Multiple battery connections

[Brucey]

Anyone fitted an auxiliary fuse box or other method of connecting multiple direct connections to the battery? (+ and -) I need to connect a satnav cable and an accumate battery trickle charger connector and want an alternative method rather than having to bend the ring terminals at 90 degrees to enable the positive terminal cover to fit neatly. I don't think I need a fused connection as both of these have their own in-line fuse.

Many thanks.

[The Prodded Dog]

Try this

http://www.nippynormans.com/products/fuse-panels-exclusive/item/centech-ap-1-auxiliary-power-fuse-panel-cen-af1

Other similar products out there.

TPD

[mikerbull1]

Just a thought. If you are about due to change your Battery then would recommend the Motobatt Batteries which have 4 terminals, one at each corner. They are also one of the best batteries around which is pretty much essential with the Varadero considering its electrical limitations.

[Brucey]

Thanks for the replies. I've only just got the bike, a 62 plate pre-reg zero miles, so I'm not going to change the battery for a while (I hope!) What are the electrical limitations you refer to? I'm keeping the bike's battery connected to an Optimate smart charger to keep it conditioned, but wondered if there are any electrical gremlins I should be looking out for? (I'm assuming the usual regulator/rectifier thing applies to Varas as much as any other Honda - in 25 years of Hondas I've only ever had one rect/reg problem and that was with a 14 year old Africa Twin).

Really I'm looking for a small fuse box to connect to the battery so that I can just have a single (fat) wire to each of the terminals and nice easy, safe connectors for the Optimate connections and the satnav wires. I want the facility to avoid adding to the spaghetti by the battery in  case I need to add a fused relay for air-horns in the future. (Very likely). I was hoping to spend less than the item in the link above, which at ?50 seems quite a lot... (Or am I out of touch with how much these things cost?)

[numptyspence]

One of these might be a good fit

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321061386290

all the dimensions are in the advert so you can see which fits best

[jackyork]

All the 'direct to battery' goodies, heated grips, 12V socket(s), come with their own in-line fuse. All you need to avoid the 'terminal tower' effect, is to make, or buy two insulated 'bus bars' using your 'thick' wire taken away from the batt to a more convenient place.
Sorry about all the inverted commas but you get the idea. Look for bus bars
(12/24 V). It should be self evident which are suitable.

JK

[Brucey]

Thanks for the help. Looking at busbars, they all seem to have spade connectors for the wires going to the accessories. Am I right in thinking a screw terminal will provide a better connection than a spade terminal?

[Brucey]

The more I look at this the more The Prodded Dog's suggestion looks the best solution as it accepts positive and negative inputs and the accessories screw in with no push-fit connectors...... Nice and easy for dimwits like me......

[jackyork]

Screw connections are favourite but maybe gone out of fashion. I'll try to find time  to look. Commercial vehicle mechanics are most likely source.

JK

[mikerbull1]

Yes, you certainly wouldn't want to change the battery on a 62 plate. The electrical limitations I refer to are the inadequate power output of the Vara alternator, although mine is a year 2000 model. Pretty sure the later ones are similar output. If I run lights, heated grips and heated jacket the battery will be flat in less than 2 hours. Have put the problem on the forum to see if there are any uprated alternator options.

[The Prodded Dog]

The more I look at this the more The Prodded Dog's suggestion looks the best solution as it accepts positive and negative inputs and the accessories screw in with no push-fit connectors...... Nice and easy for dimwits like me......

Plus you get the option to wire it live all the time or live on ignition so you can avoid draining the battery. Others I have seen allow both from the same fuse block. Have a look at
http://www.fuzeblocks.com/

The Prodded Dog

[Brucey]

The Fuzeblocks one looks the best, as it's really simple to have either switched live or constant power just by flipping the fuse to the other row of connectors. Very elegant solution. Thanks very much TPD. Have you fitted one of these? If it's the size of a packet of fags it should sit nicely under the seat as well....

[jackyork]

@ Brucey. What's the draw for your extras: have you done the amps, watts sums to make sure it's a deficiency and not a fault?

JK

[Brucey]

Hi JK, there's no fault. I'm trying to avoid multiple ring connectors on the battery terminals as it's very fiddly connecting them and I'm trying to avoid the "terminal towers' effect of multiple rings on the terminals. The accessories I have are:
1) heated grips (fitted by Doble M/C) which are connected to a switched live and not to the battery.
2) Satnav cable (direct to battery)
3) Optimate cable connector

The only extra thing I may well add are air-horns. Had them on my previous bike (CBF1000) and they really do work on motorways when idiots attempt to change lane without looking. None of the direct-to-battery items are ever going to be left on, and I could just connect the relay for the air-horns to the existing wires for the OE horn. Just fancied tidying up the battery terminals really, as to get two ring connectors plus the main battery connectors does involve bent wires/stretching the red positive terminal cover/cramped space. Maybe I'm being overly pessimistic, but crimped wires going to bent (and squeezed in) ring terminals (to get it to fit in the space available on the battery) seems to be inviting future trouble. (Or is that rubbish?). The single wires and separate fuzebox item seems to be an elegant solution. Shame it's ?50.....

[Steve D]

I have a fuzeblock from Nippy Normans on my Varadero. Its excellent, Fits easily under the seat simple to wire in even to me. I have a number of things connected to it and the beauty of it is that you can decide if you want it direct or switched just by moving the fuse to the right or left.
An excellent bit of kit