The Flash-2-Pass Ordeal…Electrical Woes

I’m tired of losing garage door openers and having to hassle with getting in and out of my garage when I ride…and of course, coveting Jeanne’s Flash-2-Pass garage door opener…

I have talked about this gadget before. No more lost garage remotes (yes, I lose stuff at an incredible rate of speed). Just a flash of my brights and the garage door closes. Flash again, the gizmo opens the door.

I couldn’t stand it anymore…and ordered the darn thing. I was able to get the “official” HD kit for around $100 including shipping. Versus identical pricing on the generic thingy…so HD was the route I went. If only to ensure that I got enough parts for my non-standardized need 42 bolts Fatboy. I had no desire to run to the local autoparts store to get all the extra stuff that wasn’t included in the other kit.

Good thing I did, because my fuse box has one auxillary accessory port and it is occupied by my heated hand grips so I needed to wire an empty port. Okay, so that meant one extra trip to the HD store….

Well, I can shop for other stuff while I’m there and flirt with the part counter guys. They always treat me very well and today was no exception.

I bought no other stuff. I resisted…LOL…

Wiring the bike for an additional auxillary port was no issue. I knew the hard part would be to get the wiring harness up the frame (under the tank) up to the headlight wires. No worries, I’ve done it before…..

Well, I got all the electrical issues taken care of, installed the wiring harness, pulled the wire to the front of the bike…all I needed to do was to wire it all together. I decided to put the bike back together before I attempted the last bit. I (smartly) tested the electrical components and everything worked so I put the bike together.

Then I realized the wires were on the wrong side of the frame and I needed to pull it and do a reroute. Everything was disassembled and I did the reroute. I was mildly annoyed at myself for not thinking through this clearly (but it is not specified in the handy dandy instruction booklet, so I’m blaming that).

Reroute done, I put everything back together…only to discover that my starter, trip meter, and odometer does not work. Great. Now what in the blue blazes have I done? Sigh. For the third time I pull the seat off (okay, I know I should have tested it before I put the seat back on, but I figured it was fine)…..and am getting seriously frustrated at the thought of having to put my beloved Fatboy back in the shop for something I dorked up.

Checking fuses and making sure I didn’t pinch off wires…I’m getting no where. My son, reminding me that he needs to be fed, forced me to put my project on hold. I cooked dinner, got him fed, and regrouped.

As I was doing a walk around the bike, I realized that I had loosened one of the bolts that holds the wire harnesses down…and also serves as a ground point. I tightened it back and flipped the ignition on. I had odometer and trip meter. I flipped the kill switch on pressed the starter and the Fatboy fired right up.

It was all about grounding the circuits. Interesting………..

Well, I’ll have the rest to do tomorrow…the temps have been falling and it’ll be too cold to work in the garage….

Life is once again good in motorcycle land. Besides, my friends would have never let me hear the end of having to put my bike in the shop…especially after dorking it up…

Keep the Shiny Side Up!

~The Rainbow Wahine