NN Fast charging thingey.

Ex-Call Centre Chimp

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Apologies if it's already been dcussed and also for my stupidity but I've just seen a banner on this site advertising a fast charging thing that says it's easy to add to a 2012 Hexhead GSA (amongst other bikes).
Has anyone bought and fitted one to such a bike and if so was it as easy as the advert suggests please?

Link:-


As usual thanks in advance Comrades.
 
Is it easy to fit? Yes, but that might depend on your individual levels of skill. For example, in some of the pictures, it shows the device mounted onto a fairing, which might require cutting a hole or (easier) replacing an existing socket. It will also need a power supply into it. Again, easier if you can use an existing power supply, obviously.

That being said, I see that the picture blurb also says:

IMG_5099.jpeg

Which suggests that you simply remove the existing socket and replace it with the dual socket. I guess that might require taking some part of the plastic work (fairing) apart, as you’d need to remove the existing socket and replace it with the NN piece. That though isn’t too hard, comrade.

Here’s probably the same item, cheaper:


Easier again, might be this:

IMG_5100.jpeg

From here:


I have one (or something similar) which I mounted on my Himalayan, steed of awesomeness. How to power it? Use a Thunderbox, which makes life really easy.


I also have one on my 1600, which I powered by just cobbling together a pre-made lead and plugging it into the existing socket on the upper fairing.

Can you do it yourself? Yes, of course. Just look at the components, look at your bike and think to yourself: “Mate, that could go here, this could go… um…. here….. and I’ll need a length of wire to….. um….. join them up”. Or take the bits to any half competent private motorcycle service bod, who’ll do it for you, in exchange for crossing their palm with silver. But really, it’s not hard to do it yourself and nothing can go wrong. Just take your time and look at things logically.
 
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Apologies if it's already been dcussed and also for my stupidity but I've just seen a banner on this site advertising a fast charging thing that says it's easy to add to a 2012 Hexhead GSA (amongst other bikes).
Has anyone bought and fitted one to such a bike and if so was it as easy as the advert suggests please?

Link:-


As usual thanks in advance Comrades.
I fitted one to my GSA and it is simply unplug the stupid BMW din socket and plug in this.....it was that quick but my bike is a 2019 and I don't know if the 2012s had the same din type socket.

I have had zero issues since and it keeps my Samsung S23+ fully charged on journeys via a wireless connection
 
Indeed, TY. (y)
Unfortunately.......
A) My 2012 GSA doesn't have an existing socket that I can replace with this.
B) I'm absolutely useless at just about everything.
C) I wouldn't know where to start to join things up with a bit of wire.
D) It looks like I'm going to have to pay someone to do it for me so a cheap and useful upgrade suddenly becomes a not so cheap useful upgrade.

Thanks very much for the advice, encouragement and links to the other options though Comrade, I really appreciate it.
 
Indeed, TY. (y)
Unfortunately.......
A) My 2012 GSA doesn't have an existing socket that I can replace with this.
B) I'm absolutely useless at just about everything.
C) I wouldn't know where to start to join things up with a bit of wire.
D) It looks like I'm going to have to pay someone to do it for me so a cheap and useful upgrade suddenly becomes a not so cheap useful upgrade.

Thanks very much for the advice, encouragement and links to the other options though Comrade, I really appreciate it.
Then YouTube is your friend.

Do NOT buy the nippynormans thing as it won't work!!

The absolute easiest and most basic way is to connect directly to your battery.

The downside is one issue....if you turn off the bike and leave something plugged in your battery is likely to go flat!!! Other than that easy peasey. If nothing is plugged in then zero problems.

I use to use the below on previous bikes, happily charges latest smartphone or GPS, protected by a fuse, can unplug and use a battery charger on the same plug.

Red to positive and black to negative, route cable and all done

MOTOPOWER MP0609A 3.1Amp Motorcycle USB Charger Kit for Phone, GPS or Sport Camera https://amzn.eu/d/atr0XZ4
 
Indeed, TY. (y)
Unfortunately.......
A) My 2012 GSA doesn't have an existing socket that I can replace with this.
B) I'm absolutely useless at just about everything.
C) I wouldn't know where to start to join things up with a bit of wire.
D) It looks like I'm going to have to pay someone to do it for me so a cheap and useful upgrade suddenly becomes a not so cheap useful upgrade.

Thanks very much for the advice, encouragement and links to the other options though Comrade, I really appreciate it.
Does your bike not have a din socket under the left side of the riders seat. I thought they were standard fitment there, the one fitted in the winglets space are an extra which if I understood correctly are wired from the one under the seat.
 
Indeed, TY. (y)
Unfortunately.......
A) My 2012 GSA doesn't have an existing socket that I can replace with this.
B) I'm absolutely useless at just about everything.
C) I wouldn't know where to start to join things up with a bit of wire.
D) It looks like I'm going to have to pay someone to do it for me so a cheap and useful upgrade suddenly becomes a not so cheap useful upgrade.

Thanks very much for the advice, encouragement and links to the other options though Comrade, I really appreciate it.

you can buy the 2 pin Y cable to "extend" the DIN socket beside the rear shock so that stays connected and then you get another length with the same plug to go up to power an accessory socket on the trim near the petrol cap - I bought two in the summer from my BM dealer (cheaper than the crooks on ebay) - 42 quid each - stupid money, but its a BM part the right length with three BM connectors you need) - here a fake https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134622883702?

these days another bod fakes an affordable 3 pin Y cable for the nav socket to extend that - not a 17pence pin bush and three stupid yellow wires the wrong length with no connectors for £25 that some crooks peddle - not the one I was on about but it is one... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175549597101? this french blokes site does LOADS of cables - but it can be a nightmare trying to understand which he's selling...
 
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Easiest thing, comrade.

Buy a Thunderbox. This clever little gizmo will turn itself on and off automatically. How? That is not important, so don’t ask.

Connect the phone supply power lead to it, running the cable under one of the tank’s side panels. I have done it sometimes without removing the panels, just by pulling the lead through with a straightened wire coat hanger.

To make it very easier still, buy an SAE to battery lead:

IMG_4105.png

Cut off the two battery terminals and connect the lead to the Thunderbox.

At the SAE end, plug in the USB connector thing and cable tie it somewhere convenient. Wrap the SAE connection in a bit of self-amalgamating tape, to prevent water seeping in.

Job done.

You can do it!

IMG_4106.jpeg
 
Thank you Wapping.
You make it sound very easy but I really think you've vastly over estimated my abilities given that SAE means Self Adressed Envelope in my world. :blush
I appreciate your help I really do but it's all well beyond me so I'll probably forget the whole idea.

Thank you everyone though for taking the time to dig out links and posting really helpful advice. :thumb2
 
Ah, you don’t escape that easily.

Don’t worry (though I’m sure you are not) about SAE. Good joke by the way. It is just the name of a very simple plug and socket, that looks like this:

IMG_5114.jpeg

It really is the child’s Lego building brick of plugs and sockets.

I have just bought another C type and conventional USB converter thing.

IMG_4121.jpeg

As you can see, the converter ends in an SAE connection, which will very simply plug into the SAE connector at one end of the bundled up wire. Assuming you can join one Lego brick to another, Bingo! Job done, one end - the power coming out end - is complete. Now all we need to do is think about the power coming in end.

The red and black cable is colour coded. Red is live and black is neutral. Easy.

Now the next easy bit. The other end has to connect to power. The easiest power is the battery. You should never connect something directly to a battery in a vehicle without the lead having a fuse. The lead I bought isn’t fitted with one but I don’t care just yet.

Let’s make it easy for you.

To the bike’s battery, connect a short fused SAE lead, just like this. Red to the red + terminal of the battery, black to the - negative terminal.

IMG_5115.jpeg




Into SAE socket, plug the other end of the lead you started with at the top of this post.

Bingo! You now have power going from the battery, along the cable to the USB converter.

No need to tidy anything yet.

Now the really exciting bit…..

Plug the charging lead of your phone into the USB converter. Then plug the charging lead into your phone…..

Bingo! A ‘ping’ or whatever your phone does, to tell you it’s charging.

That’s it. Just do that much and stand back, basking in your un-chimp like glory. Now unplug the phone…. We can deal with the next stage when you have got this far. It won’t be much harder, I promise.
 
Edit:

To make it even easier, get hold of something like this:

IMG_5116.png

This will be comfortably long enough to go from the battery to the USB converter in one run. This removes the need for the short flying lead, mentioned in the post above.

It might well be a bit too long but, too long is much better than too short.

Connect lead to battery, Red to positive, black to negative.

Plug the USB converter into the end.

Connect phone….. Ping!

Then report back….. for more excitement! Be still, my beating heart.
 
Here you go. comrade.

This afternoon, I fitted a phone mount to my mighty Himalayan, using Mitch the same method as detailed in the posts above. The only USB to USB C lead I could find to hand was way too long, hence it is coiled up. I’ve got a 30 cm lead somewhere which, when I find it, I’ll tidy things up a little.

IMG_4134.jpegIMG_4135.jpegIMG_4136.jpegIMG_5123.jpeg
 


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