Looking for an ignition-on Hot wire, any tips- 2003 k1200gt

Hi,

2003 K1200GT bike here. "What color wire am I looking for" is the question.

FYI from earlier suggestion, I have a fuse block currently connected directly to the battery. Ok for testing but I prefer to get the hot wire from one that is only ON with the ignition. I plan on connecting Garmin gps, a dash camera, and iPhone using USB connections. The Amp on any of these is 1-2 amp, so my fuse block has a 3amp fuse related to each device. I don't expect to need a 15 amp or greater line.

One reference suggested I use the parking lights in the front. This is doable but I was hoping to use a wire under the seat where my fuses are located. I wanted a clean ignition-On wire that doesn't go thru the existing fuse box, if possible. Before I cut into the harness and start poking each wire to find a hot one, any tips?

Much appreciated. John

I have no direct K12GT experience, but with BMW typically green is switched 12v+, red is unswitched 12v+ and brown is ground.

Test first with a meter or test light, but this will probably work.

If you are installing a fuse block the correct way to pull power IS directly from the battery, only using an electrical relay to trigger the hot, or positive, connection. I don’t think you’ll find anyplace on the bike where you can tap on a 3-amp load without interfering with a system on the bike. A relay pulls very little current on it’s trigger circuit, typically less than a couple hundred milliamperes, so doesn’t create a problem on the circuit you tap into for switched power. If you’re looking for switched power in or close to the underseat area you could probably use the taillight circuit or dig into the wiring box that is located under the fuel tank. Personally, I’d stick with the taillight circuit or better yet, follow your original advice and run a light-guage wire up to the parking lamp. That way, you’re not tapping into a mission-critical circuit in case something goes wrong with your relay/Fuzeblock setup while you’re on the road.

Best,
DG

2003 k1200gt - USB panel

Pictures of my project. $13 USB, Cig, Volt meter in blue lighting matching the blue bike. The fuse block is $7 both from ebay. Thank you for the comments. I have a temporary connection directly to the battery. At the moment, I pull the fuse to not drain the battery.

The nice things are the USB panel is fits exactly in the existing frame hole above the ignition key. It has a dual USB and Cigarette lighter, but I will replace the cig with another dual USB. All the equipment has USB cables. Cables are shorties. So far I am quiet pleased to see the volt meter displaying 14 when running and 12.8 - 13.4 sitting with ignition off. Knowing when I need battery condition is a plus.

Missing is an off/off toggle switch to shut off the plugged in equipment and displays. Missing is a connection to the parking lights that turn on only when ignition is on. Missing are heat shields on the new wires and waterproofing the wires.

Your comments are a plus. I an leaning toward DG's comment to stay direct to battery. Have to figure out where to place a switch. I am still buzzing with happiness on the volt display. See if you agree or more tips. Thanks John

Found under the seat green with yellow dash markings- right side

I have some pictures but can't seem to load it. Will try tomorrow.

Under the seat right side is a green wire into a terminal connection. Green with yellow dash markings. It is only ON when the ignition is on. No clue what it goes to though. Turn signals, brake lights, etc seem to work ok. No dash warnings such as bulb out.

On the left side, I have another terminal connection that is not in use. There is a solid red wire going to it. That one is always ON.

I will post a proposed solution once I can get an image to load. Maybe there is a 5 picture limit I reached. I cleaned up the wiring with a shield. Separated mu fuse box into 2 Always ON and 4 Ignition ON fuses. Still need to waterproof the USB panel. It is a no-rain bike for now. Thanks all for the advise. John

jrmull said:

I have some pictures but can't seem to load it. Will try tomorrow.

Under the seat right side is a green wire into a terminal connection. Green with yellow dash markings. It is only ON when the ignition is on. No clue what it goes to though. Turn signals, brake lights, etc seem to work ok. No dash warnings such as bulb out.

On the left side, I have another terminal connection that is not in use. There is a solid red wire going to it. That one is always ON.

I will post a proposed solution once I can get an image to load. Maybe there is a 5 picture limit I reached. I cleaned up the wiring with a shield. Separated mu fuse box into 2 Always ON and 4 Ignition ON fuses. Still need to waterproof the USB panel. It is a no-rain bike for now. Thanks all for the advise. John

Click to expand...

On all K1200RS and K1200GT (2003-2005) having iABS with servo-assist, there is a flat 6 pins connector for rear lights + flashers located under seat on right sub-frame. Earlier K1200RS also have same connector with minor variation in wiring color. See attached photos with embedded notes.

If one needs an ignition ON feed (only to trigger a relay), the least obtrusive to the electrical system is the licence plate wire. It is NOT recommended to use the rear light wire (pin 3) as it may cause an ABS warning / fault on dash. The iABS modulator monitors load change to the tail light or the brake light , hence it can "think" the bulb is burned or the bulb has too high current flow (if any modifications are done).

On the other side of the sub-frame (left), the somewhat similar connector is only used if you have the optional alarm-immobilizer from factory. No useful trigger wire there if you need this to be active with ignition ON only.

There is always this-



https://www.twistedthrottle.com/ele...-connector-for-bmw-ducati-triumph-motorcycles

And for power distribution-

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?56217-12V-Power-Distribution

OM

jrmull said:

I have some pictures but can't seem to load it. Will try tomorrow.

Under the seat right side is a green wire into a terminal connection. Green with yellow dash markings. It is only ON when the ignition is on. No clue what it goes to though.

Click to expand...

I think that it goes through the kill switch and is only on when the ignition and the engine kill switch is on. You can test by turning the kill switch off and see if it loses power. It is not a fused circuit, so you might want to be sure you have an inline fuse, or instead pull the power from the fused green with black wire. If your bike does not have heated grips, you may even find an empty connector left for this that contains a both a brown and a green/black wire.

improvements to make 2003 k1200gt

Thank you for the picture images and more details. I definitely want to stay away from the ABS functions. My bike does have heated seats and hand grips. The left side does not have the security connections which is why the left side connection is empty. My change will look for the license plate light as a trigger to the relay. Very glad I checked with you folks for direction.

Pin 6 is correct for the license plate light. 2003 k1200gt

My Green with Yellow dashes on the front part of the plug turns into a gray with blue strip as mentioned in the diagram. So blind luck, I picked the license plate wire for a trigger Pin 6. Wires look original from 2003 (Nov 2002 build date) but the wires changed color at the plug for me. Not too surprising but just the way it is.

I pulled off the tail light and side panel to confirm along with a meter