Spare plug in tail light harness?

Hey all,

New member here, picked up an '09 WRR a few weeks ago to accompany/complement my V-Strom. I'm in the process of making it "mine" and I have my first question.

When I got the bike from the dealer, it already had the commonly used aftermarket LED tail light installed. The dealer didn't have time to install the LED turn signals, so I happily did that myself. While plugging in the turn signals into their stock harness plugs under the left side panel, I noticed that there was a spare/open plug, just hanging there. It has the same type of connector as the turn signals, but nothing was plugged into it. I left it unplugged, but I'm wondering what it was supposed to be used for? I think it was yellow or orange...

I'm asking since I'm looking for a switched power source. If that plug is indeed left over from something or just unused, it'd be the perfect switched source for a fuse block. So, anyone know what it is?

Thanks, and thanks for having me. Glad to be a part of the family

It's for the trailer hitch.

Right. Thanks for that. Anyone know the real function?

Captain Midnight wrote:

It's for the trailer hitch.

It could very well be the license plate light wire. That's what I used for my power source. If you have a test light, it's easy enuf to find out.

Hello SheWolf, nice to (finally) make your acquaintance :)

I have a volt meter and verified that the (yellow?) plug is in fact a switched power source. What I am/was trying to figure out was what was the original purpose of that plug. I wasn't sure if the dealer unplugged something and forgot to plug it back in or what. I didn't think about the OEM license plate light... does that have its own plug? If so, this could very well be it.

SheWolf wrote:

It could very well be the license plate light wire. That's what I used for my power source. If you have a test light, it's easy enuf to find out.

pretty sure that plug is for the licence plate light, because on the stocker it is seperate from the taillight..

on mine I just taped up the end of the plug and put it back in the loom

It is indeed a separate wire to the lisence plate light.

Hey there Mr. Metal,

From one Stromtrooper to another, welcome to the WRR forum.

Thanks man! The WR is the perfect companion for my DL, seriously. Match made in Japanese heaven ;)

And thank you all for the responses. I'm speaking with Jim from Eastern Beaver and I'm going to try to get him to wire up my 3-circuit solution with the factory plug (into the license plate light plug) for the switched circuit lead. Can't get any more professional than that :)

Boondocker wrote:

Hey there Mr. Metal,

From one Stromtrooper to another, welcome to the WRR forum.

wee wee I got a wee tooooooo..

06 DL650...

Nice snag, Tammy!

I received my 3-circuit today from Eastern Beaver, but I'll have to wire it the old-fashioned way. Given the tight quarters under the seat, I was looking at the space just forward of the battery - easy accessibility and only 1-bolt away. I'll give it closer look. Heck, I don't even have an electrical accessory, but I've learned that extra circuits are about the first thing you should add to any bike ridden on the street. I'm sure I'll fill it soon enough.

Mr.Metal wrote:

Thanks man! The WR is the perfect companion for my DL, seriously. Match made in Japanese heaven ;)

And thank you all for the responses. I'm speaking with Jim from Eastern Beaver and I'm going to try to get him to wire up my 3-circuit solution with the factory plug (into the license plate light plug) for the switched circuit lead. Can't get any more professional than that :)

Assuming that is the former license plate power plug, be careful what you plug into it. I wired an accesory plug(ie cigarette type plug) for phone & GPS power. Attaching the connections, accidentally created a short. Tried to start bike, no go. I blew the 10 amp fuse for the license plate/parking lights that also powers the instruments & switch for starting. Fixed short, replaced 10 amp fuse, no problem. Repair manual shows there are 3 open(unused) fuse circuits on the stock fuse block. Haven't tested them yet. Might be worth a try.

bill t

No worries, I intend to use the plug as a switched circuit trigger, nothing else. I'm highly against putting any additional load on the stock circuits, so everything will be powered by the 3CS, meaning a separate power source. In general, it's a very bad idea to try and piggy back your accessories on top of existing power sources, a good way to blow fuses or (even worse), melt something.

hamish54 wrote:

Assuming that is the former license plate power plug, be careful what you plug into it. I wired an accesory plug(ie cigarette type plug) for phone & GPS power. Attaching the connections, accidentally created a short. Tried to start bike, no go. I blew the 10 amp fuse for the license plate/parking lights that also powers the instruments & switch for starting. Fixed short, replaced 10 amp fuse, no problem. Repair manual shows there are 3 open(unused) fuse circuits on the stock fuse block. Haven't tested them yet. Might be worth a try.

bill t