XJR1300 motogadget m.unit blue wiring & regeneration at mono motorcycles
“Towards the end of September 2019, we were contacted by Neil & asked if we could complete his long term project, a Yamaha XJR which he had modified with R6 forks, braced swing arm & modified shortened rear end.
We had previously worked with Neil on his Honda Fireblade when it developed an intermittent starting issue earlier in 2019. Neil said we were the only people for the XJR job, as the main work which needed undertaking was the wiring.
Having seen Derek’s XJ900 which we uprated & wired with a motogadget system in 2018, Neil knew he wanted to go down the motogadget route, including switch gear & a keyless ignition. We would also need to finish a few essential mechanical elements, including servicing & get the XJR though an MOT.
First, we had to decide on switch gear.
One of the benefits of the motogadget m.unit blue is you can use nearly any type of switch. This gives huge scope depending on budget. You can use from top of the range motogadget units, to inexpensive Chinese momentary push buttons. On this XJR build we went with MOTONE switches. The MOTONE momentary switches are the same switch which motogadget use, in a really attractive alloy housing which is available in polished or black & come in at half the price of the motogadget switches.
For the XJR we went with a triple switch for the left bar (headlights/left indicator/horn) & twin switch on the right (start-Stop/right indicator).
With the m.unit blue, switch gear, new battery, m-lock (keyless ignition) & replacement throttle housing on order it was time to strip out the old wiring loom.
Every motorcycle we work on is different, but as with some motorcycles we still need to keep the old wiring loom if the motorcycle runs any kind of ignition module, fuel injection or fuel injection system.
The wiring loom is then stripped & separated with the old wiring loom discarded, leaving just the module with its components like crank pick up & throttle position sensors. We can then feed the module with power & earths through the m.unit blue.
The next phase is to locate the components on the XJR. Another benefit of the m.unit blue is it doesn’t require any fuses or relays. This is all taken care of via the m.unit blue, therefore freeing up valuable space; giving scope to move things like the starter solenoid & voltage regulator.
With the XJR we managed to move the starter solenoid to the side panel hiding it out the way. We then fabricated new starter cables & a new earth strap so they tucked tight up against the frame so they couldn’t be seen.
As with most of the motorcycles we have completed wiring projects for, there is always a small amount of necessary fabrication needed & the XJR was no different.
We needed to locate the m.unit blue & wanted it to be easily seen at shows with the seat off. With this in mind, the XJR already had a step between the battery tray & new tail unit. A sheet of steel was bent up & bolted into place before painting with some gloss black paint to create a suitable location position for the m.unit blue.
Once dry, the m.unit blue was mounted & earth & power supply cables fitted.
My attention then turned to the front of the XJR, namely the handlebars & switch gear. Neil wanted a neat, clean & precise look, so all the wiring was hidden through the handle bars. A time consuming exercise but really worth the extra effort.
While at the front of the XJR, the new digital Daytona speedo & tell tail lights were fitted & wires marked up.
With all the base components in place we could start to draw up a wiring diagram.
Drawing a wiring diagram is critical to the build.
It’s very easy to become lost when wiring a motorcycle, even with the simplified motogadget system. This also gives a reference point should a problem arise in the future. Ensuring the wiring diagram is in effect, will help identify where the wires which will need to spur off like the indicators & high beam to the tell tail lights & separate wiring looms for the oil pressure sensor, ecu, charging & neutral circuits will be.
With all of the above in place, we could finally commence the wiring.
The first part of the wiring process was to run all the cables loosely & connect the switching side to the m.unit blue.
Once complete, the output side was run & connected. I try & run switches down one side & outputs down the other. Not only does this make the wiring loom neater, it also eliminates interference. Once all the wires were in place heat shrink was used to tidy all the wiring before adding plugs to the end of the wiring looms, to enable the whole harness to be removed if required. We try to use as many of the old connector blocks as possible. Once they have been ultrasonically cleaned, new pins were added so the plugs are like new & a small amount of dielectric grease was used to stop corrosion.
At this point, we also added the m.lock. This is an RF (radio frequency) key which is used to bring the ignition on. The pick up being hidden under a panel, when the RF key passes the pick up, this brings the ignition on & off.
Once the m.unit blue is connected, it is able to sense the Bluetooth connection from your mobile phone. Once in range the RF key is not required, instead the m.unit knows you’re within range, allowing you to start the bike without the key.
Once we were nearing completion of the wiring, attention was turned to servicing & a valve check was under taken, new plugs, oil & filters fitted.
The Carbs were checked & balanced & a new choke cable was set up & relocated. Neil turned some spacers at his place of work to my specifications, which were used as lock stops to prevent the headlight bracket hitting the fuel tank on full lock.
A thorough nose to tail nut & bolt check was undertaken, to ensure everything was tight before heading out on road test to set up calibration of the speedo.
The speedo calibration in itself was not particularly straight forward! I needed a measured one mile to set the calibration. Using my own Triumph Street Triple, I zeroed the trip & with a piece of chalk to mark the beginning & end of the measurement; I marked exactly one mile. After 3 failed attempts & some adjustments to the pick up sensor, I rode out of the village where there is a speed sensor telling you your indicated speed. At 30mph the speedo was exactly correct.
Once the MOT was completed, we took the XJR for a 20 mile run before bringing it back to the workshop for another thorough nut & bolt check over & machine detailing before the hand over.
Neil took delivery of his now finished XJR & is already hinting of another project for us to do.
Tech bit:
So what is so different about the motogadget m.unit blue & how does it work?
For many years motogadget has been synonymous with high quality instruments & innovative designs for the motorcycle industry. The m.unit blue has turned the motorcycle customising scene on its head with its German quality & reliability ease of fitting.
If you look at the humble headlight switch for instance. On a standard motorcycle, let’s say a Honda CB750, the headlight switch would have side, dip, headlight on one switch, then a second switch for the high beam & third switch for the pass light. This would also need a headlight relay, a high beam relay, at least one fuse if not two, around eight to ten wires running from the switch gear back to the fuses & relays & that’s before the wiring goes back again to the consumer units!
On the motogadget m.unit blue, all of the switches, relays, fuses & ten wires are all removed & replaced with one switch & one wire.
This is made possible by not sending current through the relays & switches like traditional 12v wiring, but sending an earth signal. The micro processor within the motogadget m.unit sees an earth command, a single long push on the momentary push buttons would bring the headlight on, a quick tap will flash the high beam, a long push will bring on high beam & a second long push would turn the light back off.
This innovative idea not only saves space, it also saves weight, it’s safer & can be made very compact ideal for most bespoke or custom builds.
The motagadget m.unit blue is also capable of connecting to your phone via an app. Within the app you are able to set an alarm & adjust its sensitivity & how loud you want it: switch the lights to come on with the ignition, the rear light can be set to pulse as a brake light, before becoming a solid light, the indicators flash at the correct rate even with led lights, you can even use the motgadget m.unit app to track where you have been & even set a reminder for when your servicing is due. The options are endless.”
Written by Daniel Morris – Owner & Proprietor of mono motorcycles,
Master Motorcycle Technician & Motorcycle Wiring Expert