Wiring fun: LED's, Alarm System, garage opener, flush mount gear indicator


sti491

Member
5 Mth Update (At end): LED's, Alarm System, garage opener, flush mount gear indicator

To start off, a big shout out to Vince on this forum for helping me with creative ideas on LED use for safety (and coolness affect!), and most importantly saving me time with wiring connection advice. Thank you Vince!

I am not too worried about my bike being stolen, however my son & I take country rides, usually stopping for lunch in some town where often I can't see my bike parked a block away or behind the building. I have a lock strap I use to secure my jacket and helmet sometimes, depending on the weather. That's a lot of stuff for a curious no-gooder to avoid messing with perhaps. Also, I want to know if a cager backs over my bike, as honest accidents happen, and then people turn dishonest without leaving a note, from my personal experience.

So I got a M1 Encore two-way remote bike alarm. It was just under $60. Not cheap. You can buy an $18 alarm if you just want a siren, but I wanted the two way key fob that works like a restaurant pager, so when something happens to the bike it buzzes, lights up and sings a song in my pocket. This alarm has both an adjustable motion detector as well as an adjustable impact alarm. It has a silent mode where only the lights blink, no alarm sound unless someone tries to start it. I like that mode when in a crowded area, like parked with a lot of other bikes. From what I can tell this is the same private branded system as Spy, although I like the Encore a little better based on size and shape of the remote. I recommend whichever you like and get cheaper. The remote stays connected for a very long range.

Installing it mostly under the passenger seat would not be much of a challenge if not for that's where I put my Power Commander, so I had a REALLY tight fit. Making more of a challenge I wanted to be able see my PC status light. The motion detector is under the rider seat, velcroed down for easy disassembly.

Putting the alarm system in, is relatively simple once you figure out where to put it, although finding the ignition cut wire can be a challenge. A multimeter or test light, and Vince made this and other connection questions easier to figure out.

I decided to light my jewel with a pretty powerful yellow LED light, and add rear brake/turn signal LED's to the under seat pod, and also inside the front fake intake pods at the same time as my alarm, so all those lights will flash with the alarm trigger. I also added a garage door opener to my shop where the bike resides, hidden under the top left faring/cowl piece with a remote button to activate it. Finally, I flush mounted my gear indicator where I had only two sided taped it previously....another great idea from Vince! It looks way better this way. I located it line-of-site so my phone doesn't block it. I use my phone for navigation all the time.

In retrospect, it was good to have it all tied together in one project because you have to remove ALL the farings and bodywork. On the other hand, I was cursing myself with all the tedious wiring, mounting, careful cutting, drilling and dremmeling required. It took me quite a while.

Having to make custom wiring harnesses, I highly recommend tesa tape for this. It's sorta like electrical hockey stick tape. It makes the job much easier. It's a bit pricey though.

I am very happy with the results. I like my combo strobing rear tail ight and flush mount front turn signals the way they look, but honestly don't think drivers can see the rear signal from the side, or the front flush mount signals very well from the front. Now they can.

This project was a challenge for me to do, mentally to plan it all out, then all the wiring and tucking it neatly away so it's invisible. You can read Adezine's posts on what I have done with the lights. I'll take better night time pics of the front later, and add them. The front pod lights are a little dull in the daytime, but very nice at night, they are turn signals and DRL which frame the jewel light nicely. The lighted jewel is awesome anytime. Bike needed that! The hidden garage door opener, well, everyone should have one on their bike :) !
 

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adazine

Premium Member

sti491

Member
Great job ! Gotta love that Power Crystal / Jewel Light - the yellow is great. You might want to get a dimmer for it at night, lol ! Thanks for the shout out. I learned a lot online and in this forum and happy to help with what I know and any idea's I can provide.

I really like the alarm you went with and may change mine out next off season. My next mod will be trying out the strobe for the brake light - anything to make it less of a chance of being hit from behind, and I've read reviews that they really get people to back off.

Per your recommendation, I'll be going with the Metzeler Sportec M7 tires and will soon be doing an air box mod.
I know you will love the tires! The airbox mod just be aware: it SCREAMS at high RPM. I got used to it and like it now... but I'm not sure it's for everyone. I had my son in front of me on his bike last night. He thought my headlight low beam was brighter than the yellow "power crystal". Nobody flashed at me all night. I have it switched so I can turn it off at night, though. Actually I really like it lit at night. My LED headlight is great on low beam. There is noticeable small gap of sorts right in front of the bike when I switch to high beam though - it's just the way the aftermarket bulb is. The yellow jewel fills that gap very nicely!

The M1 Encore is very nice. It takes a bit to get used to which buttons to push. It's designed to rearm itself to cover you forgetting, which I need to remember to tap the disarm button fast twice. I'll get used to it, but it's maybe a bit of overkill in it's design. All the other features are adjustable to suit your need. The two way LED display key fob is the best part IMO.

You will really like a combo strobing tail-light. I consider it a must do safety mod on any bike. It gets attention to any driver not texting :-( bad joke, sad but true these days. I got mine with a smoke lense because my bike is black. Pick a color lens you like for your yellow bike. Maybe red, smoke and/or clear are your options I think, not sure. I got mine on Amazon.

Take care man, and thanks again for the help. You made my life a lot easier on this project!
 

sti491

Member
Very cool! I like the mods you did. All on my list!

Glad you like it.

Just take your time, don't do it when you are tired or cranky. There are a lot of wires to fiddle with. You are bound to get one or two wrong, and a re-do is just part of the modding game!
 

motel6man

New Member
Out of curiosity now that its been a month since you installed the alarm what are your thoughts with it? I was initially looking at just getting a xena xx15 but after seeing your post it sparked my interest in an actual alarm instead. Does this kill your battery fast? Is it sensitive enough or overly sensitive? Does the wind/rain set it off? I love the idea of the two way remote incase I'm busy and cant keep a close eye it when I'm at work. I had two guys at the end of the season try to steal my bike in my jobs parking lot. Good thing is I do security here and seen them on camera and chased them off.
 

sti491

Member
Out of curiosity now that its been a month since you installed the alarm what are your thoughts with it? I was initially looking at just getting a xena xx15 but after seeing your post it sparked my interest in an actual alarm instead. Does this kill your battery fast? Is it sensitive enough or overly sensitive? Does the wind/rain set it off? I love the idea of the two way remote incase I'm busy and cant keep a close eye it when I'm at work. I had two guys at the end of the season try to steal my bike in my jobs parking lot. Good thing is I do security here and seen them on camera and chased them off.

Great questions. Here comes a long mixed-bag answer. I got the alarm for parking at a lunch or 1-2 beer stop when I could not see the bike. Really wanted the pager style key fob. I like that. To answer your specific questions:

1. Battery drain - it has not been a problem at all for me. I do have a brand new lithium phosphate itty bitty battery. When I leave it armed in the shop for a week or so of bad weather, it's on a battery tender. My guess it would work for a while parking for an extended time without being connected to a charger. Eventually it would have to drain the battery though. As far as I know the only drain on the battery sitting there armed is the tiny flashing LED (that you do not have to use). I think the only significant battery drain would be how many times and how long the alarm might trigger... I could be wrong though.

2. There are two sensitivities you can adjust: motion and impact. I have both set to high and they work great. Impact takes a reasonable bump to set it off, depending where you bump it. Motion on high is perfect, the setting depends where you mount the sensor and how much metal is around it. Walking by the bike will not set it off. If you get really close and stay there and move around, it will go off without touching the bike. Works as it should, nothing obnoxious here.

3. The wind has never set it off. I have ridden and parked it in high winds. I avoid rain like the plauge, so I dunno. I doubt rain would set it off.

What I really like:
a. The pager remote. Works a really long way away and through buildings.

b. The find-ur-bike beep button is pretty cool, although I say this in theory as I have not lost my bike in a parking lot yet... that's why I have a 2 beer limit when riding, and usually close to home :) I have lost my car before though...

c. When alarmed with a one button push, if you push the alarm button one more time it goes into "sorta silent" mode. Anything you do to molest the bike will not chirp or trigger the sound alarm, but all the lights will flash and the pager vibrates and sings it's in-your-pocket song. I say "sorta silent" because if you try to start the bike it goes into full ear piercing alarm mode. Also, once you set it to silent, it stays that way until you change it. If I am within eye shot of the bike I always leave it on silent.

d. The ignition cut if the alarm is triggered.

e. If you want a loud alarm, it's really loud!


What I don't like:
a. It has this annoying feature where when you disarm it with a one button push (as I would expect), it will re-arm itself pretty quick unless you turn the ignition on, or double push the disarm button (fast, with-in one second). I don't start and let my bike idle for the seemingly long period it takes me to unlock my helmet, get all my gear on, Nav and phone set, etc before I mount up. I could just turn the ignition on and not start it, but then if I need to remove the key for any reason, like to get glove liners or ear plugs or something out of my locked tail pack, I have to go through arm/disarm process (see next gripe), or the fooker will trigger. So, what all this means is it takes 3 button pushes to really disarm it. One to disarm it, than as soon as the lights flash from that, hit the same button twice within a second. I find this annoying and think they should sh*t-can that feature. If anyone knows how to disable this, I am all ears. It's something you get used to. It's just dumb IMHO. The feature is there so you don't disarm it by accident I think.

b. When you turn off your ignition, after a short pause the alarm chirps very slowly 3 times, and the key fob buzzes 3 times. After that noisy fuss, the bike is disarmed. Again, this is a feature to help remind you, "hey buddy, you are walking away from your bike and forgot to alarm it". So when I stop to park the bike, take the key out, I literally have to quickly arm (one button push) and then disarm (three button pushes, see above) to avoid the bike chirping 3 times if I am choosing to leave it disarmed. Ridiculous for my preference. My riding buddies do not appreciate 3 loud chirps every time we park, and neither do I. I am considering putting a plastic Tupperware lid over the siren so the chirps are not so ear piercingly loud. I will perhaps pierce the lid to get the volume where I like it. I would like to walk away from my bike leaving it disarmed without all this fuss and noise.

c. If you want a loud alarm, it's really loud!... and so are the chirps. Same volume. The chirps should be lower volume. For me, I think I'm going to cover the top of the siren. With all the lights flashing and a bit quieter alarm, it will still get plenty of attention. The chirps associated with my first two listed annoyances are just too damn loud.

So my dislikes are all about the "reminder" type features built into the system. Which from my research, are not something you can change. If I remember to do everything perfectly, in the right sequence, it's not a problem. The problem is I'm not perfect and wear gloves when I ride. Sometimes I just don't do it perfectly and the punishment is embarrassingly loud.

So it's a mixed bag. Since I tend to leave my helmet and sometimes my jacket locked to the bike parked where I can't see it, I still think an alarm is a good idea for me. A block away or behind a restaurant I still may not hear the loud alarm, but the key fob works perfectly. That's why I thinking about making the alarm siren and chirps bit less loud and annoying.
 
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motel6man

New Member
Wow this is a very good detailed review. I greatly appreciate you hitting all my questions plus all the pros/cons. The idea of the two way fob is what pretty much sold me on getting an alarm instead of rotor lock/alarm. Although i would like to have both even if just a cheap lock. I also like the idea of not having to mess with alot of extra things just press a couple buttons and go on or let it arm itself. I keep a bookbag with me most of the time so putting the key in the ignition isn't an issue with me as I don't use the back seat for anything i need regularly. I tend to hit the kill switch first then get off the bike so it sounds like i can arm it when i'm grabbing the keys to avoid the beeps. The only concern i do have with the motion is I work at a hospital and will be (per my boss and ER director) parking my bike with the few others in our ambulance bay and while it would be off to the side there tends to be a fair amount of traffic going on in the area.
 

sti491

Member
Wow this is a very good detailed review. I greatly appreciate you hitting all my questions plus all the pros/cons. The idea of the two way fob is what pretty much sold me on getting an alarm instead of rotor lock/alarm. Although i would like to have both even if just a cheap lock. I also like the idea of not having to mess with alot of extra things just press a couple buttons and go on or let it arm itself. I keep a bookbag with me most of the time so putting the key in the ignition isn't an issue with me as I don't use the back seat for anything i need regularly. I tend to hit the kill switch first then get off the bike so it sounds like i can arm it when i'm grabbing the keys to avoid the beeps. The only concern i do have with the motion is I work at a hospital and will be (per my boss and ER director) parking my bike with the few others in our ambulance bay and while it would be off to the side there tends to be a fair amount of traffic going on in the area.
It's just a matter of getting used a new routine using it. Don't worry about the motion detector. Mine is on highest setting and no way someone just walking by will set it off... and you can completely turn it off from the remote, leaving the rest armed.
 

sti491

Member
For what it is worth, I finally did something about the darn chirps (and Alarm) being so loud. I found a honey jar lid the same size as the siren top. First I just put it on and tried it, and it was too quiet. Then I drilled one small hole in the and tried it. When I got 5 holes in it, me and my riding partner liked that the chirps were not so obnoxious, and the Alarm was still loud enough, although definitely a bit quieter.

Some may want an Alarm to be super loud (ear peircing)... the way it is now, when I stop the bike and pull the key I just ignore it. It chirps 3 relatively quiet chirps telling me it still working, and it is disarmed. I like it way better this way.

Wow this is a very good detailed review. I greatly appreciate you hitting all my questions plus all the pros/cons. The idea of the two way fob is what pretty much sold me on getting an alarm instead of rotor lock/alarm. Although i would like to have both even if just a cheap lock. I also like the idea of not having to mess with alot of extra things just press a couple buttons and go on or let it arm itself. I keep a bookbag with me most of the time so putting the key in the ignition isn't an issue with me as I don't use the back seat for anything i need regularly. I tend to hit the kill switch first then get off the bike so it sounds like i can arm it when i'm grabbing the keys to avoid the beeps. The only concern i do have with the motion is I work at a hospital and will be (per my boss and ER director) parking my bike with the few others in our ambulance bay and while it would be off to the side there tends to be a fair amount of traffic going on in the area.
 

sti491

Member
5 month Alarm update. After living with this alarm for a while, and quieting it's incessant chirps EVERYTIME you shut of the bike, set the alarm... and on and on; the damn thing chirps all the time it seems (as it was designed, I just don't like that part of the design), I finally had enough. I pulled the siren out.

I found I was running it in "silent" mode 98% of the time anyway, where only the lights flashing and ignition cut is activated. It's too bad in that mode it still audibly chirps for this, that and every other factory setting reasons (that as far as I know you can't change).

So now, when I set the alarm I get a light flash. When I turn the bike off I get 3 light flashes and a key fob tune and buzz, reminding me to set it when leaving. If you mess with it, bump into it or try to start it with the key but without disarming, it either does short light flash or it flashes it's butt off while buzzing the key fob and playing it's quiet key fob song... and the fob tells me if it's a motion or other trigger setting it off.

If you live in an apartment a "silent"alarm may not be what you need. For me I wanted the remote Key Fob warning more than anything else. I thought I could live with the chirps, but in the end could not... and neither could my riding buddies!
 
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