11/22/2023 0 Comments Best place to mount popclip on rav4Now for the first time, I also have a dedicated "accurate" speedometer with accurate trip information, such as stop time, running time, average speed, max speed, etc. In fact, it almost looks like it came on the bike.Īnyhow, I'm more than pleased with the install and now have an option to run other 12 volt devices from the glove box, such as charging my helmet cam, etc. I don't have to look at a bulky GPS mounted to the handle bars blocking the dash, nor does my GPS block the view of any instruments or the windshield. The location on the coolant panel is perfect. While I intend to leave the GPS mounted all the time, it can be easily removed by just pulling it off the ball and unplugging the cord. To get the wire out to the GPS, I made a small notch and ran the power wire out the cover. To mount the GPS, I found a flat GPS mounting ball which I then mounted to the cover. Next I installed a universal 12 volt power plug. The drain hole in the glove box was enlarged to accommodate the 12 volt wire and the GPS power lead into the box. Next, I ran my GPS power cable from the 12 volt power supply out the same hole in the glove box and fished it up thru one of the opening under the coolant tank cover. The image below shows where I ran it through the plastic center support then ran it right along side the left frame rail, into the fuse panel compartment. These two images show the 12v routing with (above) the wire secured to the bundle behind the raditor. From there I ran the wire behind the radiator and followed the hoses upward to the glove box, to keep it away from the moving parts and roll lock. The fuse tap has a place for two mini fuses, one for the original device and another for your 12 volt aux source.Īfter carefully studying how I would "safely" route the 12v cable to avoid all the mechanical goodies under the nose, I ran a wire out of the fuse panel, then forward through the center support which runs between the axles. You just select a fuse, remove it, then plug this in the same slot. I found a fuse tap at Auto Zone that really makes the hookup easy. The closest 12 volt source on the MP3 was on the left floorboard where they located a fuse block. After looking at a few break down shots, I easily came to the decision there is no way I'm going to waste time tearing down a brand new machine if I didn't have to, so I would have to come up with an alternative method. After researching the power points on the MP3, I found that bringing power to the glove box would require a complete tear down of the nose. With this in mind, I decided to cure the problem and install a 12 volt power plug in the glove box. Other units such as TomTom GPS recommends that you operate it with 12 volt as well since these bright displays draw too much current to power from a USB source. Regretfully, Piaggio did not provide a 12 volt usable source in the dashboard nor the glove box, which limits the use of many devices such as my Garmin GPS, since it will not run on supplied USB power and requires a 12 volt power source to operate. The nice thing about this method is when I decide to sell the bike, I'll just replace the inexpensive cover, and there is no holes drilled in the bike. After some thought, I found the best place to mount the GPS was on the coolant cover itself, this way I could run my GPS power and 12 volt behind the dash and up through some existing holes in the coolant compartment. Its for this reason, I decided to do "semi-permanent" mounting of one of my "smaller" Garmin GPS's and therefore mount it to the dash itself. Other areas, like on top of the brake tanks or on the mirror mount are too intrusive. Regretfully, due to the MP3 gauge layout, and her "Fat" handle bar trim, its nearly impossible to mount a GPS without either blocking the gauges, windshield or obstructing the glove box from opening. As we all know, the present analog speedometer on the MP3 is flawed in accuracy, which means all the wonderful time-keeping, mpg, and Eco readings on the LCD display are just rough estimates as the speedometer itself. Hey Guys - Since Piaggio neglected to provide a speedometer that is visible when driving, I decided the first thing on my list would be to mount a GPS on the bike.
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