[ShadowRider]

I just spent two LONG days (ugly weather ones, so I couldn't ride anyway) installing all of the electrical stuff on my 1300. I added a Scorpio RIDE Core alarm system, Skene Design conspicuity lights (front and rear), and a garage door opener. Since I had to disassemble various parts of the bike to run all of the wiring I needed, I have a few comments.

First, I lucked out in that there was a PERFECT spot for the alarm system and its associated GPS antenna right under the seat. When I removed the left inner cover (between the speaker and the useless "storage compartment") to access the battery, I discovered that my dealer had already added a pigtail for a Battery Tender to the bike. I was able to fit most of the other components I needed under the seat or in the fairing near the battery. I thought I might have to remove most of the left side of the bike and the entire top of the fairing to get to everything, but with a stiff wire for fishing hookup wire through the fairing I was able to avoid removing more than two pieces.

The main item I could NOT fit anywhere without some MAJOR disassembly was the Blue Sea fuse block--it was just too big and would have had masses of wires running everywhere. So yes, I reverted to tapping in with Posi-Lock connectors. Not my ideal plan, but I would have had to use a bunch of those anyway for connecting to the brake light and turn signals, as the Skene lights need those connections to do their job. Underneath the seat kind of looks like spaghetti now, but I purposely left a lot of extra wire until I was sure everything was working properly. I plan to go back in and cut down a bunch of the wires lately and tidy up a few things as well.

For the garage door opener, I got a small pushbutton switch with a black button from Radio Shack. It fit perfectly in a hole in a plate mounted to the handlebars (the other hole in that plate is used to hold hoses and cables for the brakes, clutch, etc.). I already had the garage door opener with the button wires extended outside of it, so I just Velcroed it to the inside of the left side of the fairing, behind the battery. It works great and is barely visible.

Everything works great. I'm going to try to post a video of the lights working, if I can, but past experience shows that videos of this stuff do not do it justice. The effect has to be seen in person to be appreciated.

My main gripe was that the left side cover (over the battery) did not seem to want to go back together very well. I suspect that Gold Wing owners have the same issue with plastic pieces--they just do not fit back together like they did at the factory. I have gaps between the edge of the fairing and the cover, and they seem to pop up every time the cover is moved, or even if the bike shifts a bit. Everything goes together with those plastic "pop rivets" that you find on cars. I already managed to lose one of them, so I suspect I may have to buy a few of them. I think Honda should have made it MUCH easier to get to the battery compartment, since it is likely to get opened more than anything else. Hopefully I will not have to replace the battery for a long time, though.

 

[sleepngbear]

Thanks, Steve -- nice write-up! Especially about the battery cover part. I'm going to ask my dealer to add the battery pigtail if he already hadn't, and then I'm going to be sure he goes over removal and reinstallation of the seat and any access covers that I'd be likely to need, umm, access to before I leave the lot.

But glad all your stuff (mostly) worked out for you.

 

[bob]

I noticed when I sat on one at the local dealer that pigtail seems to be on all the CTX1300 as it comes from Honda. I saw it peeking out just under the left side fairing laying on top of the "fins" behind the radiator (above the engine guard cover). Thought that was a nice touch. I'd have to change the connector on my battery maintainer though. It's from Westco and is an AccuMate maintainer, not a Battery Tender brand, and comes with the main pigtail that connects directly to the bike battery and battery jumper style clips on another pigtail. It has a different connector. Maybe an adaptor pigtail is in order.

 

[TwelveBagger]

Nice post, Steve. This is the kind of information and real world experience that CTX owners will definitely want to know! Looking forward to your video and/or pics of the results.

Brian

 

[Davetac1]

Just alittle FYI: You guys might wanna check the battery connections for tightness since they have been disturbed to install the battery charger/tender connector piece.My Bird came with em [don't know who added em] but they were LOOSE.I caught it on my inservice inspection which I do on any and all vehicles/equipment I put into service.
So check em. Dave!!!

 

[ShadowRider]

I noticed when I sat on one at the local dealer that pigtail seems to be on all the CTX1300 as it comes from Honda. I saw it peeking out just under the left side fairing laying on top of the "fins" behind the radiator (above the engine guard cover). Thought that was a nice touch.

Hmmm, I just figured the dealer installed it. When I went to pick up the bike, one of the things they had me do was go over to the parts department. The first thing the parts guys asked me was whether or not I had a battery minder. When I said I had a Battery Tender, he said, "Well, I guess you're done here, because there aren't any accessories available yet."

I wonder if the fact that the pigtail comes pre-installed should worry us. Does that mean the battery is going to need constant charging? I did notice that when I plugged in the Battery Tender and let it run for several hours was that it started to charge, then after awhile the green light started blinking. That means that "the battery is at least 80% charged". But that green light never went off. So the Battery Tender seems to think that the battery never gets charged 100%.

 

[ShadowRider]

Just alittle FYI: You guys might wanna check the battery connections for tightness since they have been disturbed to install the battery charger/tender connector piece.My Bird came with em [don't know who added em] but they were LOOSE.I caught it on my inservice inspection which I do on any and all vehicles/equipment I put into service.
So check em. Dave!!!

Good idea. But mine were tight. I had to take them off anyway to add the alarm system, which needs a constant power supply. It came with cables with ring terminals (the positive side fused) to connect directly to the battery.

 

[sleepngbear]

Hmmm, I just figured the dealer installed it. When I went to pick up the bike, one of the things they had me do was go over to the parts department. The first thing the parts guys asked me was whether or not I had a battery minder. When I said I had a Battery Tender, he said, "Well, I guess you're done here, because there aren't any accessories available yet."

I wonder if the fact that the pigtail comes pre-installed should worry us. Does that mean the battery is going to need constant charging? I did notice that when I plugged in the Battery Tender and let it run for several hours was that it started to charge, then after awhile the green light started blinking. That means that "the battery is at least 80% charged". But that green light never went off. So the Battery Tender seems to think that the battery never gets charged 100%.

Lots of dealers preinstall them. I think they just know that in the northern half of the country it gets cold enough for long enough that these things are likely to sit for a few months or more.

As for your blinking lights, I've never actually paid much attention to mine other than to plug it in for the winter, so I'm not much help there.

 

[ShadowRider]

As for your blinking lights, I've never actually paid much attention to mine other than to plug it in for the winter, so I'm not much help there.

The Shadow's battery always went to a solid green light within a few hours, indicating that it was 100% charged. I'm thinking that maybe the new and different kind of battery in the 1300 is confusing the Battery Tender, making it think that it is never fully charged when in fact it is. Not a big deal, but if that's the case then there is no way to tell whether the battery is at 80%, 100%, or somewhere in between.

 

[bob]

How long did it sit blinking? Since the battery comes from the factory disconnected I'm sure the dealer installed the plug when they connected the battery cables. I was thinking that the plug just came with the bike since I saw one on the bike at my local dealer and you report having one pre-installed also.

 

[ShadowRider]

How long did it sit blinking?

I had it on for at least five or six hours, maybe more. That should have been plenty of time to recharge the battery fully, since it was getting very little load on it. It's possible the alarm system's constant (minor) draw on the battery was confusing it, too. Not a huge deal, but something I want to know about if it's an issue.

 

[ShadowRider]

Just in case anyone was wondering, here's where I mounted the pushbutton switch for the garage door opener:

The switch was from Radio Shack and looks like this:

It's not waterproof but it was just the right size and I hope it will hold up. I do have to reach pretty far forward to activate it, but it is very inconspicuous in this location and did not require any drilling into the bike. I soldered wires to the terminals and protected them with heat-shrink tubing, then ran them to the remote, which is attached with Velcro to the inside of the fairing, next to the battery.

 

[bob]

Same or similar switch I used for my current button. The switch body is the same but the button head is smaller. I've had it on the bike in ALL kinds of weather at all temps from over 100*F to below -15*F (yeah, minus fifteen) and have had no problems with it for over 4 years now. I coated the back side with dielectric grease and covered the contacts and on down the 2 wires about 8"-10" with heat shrink. But the switch itself is right out there in the elements and no problems yet.
But, WOW, that's a long way to reach for it. I wouldn't want to reach that far while the bike was moving. Like to keep the hands on the grips so I mounted my button where my thumb can hit it while underway. Then I can just ride right in without even slowing down much. Nice when I want to get in out of the rain.
Here's a photo of my current mount on the upper bolt of the clutch reservoir clamp (the little metal part used to be shiny):

 

[ShadowRider]

I'm not sure that's going to be possible on the CTX. See the thumbnail photo. The bolts are recessed, so you will not be able to mount the button in the same way.

I don't really mind reaching forward. I always stop the bike right before the garage door anyway, as I have to angle it just so to get it into the garage. (We have a lot of stuff stored in there for an upcoming bathroom and kitchen remodel, so the bike has a fairly narrow space to fit into.)

 

[bob]

I'll still figure a way to have it mounted near that spot. Maybe a bar clamp designed to hold a switch there.
Maybe something like this between the clamp and the controls (I'm sure I can find a black one but if not this would be fine):

 

[ShadowRider]

That's actually why I ordered this bracket from Amazon. I still might use it to bring the switch closer. I'm just not sure yet where to mount it on the handlebars. I'd like to put it right in the center to retain the symmetry, but I suppose I'd have to remove that "CTX" logo plate over the risers to get to the center point.

I am also thinking about getting a RAM mount for my iPhone and putting it on the stem nut in the middle, which would put the phone in that area instead. Being able to see the phone for GPS functions would be a huge help.

 

[bob]

Yeah, that bracket from Amazon is even better as it's black and already has the correct hole to mount the button.

 

[ShadowRider]

Yeah, that bracket from Amazon is even better as it's black and already has the correct hole to mount the button.

Ooops, I discovered yesterday that the bracket is too small to fit around the handlebar. With a bit of bending I did get it to fit around the bar where it tapers to a smaller diameter, right next to the light/horn/turn signal controls. But then the holes to attach it with the bolt are still in the wrong place. *sigh* So I have just given up on that bracket. It was obviously made for a much smaller handlebar diameter, like on a dirt bike, I suppose.

I will keep looking for stuff like this. Now that there are so many more bikes out there with matte black finishes instead of chrome, hopefully we will have more options.

 

[ShadowRider]

The Shadow's battery always went to a solid green light within a few hours, indicating that it was 100% charged. I'm thinking that maybe the new and different kind of battery in the 1300 is confusing the Battery Tender, making it think that it is never fully charged when in fact it is. Not a big deal, but if that's the case then there is no way to tell whether the battery is at 80%, 100%, or somewhere in between.

Well, I happened to plug it in yesterday while I was working in the garage, and left it on overnight. The Battery Tender light is now solid green, meaning the battery is charged 100% and is being maintained at that level. So it looks like everything is fine.

 

[bob]

Was thinking on that bracket fit a bit. Since the CTX bars step down in size to 7/8" for the grips it would have to be a slightly larger bracket to fit on that first step between the control head and the reservoir clamp. I've also noticed a few photos online where the reservoir clamp was all the way in toward the inside of that middle step leaving room for something to be clamped on that step. I would guess it is about a 1" bar at that point? would have to measure. The main part of the bar looks like a 1-1/8" or 1-1/4". That whole handle bar is different in this way from any bars I've seen on a mc.
I would move the clamps to the inside as far as they will go, on both sides, to make room for something there and also to improve (a little) the visibility to the mirrors. I would still consider the pipe clamps I showed above if I could find them in stainless and maybe paint them black. Should be easy to find at a True Value or some such store in many sizes.