Centech AP2 & APR130r Wired up on 09 RT

Here are some pictures and basic explanation of where my mechanic friend, Capn Kneedragger, wired up a Centech AP2 and its wiring harness, APR130r onto my 2009 R1200RT. The short and sweet on this is:

All that needs to be removed to install the Centech by this method is the passenger seat and rider seat. If you have heated seats, you will also have to disconnect them; each seat has its own separate wire, and the disconnect can be done relatively simply by pinching the clip and pulling away.

1. The AP2 is mounted sideways on the rear fender, beneath where the passenger seat abuts to the rider seat. A sideways mount allows both sides of the AP2 to be accessed easily to wire up gadgets. The wires into the AP2 come into it from the side that is nearest the rear of the bike, b/c that seemed to be the best way to keep the wires neat and separated from each other, and also, not shoved up against the crossbar in the frame. Wires were soldered and heat shrunk. This placement does not interfere with anything, including the OEM BMW tool kit, which can be seen in place. However, in a reply to this thread, Racer7 says this placement may interfere should anyone wish to use an Ohlin shock, so the fix is to mount the AP2 a few inches further toward the back. See Picture 1 below, which shows both the AP2 (on right) and the relay switch (mounted to the crossbar; closeup picture of that to follow) and lots of zip ties in place.

2. The relay is mounted to the crossbar using the screw hole that already is in the bar. We also used a zip tie for extra security. See picture 1 below. But a close up of the mounted relay will follow in a second post.

3. The orange wire (the relay trigger) is wired to the wiring for the rear accessory socket. This was the only one that could not be heat shrunk. One option, which we did not use, but which would be much cleaner than going directly to the wire was to buy BMW's pigtail that can be plugged into the accessory socket from inside and under the seat (ie, we're not talking about the male pigtail that you can plug into the socket as one would use to plug up a charger, etc).

We also opted not to use any extra clamping diodes, although that is probably the safest way (as my mechanic friend agreed with Racer7 and Deilenberger from this forum on that point). I made the decision not to use them based on the experience of several of my other friends and some posters on this list who have not experienced any problems by going through the accessory socket.

Capn Kneedragger also used the voltage meter to check everything as he went along and when we had everything all wired up and used a lot of zip ties to keep wiring securely in place.

Centech AP2 & 130R Wiring Harness on 09 R1200RT

2. The relay is mounted to the crossbar using the screw and hole that already is in the bar. We also used a zip tie for extra security. This picture demonstrates a close-up of the mounted relay.

Centech AP2 & 130R Wiring Harness on 09 R1200RT

3. The orange wire (the relay trigger) is wired to the wiring for the rear accessory socket. The orange trigger wire follows the same path as the rear accessory socket wiring.

Centech AP2 & 130R Wiring Harness on 09 R1200RT

Additional picture showing zip-tied wires at the battery connection point.

Centech AP2 & 130R Wiring Harness on 09 R1200RT

Additional picture showing close up of the zip-tied wiring near the relay. This is the area that can be seen in the left hand part of the close up of the relay (the picture that accompanies point 2 above).

Pretty std install of what is proably the most common way. Looks good and should work well.

You may find that the first time you connect a hi amp accessory to the panel that it delays shutoff for 20 minutes or more. Not sure why the bike does that when usinh a ZFE controlled trigger source but it does sometimes. One of the reason I prefer the intsant on/off and take my tirgger from the starter relay.

Should you ever eant to install rear Ohlin shock ,the panel looks like it might in the way of the usual position for part of that install but it could easily be moved back a few inchs if you need to- tere is plenty of clearance under the seat to put it on top of the fender further rearward if the need arises.

Now that you've got the Centech- what gets plugged into it??

racer7 said:

Pretty std install of what is proably the most common way. Looks good and should work well.

You may find that the first time you connect a hi amp accessory to the panel that it delays shutoff for 20 minutes or more. Not sure why the bike does that when usinh a ZFE controlled trigger source but it does sometimes. One of the reason I prefer the intsant on/off and take my tirgger from the starter relay.

Should you ever eant to install rear Ohlin shock ,the panel looks like it might in the way of the usual position for part of that install but it could easily be moved back a few inchs if you need to- tere is plenty of clearance under the seat to put it on top of the fender further rearward if the need arises.

Now that you've got the Centech- what gets plugged into it??

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Thanks Racer, and I'll relay your compliment "looks good" to Kneedragger. 20 minutes (?) but only the first time you plug in an hi amp accessory? I know from the BMW mechanics I talked to that the computer takes about 20-30 seconds to shut everything down after the key is turned off, and that was confirmed after we had it all wired up, when when we listened for the relay to trip and used a voltage meter to watch it drop.

First thing to be plugged in = my brandy new Gerbings heated jacket. Second = GPS, but that will probably be done this coming spring. Third = perhaps some extra lights to increase my bike's visibility profile across the front and improve my own ability to see at night. I'm not a fan of riding at night or dusk, but if I have to do it, more lights will help!

That 20 minutes isn't a typo. A few times, for reasons I don't understand but that correlate with some type of change in what was connected, the ZFE apparently went into some sort of internal diagnostic checking routine and failed to shut off the outlets in the usual 20-30 seconds. Others have also reported this as has my local dealership. Because 20 minutes is enough to put a major dent in a battery if one is pulling power for lights through the panel and forgets to manually shut them off, I changed to the other trigger location. I got tired of watching whether the ZFE was actually going to shut off the panel by the time I got my helmet stowed and don't like walking away from a bike with the panel powered up. If you have the same issue and want to change the trigger, I posted some pics of which wire in the starter relay box is the one to use just a few days ago. Its the black/yellow stripe one.

If you've never had heated gear before you will find it quite interesting. For me, the electric jacket is what makes year round motorcycling in NC so comfortable. Where I live it rarely dips into the 20s and below 40 that jacket makes it like sitting in your living room. You will find at temps that low that gloves plus electric grips may not keep your fingertips warm at speed though so electric gloves can be added. If you do that, you will want a dual controller (any brand - they are interchangeable as long as they use the coax connector that is becoming the std) to keep the gloves from getting too hot. I like the REMOTE Warm N Safe controller much better than the antique Gerbings controller. I actually hate the thickness of all winter gloves so added Barkbuster S7s to my RT to block wind on my hands- will see if I can get by most of the time with my single layer gloves and heated grips. So far it looks like the Barkbusters will keep my fingertips warm in air about 10-12 degrees colder than otherwise at highway speeds, a worthwhile gain that covers a lot of our winter riding conditions. They'll also keep gloves drier in the rain.

Re the lights, I just added a set of Hella FF50s to mine using BMR brackets that put them under the mirrors. Do a search and you can find Don's photos of what these lights can do- he's got a set on his R1200R on some other mounts, (Lumalinks?). The wiring, connectors, switches etc in the Hella kit are junk but the lights work well- don't know how durable they will be. I also have a set of TrailTech 30W HIDs on EzyMounts but emphatically DO NOT recommend them to anyone- the bulbs fail at an alarming rate, aren't waterproof, and are $75 each! The TTs are likely to eventually be replaced- they fail when most needed (eg in the rain at night) Re wiring lights PIAA makes a nice harness for about $60 that is in their bike kits but no longer listed as a separate item on their website. It comes with a relay, a lit waterproof switch, etc- can probably still be purchased by making a call to PIAA- beats making your own which is what you have to do with the bits in the Hella FF50 kit (I did make my own but I'm accustomed to doing that- it is a bit tedious to do well). I have changed all of the bulbs in my bike (and in the FF50s) to the 65W H7 Osram rally lamp- that is a very easy swap that ups light output by about 50%, a worthwhile gain. Candlepower Inc is a good source for the Osram bulb. There is a similar IPF 65W bulb but it is not as durable- they can be had from Best Rest.

Re the GPS, one of the newer Garmins in the usual choice and deciding exactly where and how you want it mounted is part of the choice. I don't like mine up high in direct view but some do. I'd suggest figuring out everything you might want mounted "up front" before making a mounting choice- other things that go up front include radar detectors, XM radio receivers, IPods, aftermarket tire pressure monitors, remote controllers, etc etc. I don't find a GPS to be a complete substitute for good paper maps.

racer7 said:

That 20 minutes isn't a typo. A few times, for reasons I don't understand but that correlate with some type of change in what was connected, the ZFE apparently went into some sort of internal diagnostic checking routine and failed to shut off the outlets in the usual 20-30 seconds.

Click to expand...

Uhhh, I don't think internal diagnostics have anything to do with it. My manual explicitly states, for example, that aux power will last UP TO 15 minutes. In practice that seems to be closer to 20. The actual time varies. My guess from observation is that the time depends upon the draw and the battery voltage. If the battery is fully charged and there is a draw that exceeds a threshold the ZFE will keep the socket energized. If there is no draw there is no need for power so the socket is shut down sooner rather than later. It also appears that the socket is shut down if the battery voltage is below some threshold.

I see an '08 manual has similar wording.

You can start using electrical accessories only when the ignition is switched on. The accessory remains operational if the ignition is subsequently switched off. In order to ensure that the drain on the on-board power supply system is minimised, the supply to the power socket is cut off approximately 15 minutes after the ignition is switched off, and it is also temporarily interrupted during the start procedure.

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The wording is not quite correct in that the power can be (and usually is) cut off much sooner.

Yes but something is happening in the ZFE because it does not always do the same thing with the same hi amp load load- what it senses I've got no idea. I've found no way to predict when it will go "long" other than it is sometimes associated with a change of some type. My bike went long the first time it saw a fuse panel connected to the outlet wire even though there no load on the panel, yet- just the relay coil.

If it ran 15-20 minutes most of the time, I suspect the number of folks pulling a relay trigger from anything connected to the outlets would diminish a bunch. If you leave something on the pulls high load and its cold, that's asking for trouble. I run accessories so that there is little to no chance of having one accidentally left on but not everyone does.

racer7 said:

Yes but something is happening in the ZFE because it does not always do the same thing with the same hi amp load load- what it senses I've got no idea.

Click to expand...

I believe it also senses battery voltage and uses that to determine the state of charge. If the charge is low then you don't get 20 minutes.

At the risk of prolonging an exchange that has no obvious conclusion....

The battery on mine is in fine shape. Always on a charger when not in use. The bikes "default" has always been the 20-30 second time which is what normal behavior is as I understand it. The 20 minute times are the unusual ones and don't match up with anything that should cause low voltage, for example just connecting the panel with no load. Its the unpredictability of it that is annoying and caused me to move the trigger wire location.

Wonder if it differs at all by year??

Labeled wires

Good job!!

Where did you get yours labeled wires? I noticed you have wires labeled as Battery, Ground, Trigger. That is very nice and helpful.

Also what gauges of wires you had.

Any particular brand of relay that works better. I've seen many from several manufacturers.