Miles By Motorcycle
established 11 years ago
Recommendation for a Power Distribution Unit/Fuse Block for a Gen 4 Honda VFRSubscribe to this blog RSS Feed
    You must be logged in and belong to this group to post to this forum.
    1 of 7
    ryan647
    3 years ago
    I am looking for some recommendations and some info from direct experience and usage of a power distribution unit/fuse box.  I'd like to be able to use some electric clothing and eventually a GPS on the bike and would like to have some sort of fused power distribution device to which I connect all of these doodads.

    There seem to be a ton of different options out there ranging from under $100 to $400 dollars.  I have no experience with such a device so not sure what to look for and what would be a good option for my use case.

    Any help is greatly appreciated.
    2 of 7
    Yermo
    3 years ago
    Does this work? 

    Link #163241
    Yermo
    3 years ago

    Rowe Electronics PDM60 Power Distribution Module - RevZilla

    Shop RevZilla for your Rowe Electronics PDM60 Power Distribution Module today! Free Shipping, Lowest Price Guaranteed & Top of the Line Expert Service.

    https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle...
    3 of 7
    With both battery tenders and electric clothing I wire direct to the battery. I've done GPS units both ways, I think it's better to use a key controlled circuit as the GPS units can put a slow draw on the battery to keep the unit charged. I'm not familiar with the VFR but a quick google of the electrical system urges caution. 
    4 of 7
    Yermo
    3 years ago
    PlushParu, possibly aligned with your interests.
    5 of 7
    Yun Lung Yang
    3 years ago
    The 100-400 dollar distribution block is very very expensive "tailor" product for something you can build for 35 dollars. 

    Amazon.com: Blue Sea Systems 5045 Fuse Block St Blade Mini 4 Cir-: Automotive

    and any automotive relay 40 amp will more than suffice. You can go with a waterproof relay, but those relay are larger. 

    I ran this setup in all my bikes and my dr on my big trip and it never failed. It even took a swim a few times and crashed it multiple times and one time really badly. The electronics never missed a beat. Its also super easy to check and use standard automotive relay that can be easily swapped out. 

    I  have this set up on my my sv650s as well as other bikes I had in the past. The trigger wire is easily found from wiring diagram, typical bikes will have one or two, one up front and one in the mid/rear of the bike. 
    Photo #163415
    Yun Lung Yang
    3 years ago

    6 of 7
    Yun Lung Yang
    3 years ago
    I would avoid the expensive stuff. 

    The expensive stuff is basically relay and distribution block in one housing. When this breaks you have no option but to buy a new one. Which is very very expensive. 

    Relays will fail, not often, but can and will fail with time. The distribution block will never fail. You want the two units separate and can easily diagnose and swap out. If you wired it up with the base all you need to do is plug and unplug to swap the relay. And check the fuse for individual circuits that may not be operating properly. 
    7 of 7
    Yermo
    3 years ago
    Thanks for this.