K1200S Accessory Outlet Modification

2005-2006 K1200S Accessory Outlet Modification

I'll guess by now that most of you 2005-2006 K1200S owners know that our factory accessory outlet has some serious limitations as far as power or lack thereof. You can blame the Germans. I have no idea what their thinking was on this... and I won't even theorize. A common Battery Tender will not work properly with the K1200S bike due to the K1200S's accessory outlet current shutoff mechanism and their are supposedly issues with other aftermarket accessories as well. Rather than run your accessories directly to the battery and/or whine about the socket being as worthless as tits on a badger... here's a simple fix.. Takes about an hour and will cost you under $20 but finding the materials my require you to seek out an electrical supply store.

I should note that on MY install I had a custom made wiring harness complete with both upper and lower end connectors. Most people will NOT but instead will have to cut off and reuse the lower end BMW connector. The following instructions are generic and will work for both scenarios. 2007 K1200S Owners see note at page bottom.

What You'll Need:

(1) 16 gauge wire / 3.5ft for ground & 3.5ft for hot
(1) 5" pigtail In-Line fuse holder with 10amp fuse
(2) Connectors for battery
(5) Zip ties
(1) Electrical tape
(1) 2 importer beers

Step 1 : Getting Started

1. Remove your seat.
2. Remove the battery cover.
3. Remove the left side panel
4. Remove left side air-filter duct. In case you've not done this yet.. the fasteners are yet another German innovation. There are no screws holding the duct on, but rather two 3" long plastic pins that you compress and then pull out releasing the duct like large bobby pins. Be careful you don't lose the white rubber grommet on the backside. During reinstall of the air-duct, hold the grommet from behind with one hand so it doesn't push through and fly out and roll 20 feet away from your bike and under your car tire making it impossible to locate for over 40 freakin' minutes.
5. Remove the accessory socket cover. There are two screws holding the cover in place.
6. Time for beer # 1.

Step 2: Running the Wire

Note: I'll leave it up to you, but I would recommend getting your entire harness wire assembled and run BEFORE actually connecting either end. Just my opinion.

1. Unplug the factory harness from the back of the accessory socket. In MY install I was lucky enough to have had an all new harness with an identical factory connector so I just taped off the factory connector for future use. If you are gonna reuse the factory connector, just cut the two factory wires (a hot & ground) and tape them off and out of the way. Then solder the factory connector to YOUR new wires that lead from the battery. For your inline fuse I'd recommend a 10 amp.

2. Starting at the top by the battery, snake the new wires down around or through the frame towards the accessory socket. Make sure everything is in place before connecting anything.

Step 3: Connections

1. OK.. your new wires are run from the battery to the ac outlet and you have either your new lower end connection ready to plug in or you've soldered the factory connector to your new wires and have it ready to plug in.. you've done good...
2. Plug the connector into the back of the ac socket..
3. On the top end, connect the HOT wire first. then the ground wire to the battery. You'll need to reset your clock when this is over...
4. Before zip tying and making everything look all nice and pretty.. Plug something in to the socket just to make sure everything is working properly.. Alrighty then.. Zip tie any loose wires.
5. Reinstall her panties..er. plastic.. Your done. and you have the satisfaction of knowing that you can now plug in any heated gear, any battery charger, and use your AutoSuck without fear of doing some kind of unholy damage to your ride..
6. Time for beer # 2.

2007 K1200S Owners: For 2007 the BMW accessory plug is different. The pictures above of the Factory Harness Plug are not the correct ones for the 2007 configuration. BMW has gone to a lower amperage rated plug on some of their bikes and the 2007 K1200S has this lower rated one.

I learned this while installing a Powerlet cable from the accessory plug to the battery. They too did not know of this change. This new accessory is the same as BMW has used on the 2006 GS models.

Contributed by Jim Morrison (not the one from the Doors)

Disclaimer To Protect El Capitan's Ass: While this install is a no-brainer...Be advised that there is no representation of accuracy of any of the information presented on this web page relative to BMW motorcycle modification and that the material is presented for information purposes only. In no case will Jerry (a.k.a. Pirate) Finley, Pirates' Lair, Pirates' Lair staff members be held liable for damage (consequential or otherwise) resulting from or arising out of alterations you make to your motorcycle due to opinions displayed within. You are encouraged to seek qualified assistance before undertaking any of the procedures outlined here, and are here by notified that, should you decide to proceed, you do so at your own risk. Blah.. Blah..