Curvy spare fuse?

[gadget]

Hi all, bit of a silly question but ... does anyone know for sure if a 1999 curvy 'S' has any spare (unused)fuse location in the fuse box? I haven't been able to check as my bike is not with me atm. The reason for asking is ... I want to fit a 12v cigarette lighter for plugging in accessories.. such as a phone charger, satnav and maybe a tyre pump occasionally. And rather than running a separate fuse to the battery I'd like to use the original fuse box if there's a spare terminal. Would I be correct in thinking 10A would be OK for this mod?

[Bibio]

your better using a relay that way if anything is going burn out it will only be the relay wiring and not the main harness. also you can trigger the relay when you turn on the ignition rather than having it always live.

its easy peasy to do and i can guide you through the installation. THESE are ok but THESE are better.

you just need to trigger the relay coil with any ignition live when on like say a sidelight etc.etc. for an extra £10 you can get a full plug and play harness for "horns" like THESE.

[squirrel_hunter]

I wouldn't recommend adding anything electric onto a curvy, they can barely power their own electrics is stock form (from experience).

[Ruffy]

IIRC, there's no spare way in the curvy fusebox. You'll have to tap into an existing circuit in some way or other to add an auxiliary socket.

Bibio is right that adding a relay is best, taking the switch wire from an existing circuit such as rear light so that the aux socket doesn't stay live when you remove the ignition key.

[redtrummy]

When I was young (much younger than now) I fitted a fog light to the Cub - straight from the battery. That developed an electrical short and the main wiring harness just melted! Thick fogs were common then, and 6v electrics were not up to much.

[gadget]

Originally Posted by Bibio

your better using a relay that way if anything is going burn out it will only be the relay wiring and not the main harness. also you can trigger the relay when you turn on the ignition rather than having it always live.

its easy peasy to do and i can guide you through the installation. THESE are ok but THESE are better.

you just need to trigger the relay coil with any ignition live when on like say a sidelight etc.etc. for an extra £10 you can get a full plug and play harness for "horns" like THESE.

Thanks for the reply, as an alternative, could I also connect the lighter socket directly to the battery with an in-line 10A fuse? My reasoning is that .. unless something is actually plugged in to the lighter socket it's not using any power!?? Is this correct? Also ... when it is being used it will only be a dual USB for satnav and a phone so not drawing much current. Is this acceptable?

[redtrummy]

At least fit an inline fuse.

[Ruffy]

Originally Posted by gadget

Thanks for the reply, as an alternative, could I also connect the lighter socket directly to the battery with an in-line 10A fuse? My reasoning is that .. unless something is actually plugged in to the lighter socket it's not using any power!?? Is this correct? Also ... when it is being used it will only be a dual USB for satnav and a phone so not drawing much current. Is this acceptable?

Yes, that works. I wired an accessory socket to my VFR just like that (and, as it happens, mostly used it in reverse to plug in the optimate when in the garage).

As long as the current rating of the wire and socket is higher than the fuse rating everything should be fine. And 10A at 12V should be more than enough for dual USB. Oh, pay a little attention to weatherproofing too - rain/water ingress will be the most troublesome thing.

The only downside is it can't be turned off, but that's not a big issue really - like you say, just don't leave anything plugged in.

[gadget]

Thanks for all the helpful advice peeps. I've now bought an SAE fused battery kit to power the lighter socket, was only £10, it can easily handle 15A and I can also use it to connect my optimate when not using the bike as mentioned by Ruffy. Bit of a win/ win really. Many Thanks again all.