DIY: Adding GPS and Heated Gear / Battery Tender cable

[Alex]

Hi all -

Step one on bikes that make it into our garage, is fitting them with the ability to run a powered GPS, and the ability to power our heated clothing. The harness for the heated clothing has a dual purpose, and can also be used to easily attach a Battery Tender trickle charger to the bike, so the battery is always in good shape without ever having to remove the seat.

I added the GPS mount in the same place it's been on both of our prior ninjettes, just inboard of the left grip on the handlebar. I use a standard u-bolt ram mount, and aim the ball a little rearward:



This is where the GPS sits from the rider's view:



To attach the wiring to the battery, you first need to remove the body-colored side cover. There is one screw to undo, then it can be pulled free. There are 3 or 4 pop rivet type things, that when you pull them hard enough they pop right out of the rubber mount. Then the bike looks like this:



Next, remove the black plastic colored cover in between the fairing and the gas tank. There is one black screw at the bottom, and one silver bolt up near the top. When those are removed, the piece can be pulled free. It also has some of those same rubber/plastic mounts that get pulled free.



Remove the body-colored plastic cover on the opposite side of the bike. It has the same setup of one bolt, and then the rest are just those pop mounts to pull free. Finally, remove the rider's seat. There are two bolts, one on each side, that need to be removed. Then the seat needs to be pulled upwards. The rear of the seat has plastic hooks that attach into the frame, so if you've already removed the bolts, just move the seat around a bit until it comes free (don't force it).

Here's what it looks like under the seat:



Release the latches that are holding the large wiring harness on top of the battery. The latches are plastic, and on either side (toward both sides of the bike). Once released, the whole unit can be pulled upwards:



I suggest taping it up against the rear of the bike so it stays out of the way. There's no need to remove or unplug any of those harnesses. Next, remove the battery cover. There is one screw on the right side of the bike to remove, then the cover can be removed completely:



Next, it's all about choosing how you want to run your wires, attaching them to the battery posts, and then securing them in place. Be careful around the positive terminal, doing your best not to have any tool touch both that terminal and anything on the bike that may be grounded. We ran the GPS wire up the left frame tube, fed it through between the tank and the fairing, and managed to snake it up the same hole that the main wiring harness goes through under the tripletree. Once it is where you want it to be, start using zipties to secure it and make sure it won't move around. I routed the heated gear harness down the left side of the bike, to peek out just a little above the sprocket. It as well needs a bunch of zipties down its length to keep it in place. I then had some assistance with someone who is more careful than me to route the wires under the seat, and add a few more zipties to keep them organized:



Once the wires look good, there's just a couple of things to check. Make sure that the battery bolts are as tight as they can possibly be. If they loosen, weird things start to happen to the bike. Don't just use a screwdriver, use a nut-driver or ratchet to tighten them incredibly hard; that's why they are shaped that way. Reattach the battery cover. Pop that wiring harness back into its slot in the top of that cover. Replace the seat. Replace the black side panel. Replace both body-colored side panels. Enjoy!

Only after we reassembled everything, I realized that 2 or 3 of the zipties and part of the cable run slightly interfere with the panel mount on the left side, so it doesn't fit as flush as it should. I ran out of time to tidy it up, but some weekend when we feel OCD, we'll open it back up and re-run the wires to make sure they don't interfere at all with the plastic panel.



The GPS worked like a charm on today's ride, and the heated gear kept me toasty all morning.

[choneofakind]

Oh my Alex! What nice hands and arms you have!

jk, I know that's Mrs C. Your DIY skills are on the master level sir. I'm taking notes for when I do my bixenon retrofit on a pregen DIY thread.

[Jiggles]

You keep your GPS where I keep my cupholder.

Kawasaki Lead Designer, "You know what the ninjette needs? More fairings!"
Kawasaki Engineer, "What? That's a terrible idea, the design should be simpler, not more complicated."
Kawasaki Lead Designer, "Oh well excuse me!!! Maybe the guy without a masters in art and design has a better idea hmmm!??"
Kawasaki Engineer, "I'm just saying that if we have a simpler de...."
Kawasaki Lead Designer, "Fck you."
Kawasaki Engineer, "...... No wonder you got fired from starbucks."

[Vergil]

Alex shops at Office Depot! I work there, we're practically related

[choneofakind]

Let's play a game: Count the number of helmets you see in Alex's garage. I count 6. Plus there might have been one more in the other DIY thread for adjusting the preload?

[Alex]

I think they multiply when we're not looking.

[headshrink]

Tell me about those white/black hard bags in your garage!

[Alex]

Stock luggage for the K1600GT. No, they won't fit on the 300.

[headshrink]

Originally Posted by Alex

Stock luggage for the K1600GT. No, they won't fit on the 300.

I knew it was too good to be true.

[allanoue]

I started to install a connector for my USB port but I found this already installed.

Plugged in my heated gloves and they warmed right up.

[Alex]

Nice! Did the dealer leave it on? Sometimes they have harnesses on the floor bikes if they have already installed a battery.

[allanoue]

It was not a floor model. They had a floor model for demo rides. Mine was right out of the create, in fact they requested a day to uncrate it. It looks factory installed.

[Alex]

Mine doesn't seem to have it. I just took off the side cover under the seat on the right side, and the black cover underneath that, and still can't find any open SAE plug.

[allanoue]

right next to the brake light connector near the back brake (see pic) I did not need to pull any covers off, I just need to pull the cap off the connector.

[Alex]

Someone put that on for you. It's not a stock part.

[allanoue]

sweet

[allanoue]

I asked at the dealer about the connection and they said they put it on all their bikes for sale, new or used.

[headshrink]

Originally Posted by allanoue

I asked at the dealer about the connection and they said they put it on all their bikes for sale, new or used.

Wow, that's really nice of them.... and most unexpected.

[Alex]

I wonder if they had enough experiences with bad batteries after installing them / letting them sit, that it became cheaper in the long run to have these harnesses everywhere, and just rotate battery tenders around the shop every couple weeks to keep them in top shape. Once the bike is sold, perhaps it would cost more in labor to go in and remove the harness rather than just leaving the $5 part on it. Either way, great deal for the buyer.

[Aurodox]

My 300 came with that connector as well. I suppose the dealer was thinking ahead! Really thought it was a new feature on the kawasakis. +1 for dealers doing work for us!

[Xplorguy]

Originally Posted by Alex

Hi all -

Step one on bikes that make it into our garage, is fitting them with the ability to run a powered GPS, and the ability to power our heated clothing.



The GPS worked like a charm on today's ride, and the heated gear kept me toasty all morning.

Wondering how much amperage draw the 300's alternator will put up with without killing the battery. Does anyone have output information? I've looked for spec's but can't find anything. No listing in the manual and nothing on their website..........

[Alex]

The Ninja 300 charging system has a rated output of 294 watts (21 Amps at 14 volts, when RPM's are at least 5000 RPM, according to the service manual (page 1-11). The Ninja 250 charging system was rated at 266 watts (19 Amps at 14 volts, same RPM). Someone put together a DIY that calculated out all of the electrical loads on the 250, and came up with 70 - 88 free watts under most conditions. (link to that thread) I don't think anyone has posted up the math yet for the 300, but odds are it has a similar amount of available excess energy.

[allanoue]

Originally Posted by Alex

I wonder if they had enough experiences with bad batteries after installing them / letting them sit, that it became cheaper in the long run to have these harnesses everywhere, and just rotate battery tenders around the shop every couple weeks to keep them in top shape. Once the bike is sold, perhaps it would cost more in labor to go in and remove the harness rather than just leaving the $5 part on it. Either way, great deal for the buyer.

They said they do rotate a battery tender to all their motorcycles in stock but mine was right out of the crate and they put it on.

[ai4px]

I mounted one of these:



On some of the black plastic (not fairing) just in front of my left knee. My heated gear power cord comes out of my left pocket to that jack. Works like a champ! Just make sure it is far enough forward that there is no way your knee can hit it.