Removing Zumo550 cradle

sethmopp

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As I'm changing bike I intended to remove the Zumo550 cradle from my bike. That is the easy part, I now need to tremove the cable that connects to its power point, my question is, is the cable to the cradle a permanent fixture on the bike or can it be removed? I had a look and it appears that there is more than one wire going into a connector that has a black component and a white component, not being too confident with electrics I want to be sure I'm not about to really mess up something by forcing things.
 
Depending on how the last owner wired it in..... The cradle should be entirely separate from the bike's original wiring. There are though some remarkable examples about of bikers' imaginative ingenuity when it comes to wiring.

Just remove it carefully and you should be fine. If in doubt, leave it in place and buy a secondhand cradle. They are quite cheap.
 
It was connected up for me by the BMW tech when I bought the bike, so far I have separated the cable from the cradle but would like to separate the cable from where its connected so I can remount it. Incidentally the bike I'm buying has prep for a 660, is it possible to replace that with a 550 mounting? Would rather avoid spending more on a 660 when the 550 still works OK.
 
Your 550 must be getting power from somewhere but none of us have seen your bike.

The easy guess is:

(i) It gets its power direct from the battery, or

(ii) If your bike is a BMW, maybe it gets its power from the dedicated GPS feed, that is usually hidden away somewhere up the front of the bike.... or somewhere else, or

(iii) It's getting its power from somewhere else entirely, where maybe the BMW fellow has tapped into a convenient power supply. For instance, the rear light, perhaps?

As you haven't told us what your bike is or much else, that is what you are maybe stuck with.

Me? For now I'd assume option (i) or maybe (ii) not necessarily in that order. Can YOU, starting from the cradle end work your way back down the lead to find it plugged into a socket? If yes. Unplug it; you probably can't break anything. What happens then? Is it all unplugged? Great, job done. No? Keep on following the lead and / or go and look at the battery end. Does it look like it's wired to the battery? Great! Unhitch it from the battery. Job done. No? Go to option (iii).

Failing any of that.... Go to BMW and ask them to remove it for you.

Vis-a-vis the bike you are buying and will it take a 550 mount instead? Logically, yes. It's possible to fit just about any GPS cradle to any motorcycle.
 
PS Even if it's wired to the dedicated GPS socket or to the battery (or to somewhere else) it's possible that the bod at BMW might have cable tied the lead at some point, to stop it moving around or to tidy-up any spare cable.

If, having disconnected the lead from wherever it's connected to, it doesn't pull through easily, take care. You'll have to trace the lead back and find where the snag is.

As your question has more to do with the removal of a GPS cradle from a BMW 1200 Twin Cam (I had to discover what bike you are troubled by, by trawling through your posts) than anything else, I have moved your thread.


PPS Your bizarre 'For sale' thread is going really well.

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/414900-TC-GSA-farkles
 
The usual bike power connector for GPS on a 1200 is under the beak next to the oil cooler matrix. It's a black connector. The GPS plug is normally a white connector.

If that's where it is plugged in, simply depress the retaining lug on the electrical connector, separate the two halves, then tape up the bike end connector to prevent water ingress and corrosion.
 
... then tape up the bike end connector to prevent water ingress and corrosion.

Plus it makes it really hard for the new owner to find, thus spawning a whole new thread underlining the perceived ineptitude of the 1200 owner :blast
 
.....underlining the perceived ineptitude of the 1200 owner :blast

Perceived is sometimes perhaps not quite the right verb.

OP, when (as you should) you seal up the open socket to prevent corrosion and the inevitable piss boiling frustration of the next bikermate to own your pre-loved (but still awsome) steed. Maybe use a red (anything but black) cable tie around the socket, aiding the next lucky owner's efforts to locate it.
 
Disconnect the connector as Wapping said and wrap with self amalgamating tape. Ordinary PVC tape will seep water so worse than useless. A little note to the new owner stuck under the seat will help to manage any perceived ineptitude of the 1200 owner .

Cue questions "where can I find notes about my bike from the previous owner".
 


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