Author Topic: Garmin AMPS Rugged Mount Install  (Read 6761 times)

Rusty Shovel

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Garmin AMPS Rugged Mount Install
« on: April 12, 2014, 02:07:55 am »
Hey all,

I had this same mount on my last bike and it was great.  It only works with the Garmin Montana and Monterra.  The mount is light, durable, and allows the GPS to charge even while raining.  It's also easy to remove the GPS and take with you (which I always do; I have trust issues).



A great thing KTM did with the 690 Enduro is supply two powered and fused leads behind the headlight.  They certainly didn't have to do that, but I'm glad they did.  I don't like to have the battery cluttered with cables.  KTM even pre-terminated the cables with female spade-type connectors!  That's really going above and beyond.  Stay classy KTM!

Trouble is, I was a little intimidated at the prospect of removing the headlight.  I shouldn't have been.  It's easy-peasy.  Two bolts and a cable disconnect and...voila!  It comes right off!



A couple of things:  First, the manual suggests you lay a cloth over the front fender so the light can lay atop it while you disconnect the headlight cable.  That's a helpful insight.  Second, my manual says to disconnect the headlight AND turn signal cables.  I discovered however, that on the 2014 model, the turn signal cables are not connected the headlight at all.  So the headlight cable is all that needs disconnecting.  The quick disconnect for the headlight is a simple "pinch and pull" operation.  It'll be obvious when you see it.

My next fear was that I'd pop the headlight off, and a spaghetti nest of cables would shoot out at me, never again to be tamed or pushed back into their vacuum-packed state.  Instead, I was pleasantly surprised; there really isn't a lot going on back there.



Another View:



There are really only three bundles of zip-tied cables.  The topmost bundle are the turn signal cables; no need to mess with those.  The middle bundle runs big, important-looking cables down into the bike's bowels; again, just leave them be.

It's the bundle to the lower right that needs be dealt with. 



The bundle is not only zip-tied, it's zip-tied to the bike itself.  In the photo below you can see how the zip-tie is threaded through the backside of the headlight housing.



Cut the zip tie and pull out the bundle.  Sure, you could try to work around the zip-tie, but why?  It's a lot easier to have room to work and you can bundle it back up with a new zip tie when you're done.  The number of wires is refreshingly manageable.  There are three wires, each with a positive and negative connection.  One the the wires is obviously being used for something.  The other two are helpfully labeled "ACC1" and "ACC2."  I didn't take the photo below (I found it on ADV) but it's a good depiction of what the label looks like:



At this point I had a choice, did I want constant power (even with the key off) as offered by ACC1?  Or would I rather the GPS was "switched" to only have power when the key was turned to on, as offered by ACC2?  I chose to run the GPS on ACC1.  I don't want the GPS to have to start up each time I turn off the key, I never intend to leave my GPS on the bike when I'm not on it, and a GPS has a very low power draw.  I'd rather reserve ACC2 for big power items, such as auxiliary lighting or heated grips--the kinds of things that are easy to forget (and murder your battery).

Now that everything's out, I need to ensure I don't electrocute myself.  The fuse box is located under the seat behind a rubber cap.



Here's where you NEED to make sure you are reading the manual for YOUR bike.  The fuses for ACC 1&2 have moved around.  For 2014 ACC1&2 are assigned to fuses 7&8.  In other years it's been assigned to other fuse locations.



Just to be sure, once I popped fuse#7 I used an electric line tester to make sure ACC1 was cold (it was).  Good, all safe.

The AMPS mount's cables are bare wires--you'll need to attach male spade connectors.  I went to an auto parts store and took a wild guess at the size.  Turns out, my guess was spot on:  22-18 gauge 1/4" male disconnects fit like a glove.  In the photo below I've already crimped one of them on my negative line.



But before I continue I must vent: why would Garmin think so many wires are a good idea?  I'm the sort who gets angry at the television remote's many buttons.  Here, the AMPS mount has six(!) wires.  The first unnecessary cable to go was the audio cable--snip and wrap!





Next, the AUXinput cables (blue, yellow, and green) get tucked away (no pic).  I just electrical taped them to the main cable.

Once I get both the black and red wires crimped with new spade connectors, I connected them to the ACC1 leads.  The brown wire is the neg/ground cable, plug the black wire here.  The ACC1 positive cable is two-toned (red and another color--yellow, I think), attach the red AMPS cable.

Time to test things!  I popped in the fuse.  No drama!  The GPS turned on and began charging.  I turned the key and the bike functioned normally.  Hooray.



**A note on mounts:  The AMPS Mount doesn't come with a mount (LOL).  It's predrilled to be used with Ram Mounts.  I like the Ram Mounts because they are simple, durable, and always seem to wiggle out of harm's way when I crash.  I also like that I can get longer or shorter "arms" to suit my purpose.  I like to be able to see my GPS while driving, so I use the 6" inch arm to get it out there where I can see both it AND the road/trail.

Time to run cables.  Making sure I'd left enough slack to adjust the height of the GPS, I zip-tied the cable to other cables running behind under the speedometer.





It's a pretty tight fit.  I had to tape the cable ends together to push them through.  I also had to remove the cap from the inline fuse box to fit it through the narrow opening.



But here begins the most frustrating thing about the mount's wiring.  It's too long.  It's designed to run all the way to the battery, not 12" from the handlebar to headlight.  Before I began, I thought this wouldn't be a problem--I'd just cut to fit, right?  Wrong.  The positive wire has an inline 2amp fuse that is located at the far end of the cable.  So I had to coil and zip-tie the entire length of cable behind my headlight.  Like this:



Sure, it works.  But there's something inelegant about having that much unused cable crammed behind the headlight.

So now I have a question for those of you who know things: Could I just cut the cable short and install the 2 amp fuse directly into the KTM's fuse box (replacing the 10amp fuse already there)?  If you know, please impress me with your knowledge.

The additional wire behind the headlight made reinstallation a bit tighter than I'd like.  I had to enlist the aid of my son to hold the light in place while I lined up the two mounting holes on the headlight.  Despite the tight fit, the headlight is functioning properly (the angle of the beam is unchanged).

I'm glad to have a powered mount once again!  But the next time I go back there (to wire grips or my USB hub) , I'll shorten the cable with weatherproof butt connectors (I didn't have any today and didn't feel like going back to the auto parts store).




« Last Edit: April 12, 2014, 02:21:53 am by Rusty Shovel »
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2014 KTM 690 Enduro R

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Dane1960

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Re: Garmin AMPS Rugged Mount Install
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2014, 07:41:05 am »
Rusty, Those are just power and ground wires so you should be fine with cutting them to the length you desire.  I always connect my GPS directly to the battery (just preference). I always soldier connections together and use shrink sleeves on my soldiered connections, not tape. I have a Garmin 665 with the satellite antenna and the Touratech mount which I  will be installing soon.

Great write up and pictures!

Alabama Adventurer

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Re: Garmin AMPS Rugged Mount Install
« Reply #2 on: April 12, 2014, 03:43:31 pm »
Awesome article rusty; better than what I would find in a magazine; I'm sure I will be referring to it later! :o

mcnut

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Re: Garmin AMPS Rugged Mount Install
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2014, 05:30:44 pm »
I see no reason you can not swap the fuse, eliminating the in-line one.
An alternative to coiling is a small space it feed it like a run to the battery but the double back.

I know you said you like the 6" arm up like an antenna, just be aware the arm length and how it's oriented will effect haw much vibration the GPS experiences which can be extreme at times.
I have found with big singles running on washboard roads, the shorter the better and perpendicular to the forks & position movement the better.
For me that means the 2" arm parallel (more or less) to how a crossbar would run keeps vibes to a minimum.

Bruce

rastawheel

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Re: Garmin AMPS Rugged Mount Install
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2016, 11:14:23 am »
Great write up. Just what I needed to read, before doing this exact same install. I will just cut my cable to length and by pass the inline fuse, since the ACC connect is ran thru the fuse box.

rastawheel

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Re: Garmin AMPS Rugged Mount Install
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2016, 02:07:42 pm »
Just finished and it works great. Used the switched ACC for my usb plug and the Non switched for my gps mount. I cut the cable the right length, removing the inline fuse. One of the easiest wiring's I ever did on a bike. Next will be the grip heaters.

truck11

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Re: Garmin AMPS Rugged Mount Install
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2016, 12:19:09 pm »
Great info - thanks for sharing and taking pics!
2014 690 Enduro R