Connecting Gerbings

[BRADFORDBENN]

Hello All-

I figure I am not the first one to hit this little problem...

The Gerbing directions say:

ÔÇ£The accessory plug on BMW bikes is strong enough to power Gerbing's heated clothing. We sell a modified BMW plug that replaces the battery harness for your connection to your bike's electrical system. This modified plug connects to the BMW accessory plug-in on one side and Gerbing's thermostat or on/off switch on the other side.ÔÇØ

Today the snow and rain stopped enough to go for a ride. I read the directions on the ÔÇ£Portable Temp-ControllerÔÇØ and followed the instruction to have engine running when connecting. Went for a ride around the neighborhood and noticed I was not getting warm. The LED was not blinking on the controller. I went back home and checked the fuse for the accesory socket as the GPS had also lost power. The accesory socket fuse had blown, it is rated for 4Amps. I figured maybe I had done something wrong, and replaced it once again following the directions. Go for a test ride again and still no heat. After doing some troubleshooting, I determine that the root case is OhmÔÇÖs Law.

OhmÔÇÖs Law states that Power (or Watts) divided by Electromagnetic Force (Volts) = Intensity (Amps). I did the math with 77W and 12V and it indicates that the fuse must be rated at approximately 6.5Amps or more than 50% larger. I checked my ownerÔÇÖs manual for my R1150RT and it does indicate that the accesory socket has a 4Amp fuse.

So at the moment I am still cold. However the legs were nice and warm with the HyperTex Overpants.

Anyone else hit this problem? Is the only solution to wire it into the battery?

I figure that if the BMW vest draws 70W it must have a similiar problem.

 

[BMWRich58]

My "Heat Troller" plugs directly into the "accessory socket" on the bike. There is nothing else wired in on that circuit.

I don't recall the instructions saying that when you connect to the bike you should have the engine running.

I do know that on the "controller" it is listed... "Power coming IN"(from supply/bike), and "Power going Out" (to accessory).
In theory, the "controller" is in the middle adjusting power.

 

[Mr. Frank]

Hi Brad,
I have my Gerbings wired directly to my battery for a better connection and better heat. The accessory plug on my R1150RT has only a 4A fuse, which would not come close to handling my 90W jacket. My K75RT had a 15A fuse in the accessory socket which I used a great deal for the Gerbings. Anything much less than 10A and you are not going to be able to use your vest in the accessory socket. Of course, I am not telling you to use a bigger fuse.

 

[99007]

What are you talking about?

Ain't gerbings those little rat like things what fling themselves into the ocean every couple years when their taxes go up?
Wait, those are lerbils, right?

 

[jdiaz]

Odd. Both sockets on my '96 R1100RT were fused at 10A, and I think I bumped the lower one to 15A when I added the two-outlet plate so I could run two jackets. And that factory wiring wasn't particularly beefy either.

 

[Cal]

Brad,

Make all connections with the engine off. Once you have connected your Heat Troller to your accessory socket and jackey, start your motor and then turn your heat troller on.

Always make sure your thermostat is off when starting your motorcycle.

If you do it as you described you are putting alarger load on your fuses than normal.

Cal Garcia
Sarasota, Florida

 

[Mr. Frank]

I don't think the problem is the sequence of events. A 4A fuse is highly unlikely to support a 70W vest. Add gloves and you can forget it. Either get the Gerbings battery harness or get a bigger fuse. I recommend option one.

 

[kbasa]

Does the manual specify a 4A fuse in that position? I've never seen a 4A fuse on an oilhead....

 

[BRADFORDBENN]

Yup Manual Sez

Page 50 of the R1150RT Service and Technical Bulletin (BMW PN 01 47 7 664 127) sez the following:

1. Instrument Cluster ....4A
2. Parking Light ...... 4A
3. Sockets, FID..... 4A
4. Horn......7.5A
5. Motronic....10A
6. Fueld pump. ..... 10A
7. Heated Handles ..... 4A
8. Radio ..... 4A
9. Not Assigned
10. Fog Lights ..... 15A
    [/list=1]
    
    And that is what is in the fuse box.
    
    I got a response from Cupid at Gerbing:
    

    You are correct the liner draws 6+ amps, some of the BMW models the accessory outlet has a fuse rating of 4 to 5 amps. If you are running just a vest or gloves upgrading the fuse is not necessary. If you are running a jacket or jacket liner you will need to upgrade to a minimum of a 7 amp fuse if you add gloves or pants at later date you will need to upgrade to a 10 amp fuse. Some BMW riders have been concerned about upping the amperage to a higher rated one, but according to a BMW factory rep they said that this would not be a problem, the wire supporting the outlet is heavy enough to handle the additional load. Hope this helps. Thanks

    
    Tomorrow is a call to the dealer just to make sure.

 

[Mr. Frank]

My manual says the same thing for the sockets (4A), but there is a 15A fuse in that slot. Go figure.

 

[basketcase]

Something about this picture is comical ...

Because I can just see all of you hunkered down next to your motorcycles, wires trailing everywhere, peering through your bi-focals at fuse designations.

Pass me another cool one, please. I need to compare that fuse to this manual just one more time ...

 

[BRADFORDBENN]

Stop laughing at me or I'll have my guide dog bite you.

 

[kbasa]

Presbyopia. It's a way of life.

Mr. Bifocals.

 

[screamin eagle]

fuse and vest

I just happened to stumble onto this thread and now I really need help.

Here it is: I got a Harley vest which I am sure is made by Gerbing. I bought a connecting wire from BMW dealer so it could be plugged into the port on my 2004 R1150RT. I used it once and it worked fine but I don't have any instructions stating that the bike should be running or vest turned off or anything.

Additionally I was planning to ride from Pa to Daytona next week and I don't want to burn wires or blow fuses and I want to be warm. Do I use my vest or leace it at home and dress warm.

 

[Mr. Frank]

Your accessory outlet is always hot. If you leave the vest on too long with the bike not running, you will eventually drain the battery. Brief periods would not be a problem. I turn my Gerbing's off whenever I stop.

 

[LORAZEPAM]

My dealer said to put a 10 or 15 amp in ther if you want. A guy came in with the same problem last year while I was there. My bike has a 15 amp fuse in it.

those are Lemmings by the way Cliffy, Your Dookiness

 

[Luckies]

HereÔÇÖs the problem. The manual is WRONG. The wiring diagram shows a 15 amp fuse in that slot, the wiring diagram in my Clymers does anyway. I have been running a Union Ridge suit, gloves, socks, and a 2610 off the accessory plug all winter without problem. That is, until one day the suit wouldnÔÇÖt heat up and my windshield wouldnÔÇÖt move either. I checked the fuse, saw it was a 15 amp, and just to be sure, verified that it was the correct fuse in the manual, but what I found was that it called out the 4 amp fuse. I put one in, plugged in the suit and blew it out instantly. Okay, something really wrong with the suit here, I get out my meter and found good continuity all around. Hmmm, now off to get may Clymers manual. Sure enough, itÔÇÖs a 15 amp so I put a 15 back in, get on, take off, and by the corner the windshield wonÔÇÖt work again, turn around and head back to the garage. Fuse is blown again. Now you smart trouble-shooters will already be saying to yourselves ÔÇ£He didnÔÇÖt fix anything in the first place, why would he think just changing a fuse would fix anythingÔÇØ. Of course it doesnÔÇÖt! So IÔÇÖm back to trying to figure out what the heck is wrong. The fuse only blows after I plug my suit in and doesnÔÇÖt always pop immediately. Gotta be the suit. Back to verify continuity, itÔÇÖs still good. What the hell. I unplug the suit from the bike and for some reason I decide to see if the accessory plug is hot, it is, and leaves a small red dot on my fingers for good measure. I open up the BMW accessory plug that Gerbings provided with my suit and find this, (picture below). As you can see the connection lugs are just close enough to arc after the suit starts to draw more current. I called Gerbings and immediately got an apology, over and over, really, they were what I felt, genuinely sorry to have caused me an inconvenience. Anyway, they sent a new one out right away and I havenÔÇÖt had a problem. I did notice that they have changed their manufacturing process on the accessory plug. The first was potted with an RTV substance that could be seen coming out of the back of the plug and the second had a pre-manufactured seal that looked like it was on the wire to begin with. So look at the plug, could be the problem. Hope this helps.

Dave

 

[USERNAME]

i would like to say that thanks to this thread, when my glove liners and jacket liner arrived yesterday from gerbing, i just yanked the gas tank, wired directly to the battery, (and hard-wired the GPS while i was in there) neatly dressed the wires, and whammo spiffo, everything is good. without having read this prior (and spoken with brad) i'd have likely tried to use the accesory socket and smoked a few fuses before just hard wiring.

so much thanks to brad for starting this thread, to everyone who replied, and to advrider's hall of wisdom where i obtained excellent instructions for removing the tank, etc etc.

 

[Grey_Matter]

This is very good info. I hard wired my Heat-Troller to the battery & ran the jacket plug out from the front of the seat. This is very convenient & I have not had any problems with this set-up. The GS has a second accessory outlet on the left side of the beak. So far I have only used it for a 12v LED light I use for night time, road-side repairs.

 

[AntonLargiader]

I did the math with 77W and 12V and it indicates that the fuse must be rated at approximately 6.5Amps

First off, the bike runs at 14V. I think the Gerbing draws in the neighborhood of 95W.

On my RS, it took a 25A fuse to keep two of us hot on a cross-country trip. My passenger had the jacket, gloves and socks. I had just the jacket I think, maybe gloves, and the heated grips running (I forget if they are on the same fuse). No damage to any wiring.