school me on the 2014 wiring system

[codan]

So I'm looking to add some driving light (for night riding, deer avoidance) but I gather there's more than the usual to consider.

 

So can someone give me an overview, what's special, etc.?

 

I know about the ClearWaters but that's more $ than I'm willing to spend. And I need to understand this anyway.

[codan]

2013 - typo

[Pappy35]

The Haynes manual has a complete wiring diagram but what you do depends on how you want to activate them. If you're OK with adding a weatherproof switch somewhere then you can simply tap directly off the battery and run wires as required to wherever you mount the switch and the lights. Otherwise, get a CanBus system (EZCan or it's equivalents).

 

You can't just tap power off the headlight circuit for two reasons: 1) because the added current draw might make the computer believe there's a short and it'll throw a code or cut power to the circuit, and 2) I really don't like the idea of modifying the bike's wiring harness by tapping into it. Those CanBus devices allow you to easily wire up auxiliary lights and do fun things with them like flashing them when you press the horn button, vary their intensity using the bike's ambient light sensor, etc. Also, don't go cheap on lights, motorcycle service can be severe and for me it's better to buy once and forget they are there than to have issues with eBay specials.