Hi, needing some direction on how to correctly attach a power socket and a GPS power lead direclty to the battery on my xt600e (without bursting into flames or blowing anything up)

I have bought a power socket (with a waterproof/ dustproof cap), which includes a 10amp inline fuse and battery connection.

A few queston...
- Is a 10amp fuse ok for the charging of mobiles, torch batteries (ie: AAA etc..) ?
- Should I attempt to incorporate an on/off switch ?
- What is the best way to lead the cable through the bike without it being damaged ? - Do I need to place the cable in some sort of heat resistant covering ?
- I have considered mounting this socket towards the rear of the bike to charge items packed in the panniers or rear rack bag...or is the front of the bike more convenient ?
- Although the socket has a waterproof/ dustproof cap. Is there not a risk of water getting in from the other end along the wire ? - is this a problem ? Should the Socket be housed in a weatherproof manner ?


I have also bought a car charger for my GPS, this has no inline fuse nor battery connection. I was planning on choping off the plug socket, adding an inline fuse of 2amps and battery connectors.

More queston...
- Is a 2amp fuse the right fuse to use ?

Any advice would be great, thanks

For what you are mentioning, it's probably a little on the high side, to work it out look at the power consumption on the things you want to plug into it, choos the highest and work out you fuse value;

P=IV Where P=Power in watts, I=Current in Amps, and V=Potential Difference in Volts

So, taking a charger that uses 10 watts

P=IV

10=I x 13.8, therefore

I= 10 / 13.8

I = 0.72

So use a 1amp fuse

If you want to use a multi-block adapter thing, then add all the watts up and go from there.



Defo, or better still a relay so that you cannot leave the circuit running without the bike.

This depends on you, and where you store your electronic stuff, if you use a tankbag, put it in the front, if you use something at the back, then that's a good place. Under the seat is a good place, keeps it out of the way and if you leave a long enough flex you can move it to the front or back !


It probably will have a fuse, often these are in the +ve pin of the plug, the ned unscrews and there will be a fuse in there.

There isn't really a right and wrong way (there is good practice), just what's best for you. Me, I'd leave the dammed phone charger plugged in and end up with a flat batery - so it's a relay for me and piece of mind (I once left the bike plugged into the Optimate for 3 weeks but forgot to switch it on, battery was as flat as a flat thing when I got back!

You do need to consider the power budget of the bike, that is the watts (power) left over after running the bike and replacing the cold crank charge of the battery. GPS's vary but the Zumo with Bluetooth and WAAS running uses about 15 watts (less than 1/3 of the power of your headlight) , so you should be fine

No issues whatsoever,. 10A is fine, its on the highside, but it depends, a fast charger charging 4xAA batteriers can use a lot of current. It says how much on the back. If it says 50watt the math goes like this:

50W divided by the 12v = 4,16A (+ a little loss through the wires, different connictions and such.

No need for all of youre worries, the rest of the bike aint waterproof either, or shielded for heat. You'll be fine. Water is actually a really bad at "carrying" electricity. The movies let you think otherwise. You cant even short circuit your battery in for instance rainwater (which is pretty "clean")

My plug is "on" at all times, I wanne be able to charge my phone and other stuff, withut leaving the bike running, or the keys in the ignition. You wont get a flat battery leaving small items like phone and battery charging. You're phone probably has a battery less than 1A, your motorcyclebattery is around 10 times the capacity.

I have my socket in front, for use with gps and phone. You can choose otherwise, or just ad 2 sockets.

GasUp/ Jens.....thanks v much for your replies, I have so much to learn, happy days .

You have definately given me some stuff to ponder.....
I dismantled the GPS charger and ta-daaa, there IS a fuse, a tiny little thing....almost 2cm long with such small writing I can barely see its ampage (??)...could say P1A, 1 amp ?? - I will look again in the day light to see if its clearer.

P=IV, this has given me a whole new dimension of viewing product !! You have made me wonder whether 10A is too large ? Please excuse my ignorance but can one put a lower ampage fuse in the existing fuse holder ? - I presume the holders are not made for a specific fuse strength. In addition, what tollerance do appliances usually accept before burning out ? - Surely an appliance requiring a 2A fuse will be destroyed should there be a currnt surge while having a 10A fuse in the circuit ?

Waterproofing and heat.....I have probably thought that the bike and accessories are far more delicate than they actually are. I suppose I will try laying the cables follow the existing cabling on the bike. Im sure they have been laid these along the best channels through the bike.

I am also now contemplating 2 sockets rather than a perm GPS power cable. I need to give this a bit of thought, pros and cons.

I like the idea of siting a socket beneath the seat. Again, with my "delicate" phobia in mind.....the idea of mud etc....off the back tire. This is an ok location ? Any suggestion on how best to fasten it ?

Plenty more questions to come.....again, thanks.

I wired my 1-1.5 metre cable to a spare slot on in the fuse box. It was connected to the indicator circuit so that it only turned on when ignition was on. When it was not running to the tank bag charging (mobile phones, AA batteries, netbook) it was under the seat. I didn't bother with water proof socket because of this. I did find that having the long cable was useful.


Yup 10amp inline fuse but all my cigi adapter plugs had fuses too.

It might be worth pointing out that you get different voltage at the battery depending on if the bike is running. And therefore the current (Amps)changes;

for instance 'a device' running at 15watts

Engine Running:

15 = I x 13.8(volts)
I = 15 / 13.8
I = 1.087 Amps

Engine off;

15 = I x 12(volts)
I = 15 / 12
I = 1.25 Amps

It's not alot, but it's one reason why you need to put in a larger fuse than the device requires.

There are different types of fuse you can get, but generaly you don't see anti-surge fuses in automotive application, much more common in delicate electronic devices. When a device first powers up it will surge, and use more current, what this is is dependant upon the device, and it's relative - a Phone chargers surge is pretty much un-measurable with basic test equipment and will be measured in milliamps rather than amps.

You can use a smaller fuse in any holder that will physically take it, but beware of putting in larger fuses as you should consider the load on the wires also. A fuse is the weakest link and you want it to blow first.

Al in all, you are not going to have any problems with this, it's mostly a bit of GSCE (O-Level when I was there) Physics and some background information.

If you are putting two sockets, why not have one activate with the bike running, and one without ? As I've said I like the idea of a relay in there to protect me from myself, but I also use the Optimate charger socket as an un-switched power take off to power things like the air pump for the air bed (I'm so hardcore with my comfy bed!) or a furhter socket on a lead, so that I can charge the phone without the bike running ??

There's no rules, it's just what your imagination can come up with to give you the flexibility you want, I'll bet there are dozens of different combinations from people on here.

Happy riding

Thanks for the lessons and suggestions....dosent seem all too complicated (I say naively)

This weekend is gonna be dedicated to The Socket

And then onto the next project.......building a perspex screen.

If it's any help,

I spent ages looking for a screen for the TTR, in the end I got a 'slight second' R100 screen from Hien Gericke (it was a little scratched), cost about £15-£20 then I cut away some of the edge and made up some alloy brackets to fit it to the brushguard bolts. Cheap and it looks like it belongs!

Try the breakers, shops etc and see if you can't locate something that will 'do' and you can make it fit.

It's good to bodge!