Putting Autocom and PMR radio under rear seat

[JayGee]

Hi,
Thought some of you long term GS LC owners might be able to give me a bit of advice and possibly save me a bit of time looking for how to fit a Autocom and B2B radio.

I reckon I can just fit my old Autocom and Wintec B2B radio under the rear seat but I'm not sure whether I need to waterproof them there, probably with plastic bags etc.
Has anyone else fitted electrical bits under the rear seat and if so does it get vey wet, does it need waterproofing. I know the Autocom and radio will withstand a bit of moisture but it looks like they may get more than a bit under the rear seat and that might kill them.

I also need to get wires such as to the PTT button to the bars, and probably power from the back of the accessory socket, can these be fitted under the centre trim covering the tank, between the trim panel and the air filter box? Or is there insufficient clearance?

Any help, experience appreciated, plus the usual banter/p. take

 

[Paul Everton]

Not got an LC but on my 2009 gs fitted with Autocom I have waterproofed the system as much as possible by using Vaseline on connections and a waterproof chemical like acf50 or similar on other vulnerable parts like the main box ... This will all help to propell the water and keep the electrics dry ..... Using plastic bags may trap in condensation and cause more problems. ...

 

[Wapping]

Do not use plastic bags. There is a real risk of condensation.

Find some heavier plastic wrap * , you won't need miles of it. Wrap it around the radio but leave the ends open so the air can circulate freely, so you get something like a crude cigar. You'll probably not need to secure it but if you do, a little bit of tape will do. All you are trying to do is keep the worse of any water off. All will very probably be well.

* A heavy duty plastic bag is perfect. The sort that bits for a motorcycle come in. I used a bag I found in a bin outside the spares shop at Park Lane.

 

[Muncher]

Hi jay i put my autocom under the seat on my LC. With no waterproof three months later it was finished it had already done two years under the seat off my twin cam with no problems . It now wrapped in plastic bags with no problems

 

[JayGee]

Thanks for the advise, it's true that plastic bags will cause condensation but looking at the big gap between pillion seat and bike there is the possibility for lots of water to get in and I don't want a water cooled Autocom as well as engine. I am investigating making a cover out of Perspex or something similar to cover the space and let the water run off without soaking the Autocom and Radio.
Any suggestions on routing cables from under the seat to the front or for sources of power. At the moment I'm thinking of using an angled plug into the aux power socket or splicing into the back of the socket. Current draw is minimal so either way should be OK.

 

[Grim Reaper]

If you are willing to take them apart so you can get at the circuit boards, give them a coat of 'plastic seal 60' PCB lacquer from Maplins.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/servisol-pcb-lacquer-re80b
It will seal the PCB and keep moisture out of the components.

 

[Reckless]

OK - I have not done it yet as my bike has yet ago arrive but I have spent some time thinking through the power question. I too will be fitting my Autocom under the rear seat - my radio fits under the rear rack - its waterproof so I am not worried at all about that. I intend to pop some clear silicone sealant over the two holes at the rear of the underseat compartment that let water in from beneath - I will then use some thin acrylic or plastic to make a cover to keep water out from the top - velcro or double-sided tape should hold it once you have everything sorted underneath.

For power, I intend to fit a simple make & break relay under the riders seat alongside the new fuse holder - it has 2 fuses in it - both of which re ignition switched. You can either splice into the fused side of one of these connections for your relay trigger wire or use a circuit expander such as this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Add-A-Circu...6&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=circuit+extender+fuse

The other relay connections go to the battery live and earth and to your Autocom (use the battery earth for the black Autocom wire for best performance.

So, as the ignition comes on, the relay is triggered by the trigger wire and battery power flows to the Autocom - when the ignition goes off, so does the Autocom. If you use the adaptor from Amazon or Ebay, you don't have to splice into your nice new wiring either. The extra load on the system is minimal - just the trigger wire - and the new circuit for the Autocom is fused by the extender. If yu use the extender then you need 2 fuses - 1 to replace the fuse that you removed to fit the extender and 1 for your new circuit - probably 5 amp would be fine. The only thing I didn't spot when looking at the bike was the type of blade fuse used in the new fuse box - not sure whether its a mini blade or a standard blade fuse - this will affect which extender you buy.

Dead simple - done it on 20+ bikes now using the same principle. NO WORRIES with the CANBUS!

 

[JayGee]

Thanks for the full description Reckless, as I'm only drawing a minute current I think I'll just use the Auxillary socket and either splice into the back of it or even just plug into it although your method is more flexible should I need a bit more ampage. I've done this on my last three boxers quite successfully. I don't have an alarm so reckon that both Autocom and B2B radio will fit under the pillion seat. Waterproofing from above might be a bit tricky to do where the pillion seat locks down but probably do-able. TBH the Autocom is less sensitive to a bit of damp than the Wintec radio which has a habit of going onto constant transmit when wet.

Weather today is too good not to put a few more miles on the new bike, waterproofing will have to wait!