photos for a given file size, unless you are dealing with images having relatively few colors such as you will find in cartoons, maps, and black and white drawings.

 

So here is how I do it. Take my photographs, trying very hard NOT to move the camera. Tripods are almost essential. In my case, one photo with lights on; another with lights off.

 

Bring them into Photoshop. I use Photoshop to get the photos ready (put them into diffent layers in the same project and tweak them to line them up on top of each other and adjust color contrast and brightness so they all look as similar as possible).

 

Compress and save. Still in Photoshop, use "Save to Web" to compress and save the different images in .gif format.

 

Weld the pictures together. Use a different progam to combine the individual pictures into a single .gif file. I'm on a Mac, so I use a program call "GIFfun" which is free here.

 

I am sure that animated gif builder software is available free for the PC as well.

 

The animated gif builder software (super easy to use) lets you layer the individual gif images as well as set paramters for such things as delay time between layers and number of total loops of action. You end up with a single file ending in .gif. This can be posted just like a jpeg image, but you will see the "movement" of the layers.

 

Questions?

 

-Eric

[Mainuh]

Cool Eric! I did a "properties" on your pic and saw it was a gif. Guess I'll find a gif builder and see what I can do! That's a great idea for illustrating think such as I have on my R12RT page. Thanks for the info!

[eruff]

You can download a gif builder for several different versions of windows called CoffeeCup Gif Animator. I think you can try it for free, then if you like it there is a "nominal" (don't know how much) shareware fee to pay to make it permanent. Happy gif building!

 

-Eric