Volt Meter And Dash Light Install

I basically used several threads here and at VFRW to plan which parts to buy and how to install. I thought it might be helpful to list things out in a new post.

For the volt meter install I followed this diagram. I connected the switched power wire from the relay socket to the license plate light positive.

The parts:
Volt Meter from ebay, this one seemed decent quality and is from a US seller

4 pin Relay Socket from superbrightleds.com, I couldn't find a 4 Pin locally, only 5's

Inline fuse holder and 4 Pin relay, purchased locally at Autozone

Sugru, a super awesome moldable silicone putty

I didn't want to cut a hole in any of the panels to install the meter. For installation I went with a surface mount using Sugru. I tried to pick the least obtrusive spot as possible that still made it easy to see. Besides using Sugru for mounting the meter to the bike I also completely sealed the meter's exposed back with Sugru. I also sealed the front bezel and clear plexi cover of the display, to make it as water tight as possible. Unfortunately I forgot to take photos of the sealed meter before I installed it.

To apply the Sugru to the meter/display I had to modify the display's bezel by cutting all the mounting tabs off. I sealed the display's plexi cover to the display's bezel with thin rolled out bead of Sugru, then sealed the back and sides covered with Sugru to the edges of the bezel. I waited a day for the Sugru'ed display to dry (takes 24 hours to cure). To install to the dash I stuck a clump of Sugru to the back of the meter (Sugru sticks vey well to itself and other surfaces like the plastic dash) and pressed the display in place then smoothed out the transition/gap of the back of the meter to the dash panel.


For the dash lights I mostly followed this guide.

The bulbs are: 194 LED Bulb - 4 LED Wedge Base from superbrightleds.com, you need five bulbs for the backlights.

I realize there are some concern about replacing the dash lights with blue and it making night vision bad. I don't see the problem and have not noticed a difference. Maybe because where I live there are a lot of street lights.

 

Very nice job! Oh what is the brand of the voltmeter? Is it waterproof and where did you wire it to ?

 

Volt meter is from eBay click the link and you can see the listing. Not sure of the brand. It does not come waterproof has an open back and sides. I essentially sealed it with sugru which I tried to describe above. I should have taken pictures of the process since it's hard to describe.

For wiring follow the link to the diagram I mentioned above. It essentially gets wired to the battery through a relay, which acts as an electronic switch. When the bike ignition is on the meter will come on and vice-versa.

 

Thanks again, it does help when one reads the post thoroughly

 

Cool bean mate :thumb:
Thanks for sharing

 

Please forgive my ignorance, but why is the relay there if it is on a switch?

 

Hmm, that's a good question. I believe it's so the volt meter is drawing its output directly from the battery terminals and not through the switched accessory line that it would be directly connected to without the relay. Maybe someone with more technical knowledge can correct me if I'm wrong. I didn't even know what a relay was when I started this project.

 

Thanks for the great write up!!

My front fairing is already off right now- I have all the bodywork off while I'm waiting on a replacement fuel relay, so I just ordered the LED bulbs.
I've always hated that I can't see the dash at night, and this will be much better!!

Oh, good looking bike too. :bravo:

 

Glad it has helped. It was a bit frustrating digging through posts, many which had multiple pages, to get all the information. So I figured having at all condensed together would be helpful to others wanting to do the same.

 

I too wired the volt meter on my bike using a relay. The wires are run direct to the battery to power the volt meter so by wiring through the relay, the volt meter will come on when the bike is turned on. That way the meter does not stay on constantly and possibly drain the battery. The Datel volt meter I installed on my bike draws so little power that if left on 24/7 it would likely take a couple months to drain the battery to the point where it would drop a volt, but I had never wired anything using a relay so I wanted to try it. I was also planning on wiring in an accessory switch at some point for a heated vest so now I already have the relay in place.

Nice job on the write up MJay, and thanks for sharing. I really like the look of here blue gauges and if I hadn't wired a volt meter with a red display, I might have chosen blue lights instead. Of course that's the great thing about being a VFR owner, most people already think I'm a fanatic about my bike so if I decide to change to a different color at some, it wouldn't be a big surprise. My wife has always said that I was SPECiAL, and maybe, just maybe, one day................ I'll know what she means by that. LOL

 

The reason is that if you want to really monitor the battery voltage and charging voltage, you should connect the volt meter directly to the battery. If you connect the meter directly to the accessory line, all power used from the line will decrease the voltage and you do not get the right battery/charging reading. The relay does not affect the reading, it just cuts the display when acc switch is off.

 

So the relay is basically acting as a switch then? Thanks a lot, mine goes straight to the battery via a switch but it is a bit of a PITA and have wondered how to set it up differently. Tried running it from the park light wiring but as you said, got a false reading.