Extra brown plug under dashboard ??
 

Guys a little help please

Under the dashboard there is a loose brown plug with nothing connected, with voltage when the key is turned on. Does anyone know how many amps/watt the plug can pull. It is a good idea to use it for additional LED, GPS etc ???. Finally, is it protected by fuses??

Thanks

There is a spare plug under the dash plastic cover that plenty of people use for GPS power. Being fairly light duty I would not use it to power any lighting but GPS etc only pull very small amounts so they are OK. Not sure if its protected or not. As for its original use - there have been several theories from a diagnostic socket to auxiliary pull. I haven't checked the wiring diagram. I have connected my GPS to it.

Thanks
 

Redbikejohn, thanks for the info.

The spare connector under the clocks is a spur off the parking lights circuit. This circuit is fused at 10A, so theoretically it can deliver 120-140W (depending on charging/battery voltage). However, that is the current rating for the whole circuit, the spur itself (that terminates at the connector) is made up of narrow cross-section cable (smaller than that in the main circuit) which will not cope with that kind of current/power. You also need to remember that the side lights, tail lights and number plate lamp are already consuming about 2A out of the available 10A as well.

I would recommend fitting a maximum 5A inline fuse to the connector's positive terminal when powering any auxiliary equipment. This will leave everything safely within the limits of the circuit and allow you to draw 60-70W. The added bonus of fitting a lower rated in line fuse, rather than relying on the 10A fuse in the parking light circuit, is that should your auxiliary devise fail/short then you will not loose your tail lamp while riding.

If you need to power anything exceeding 5A, then use the connector to trigger a relay and draw current straight from the battery via the relay.

FYI - As the connector is on the parking lamp circuit, it will be live with the steering locked and the key in the 'P' position and the key removed