Oil Gauges Install
Oil Pressure and Oil Temperature Gauges
An oil pressure gauge can be a life saver especially if the engine is subject to extreme running conditions. There is an OEM oil pressure switch but it only will trigger the oil light on the bike when oil pressure drops to a few psi which means it’s next to useless for anything but starting the bike. The oil switch can’t supply the proper signal to run an aftermarket gauge.

An oil temperature gauge is helpful to monitor the temperature of the engine oil which has an influence on oil pressure. The method of installing an oil temperature sensor I show in this tutorial will not produce adequate results to monitor oil temperature. I have installed it as shown but I will be changing my setup as soon as possible so I can get a useful reading off of the sensor.

For a sport bike, the ZX-14 has a lot of extra dash space for additional gauges but it will be necessary to do some modification to the fairings to fit most gauges on the market. Check cup depth on the gauges you buy. A big part of the reason I chose GlowShift gauges was because they are only an inch and a half deep from the bezel to the back of the gauge. There are also very compact rectangular digital gauges available (check Dyno-Tune) that should be easy to fit almost anywhere you like.

Decide if you want analog or digital gauges. One big advantage to digital gauges is that their signal can be used to log data. Analog gauges are a lot easier to read at a glance but their signal cannot be data logged.

There are three ports that may be used to supply sensors for aftermarket oil temperature and or oil pressure gauges. An oil presser test port is located on each side of the engine case above the front lower fairing bracket. The oil switch boss to the LH side of the oil filter is the third location. If you wanted to create a sensor port instead of using an existing port, there is a blank hole directly above the oil switch. Another option for creating sensor ports is the oil filter sandwich adapter.

Sandwich Adapter
These adapters sandwich between the oil filter seat and the oil filter. They are designed to provide a quick and easy source of flowing oil. I would recommend that this avenue be taken as the easiest by far. I have not tried a sandwich adapter but I’m sure one for the ZX-14 could be found without much investigation. Gauge manufactures often sell sandwich adapters that work with their gauges but you might consider using an inexpensive sandwich adapter from Asia. As long as it seals between the oil filter and seat and has 1/8 NPT ports, it will work. The downsides to a sandwich adapter are that it would add a reasonable amount of weight, locate the oil filter an inch farther forward (although there is plenty of space) and the space constraints of the ZX-14 require that the oil sensors be pointed down. Downward pointing sensors will protrude slightly from the fairing and be vulnerable to damage from flying road debris. I have heard one report that temperature sensors do not work very well with sandwich adapters because the probe is not fully immersed in the flow of oil. Still, a sandwich adapter would give you oil ports with as little effort as removing the oil filter. It is by far the most plug and play method of acquiring an oil source for your gauges and it will cost less than buying a multi port adapter and tools.

All brands of gauges will have similar sensors to those shown in this tutorial. Provided it has 1/8 NPT thread (which is the most common thread for automotive and motorcycle sensor bosses) the sensor can be installed exactly the same way as is show in this tutorial.

Oil Pressure Test Ports
Either of the oil pressure test ports located at each end of the crankshaft may be used but there is not enough room between the engine case and the inside of the lower fairing to mount a sensor there. A sensor could be installed to a union at the end of a copper tube with a pressure coupling installed in an oil pressure test port. The tube could be easily bent to position the sensor where it would not interfere with the fairing. Similarly, an elbow with a steel braided line would permit remote location of an oil pressure sensor. Neither would work well for an oil temperature sensor. The oil temperature in the line would not reflect the temperature of the oil in the motor because the oil would be more or less stagnant. Without having the oil flowing through the line as it does in the engine, the sensor would not be exposed to the same oil temperature as the oil currently circulating in the engine. Also, the oil would not be likely to ever reach the peak temperature that the oil in the engine does because the line is located outside of the engine. Another undesirable aspect of using an oil test port is the risk of thread damage. The LH oil pressure test port is located in the oil pan so repairing damaged threads would be relatively uncomplicated. The oil pressure test port on the RH side is located in the engine case so major engine disassembly would probably be required to repair threads there.

Auxiliary Oil Sensor Blank
There is a well located in the oil pan approximately one inch above the oil pressure switch and it already has a center detent to pilot a drill bit. It seems this location was meant to be drilled and threaded to provide an oil supply. As far as I can tell, the resulting passage would intersect with the passage immediately after the oil pressure switch. The oil pressure switch would not need to be relocated and the threads for the auxiliary oil sensor hole could be cut to fit whatever adapter or sensor one wished. The complication is that drilling and tapping threads here would entail removing the oil pan and irreversibly altering a fairly expensive OEM part.

Oil Pressure Switch Boss
Other than a sandwich adapter, this is probably the most straightforward method of acquiring ports for oil sending units. It requires installing a multi-port adapter but there is enough room for multiple sensors. If any damage should occur from the installation of an adapter, the oil pan could be removed for repair or replacement. The disadvantages to using the oil pressure switch boss is that you must relocate the oil pressure switch (if you want to have a functioning low oil pressure warning light) and a multi-port adapter will not have much oil circulation to monitor oil temperature. An oil temperature sensor in an adapter located right off of the engine will not rise very much above 140° F. Another problem with using the oil pressure switch boss is that the multi-port adapter will probably need to modified so its threads fit the port in the boss (see Multi-port Oil Sending Unit Adapter Mod).

I chose to use a multi-port adapter installed to the oil switch boss as the best longterm solution for locating oil sending units. I am quite certain I will use the auxiliary oil sensor blank for the temperature sensor in the future because of the constant oil flow but the multi-port adapter in the oil switch boss will still be handy if I ever need oil supply for turbo.


RH oil pressure test port.

This photo shows the oil pressure switch installed as well as the LH oil pressure test port around the corner and the auxiliary oil sensor blank above.

All three of the sensors I am installing to the adapter I have are a little smaller in thread diameter than is typical for 1/8 NPT fittings. The sensors should be threaded in finger tight and then one and a half to three complete 360° turns to seal. I did a careful examination of the number of female threads within each adapter port and the male threads after the sensors were finger tight. There were only about two threads available on each sensor for final tightening. Further, the crests and roots of the threads in the front female port have been flattened, apparently to fit better with rolled threads. I do not know if rolled threads are a plus when mated to the more common cut threads. The rolling process has made the thread diameter in the front port even larger which means fittings must thread in deeper to tighten.

The front port in the adapter where the oil pressure sensor will be installed has four projections at the bottom because the threads were not cut clean through to the center. A sensor with a smaller thread diameter might bottom out on the projections before the threads seal against one another.

The front adapter port is also 1/8 BSPT which is a slightly different thread than the 1/8 NPT oil pressure sensor (see NPT v BSPT in the introduction of MULTI-PORT ADAPTER TO OIL SWITCH BOSS MOD).

Brand of Gauges
This tutorial details GlowShift oil gauges installation but much of it will be helpful for the installation of any brand of oil gauges. I can neither recommend nor discourage the use of GlowShift gauges. They are compact for a traditional cup gauge, they look great, they do work and they are relatively inexpensive. The brand of choice depends on the priorities of the individual who will be using the gauges, however. Check out my review of Glowshift gauges on the link in the list below.

Let me mention one more time, NO oil temperature sensor will do much installed in an adapter. It won’t indicate much above 140° F.

Helpful Info
OIL PRESSURE ENHANCEMENT

OIL GAUGES HELP

GLOWSHIFT GAUGES

GLOWSHIFT GAUGES PRODUCT REVIEW

Oil Switch Thread Pitch?

Engine without oil for extended period

NPT Fittings SurplusCenter

NPT Fittings Pegasus

1/8” BSPT to 1/8” NPT

If you do use brass even though I think it’s a horrible idea for this…

Do First:
Remove the battery (BATTERY REMOVAL, steps 1 through 4).

Remove the stock oil pressure sensor (see OIL PRESSURE SENSOR REMOVAL, steps 1 through 5)

Determine if your multi-port oil sensor adapter threads fit the oil switch boss and modify it if necessary (see Multi-Port Oil Sending Unit Adapter Mod).

OR —use one of the other aforementioned options for an oil sending unit source.

Tools:
multi-port oil sensor adapter
mineral spirits
masking tape
X-acto knife.
VHT semi-gloss black engine enamel
safety pin
small sewing needle
compressed air
medium density heavy-duty PTFE tape
vice
adjustable wrench
painters tape
torque wrench
standard allen wrench
14mm open end wrench
handlebar accessory brackets
Goop
6 mm wrench
nonpermanent thread locking agent
vinyl
shrink tube
Two or three 3 to 5 amp fuses
posi-taps (optional)
crimping tool
ring terminal
RTV silicone sealant
18 gauge weather proof butt connects
18 gauge wire
quarter inch, half inch or eighth inch grommet.
medium-duty double sided tape
1/8” and 1/4” PET sleeving
zip ties, 14” and 4”
P-clip (optional)
7/64” female contact for 22-18 gauge wire (audio contacts)
small steel rod
lighter
file 3/16”
1/4” male contacts for 12-10 gauge wire
Sharpie
electrical tape
test light

Multi-Port Sending Unit Adapter and Sensors
1. Because it will be very close to the vent hole in the lower cowl, you may want to paint the multi-port oil sensor adapter so it is less conspicuous when installed.

Wash the adapter with mineral spirits.

Mask off the threads on the male port and mask an area around each female port so no paint can seep into the threads. I traced the circle shaped masks and cut them with an X-acto knife.

2. I tried Duplicolor self-etching primer without scuff sanding the surface. The primer peeled right off when I removed the tape as though the paint film was not adhered at all. A light coat of VHT semi-gloss black engine enamel on unprepared metal sticks much better.

Allow the paint to cure overnight.

3. Test fit the multi-port oil sensor adapter finger tight in the oil switch boss.

The multi-port oil sensor adapter needs to be positioned so that all female ports are facing the direction(s) that will allow clearance between the sensors, the oil filter, oil cooler and the fairing. It’s less desirable to have any sensors facing downward where they are more vulnerable to flying road debris.

Loosely install all sensors in their proper port.

You can mark the Acuity adapter according to what sensor goes to each port and be fairly certain this will match the orientation after the adapter is installed.

Be sure that the oil pressure switch wire will reach the terminal. I rerouted the wire under the front LH lower fairing bracket.

Install the LH lower fairing to check clearance with the test fit and aesthetic preference for the oil switch location. There is really not much of a choice. I found turning the top point to approximately one o’clock to be the best balance between making the oil switch least conspicuous and making the top RH port of the oil Cube accessible.

Remove the LH lower fairing, multi-port oil sensor adapter and all sensors.

4. If any sensors have a factory installed coating of solid thread sealant, I would suggest you block the hole in the sensor and remove the sealant with a needle. The solid sealant seems like a definite engine contamination hazard if the sensor is threaded into the port deep enough to protrude inside the adapter or if the sensor needs to be removed.

I ran a safety pin through the threads first and then blew the fragments away with compressed air. I then carefully scraped away at the remaining sealant with a small sewing needle blowing the threads clean four or five times. It is not possible to remove every trace of sealant.

5. The Glow Shift oil pressure sensor is small enough in diameter to bottom out on the projections at the bottom of the front port of the Acuity adapter. I decided to install the oil pressure sensor to the adapter before the adapter was installed to the oil switch boss so I could monitor that situation more closely. If the adapter you are using is hexagonal and has a clear front port, you may want to install the adapter to the oil switch boss first so that you can use a socket and torque wrench on it.

Use 2 wraps of medium density heavy-duty PTFE tape on the sensor threads from top to bottom. Wrap the tape clockwise as you look at the hole in the sensor so the trailing end flows with the direction of tightening. If the tape is wound the opposite direction, it will fold back and bunch up as the sensor is tightened.

Slice off the excess PTFE with an X-acto knife so the first two threads are bare. Do not allow any PTFE to extend beyond the last thread of the fitting or it will almost definitely break off, possibly causing an oil flow problem in the engine.

Medium density teflon tape is about 3 times the thickness of the average light duty teflon tape I have used. Medium density is much easier to work with and the heavy-duty variety is rated to withstand 550° F and 300 psi. It is also under two dollars a roll so I suggest you pick some up at an industrial supply company such as Fastenal. After test fitting with regular low density teflon tape that is more common, I would be a little hesitant to use it for this application.

Although it’s often said teflon tape is designed to be a thread lubricant more than a sealant, many people claim it works great for sealing less than reliable pipe joints. It may not be as permanent as a high temp liquid sealant and it may present a slightly higher contamination risk if the fitting is removed. I chose to use it because:

A) it may be the most effective thing to fill in the pitch difference between the front female BSPT port and the oil pressure sensor’s male NPT port.

B) it will help take up the difference between the atypically small thread diameter on my sensors and the average sized female thread diameter of the adapter ports.

C) will cause less wear on the the female threads if the sensors malfunction from heat or vibration and need be replaced or repositioned.

D) will allow for additional tightening without breaking the entire existing seal if there is a leak.

In short, teflon tape will work, is best for temporary installation and just might last forever.

I suggest NOT using both liquid thread sealant and teflon tape. That could make removal of the sensor extremely difficult and it might be a huge engine contamination risk. I would only consider it if I knew the installation was going to be permanent (which at this point, I do not).

6. Place the multi port adapter in a vice.

Tighten the oil pressure sensor with teflon tape applied to its threads into the front port of the adapter as tight as you can by hand.

Tighten the sensor with a wrench.

There is no definite rule on how tight a fitting should be to cause it to seal. Generally, the grunt twice rule is applied. Tighten until the fitting is “good and tight” (grunt #1) and then tighten a nudge tighter (grunt #2).

PTFE tape is a powerful lubricant so fittings will tighten more smoothly than they do with liquid sealant. Use judgement if you use PTFE because over-tightening can cause leaks as well as thread damage. In this case, we have limited threads before the sensor butts into the cross ports so that will be the deciding factor.

I tightened the Glow Shift oil pressure sensor into the female port of the Acuity oil cube one and three-quarters turns past max hand tight. I would estimate this required less than 10 ft lbs of torque. The threads glided together the whole way. I stopped turning as soon as I thought I felt the slightest resistance. It is very possible that I came to the end of the female threads or the inconsistency of threads per inch between 1/8 NPT and 1/8 BSPT reached it’s limit. Tightening any more would be out of the question anyway because the male port is about to enter the ports for other sensors which will likely thread in deep enough to cross its path.

7. Have a close look at the other female ports in you multi-port adapter. Count the number of valleys in the threads above the intersecting ports to determine the maximum depth a fitting can be threaded in. The Acuity adapter has 7 to 8 threads above the intersecting ports which means a fitting should be threaded in no more than seven 360° turns (or somewhat less to be safe).

Avoid tightening any fitting so much that it protrudes into other ports. It would be OK if one fitting protruded into the cross ports but that would prevent any other fitting from being tightened past the depth of its port.

8. Next, thread each fitting finger tight into its adapter port. Determine how many threads deep the fitting will go when tightened with a wrench. Wrench tight is finger tight plus 2 or 3 more turns.

If it appears that the fitting will protrude into the other ports or that the top will contact the outside surface of the adapter when the fitting is tightened, the fitting’s thread diameter is too small. You will have an idea of how much PTFE to use.

9. Cut holes in painters tape for the female ports and wrap it around the adapter to help protect the paint from being scraped. If any paint comes loose during installation, it will stick to the tape.

Apply medium density high temperature PTFE to all fittings that require a tighter fit. In the event that you need to remove any fitting in the near future, I think PTFE would be the easiest sealant to clean up. It also may be tightened up a bit later if the fitting does not seal.

Make sure that no PTFE can enter the port beyond the bottom thread or it will break off inside the multi-port adapter and contaminate the engine.

The Glow Shift temperature sensor has such small threads that there are only two threads left to tighten it after it is threaded in finger tight. The top of the sensor might contact the port after it is tightened with a wrench. I applied 5 wraps of medium density PTFE and cut the PTFE off of the bottom 3 threads. If any of the sensors need to tightened far enough to protrude into the cross ports, it will be this one.

I cleaned the oil switch threads with mineral spirits before applying three wraps of PTFE. The plugs each received two wraps of PTFE.

10. Install the multi-port sensor adapter to the oil pressure switch port in the oil pan (follow steps 7 through 10, Oil Pressure Switch Removal).

If the multi-port sensor adapter you are using is not equipped with a hex (the Acuity Oil Cube has no hex), set a torque wrench to 11 foot lbs and place it onto an engine mount. Clicking the torque wrench at the 11 foot lb. setting will help you judge the proper torque for the oil cube. You may need to go lighter on tightening to get the ports aligned how you want them. Do not over-torque the adapter to get the ports positioned properly. If you’re using PTFE, you probably want to go for more like 8 ft lbs or less.

OR—

Use an adjustable wrench to tighten the body of the multi-port oil sending unit adapter.

If there is a plug that needs to be installed next to the oil filter, allow room for a wrench before tightening of the adapter to the desired position (see step 11 below).

The Acuity Oil Cube threaded in 3 turns finger tight and then two more turns with a wrench. This felt less than the 11 foot lb torque spec but it was 5 threads deep which was the same depth that the oil pressure switch was installed by the factory.

DO NOT OVER-TIGHTEN THE ADAPTER—THE OIL PRESSURE SWITCH BOSS CAN CRACK, INCREASED THREAD WARE OR A FAULTY SEAL MAY OCCUR FROM OVER-TIGHTENING.

11. Install any plugs on the side of the adapter that faces the oil filter, then tighten the adapter to the desired position.

I tightened one steel plug that came with the Acuity adapter about two turns past finger tight. It was a standard Allen wrench, not metric.

12. Use a 14mm open end wrench to tighten the Glow-Shift temperature sensor.

I tightened the Glow-Shift temperature sensor until I could see the first thread entering the adjacent port. It can be tightened more if it leaks.

I tightened the oil pressure switch about six and a half turns (lost count because I was interrupted). It felt like 10 ft lbs even with the three wraps of tape on the threads. Might have felt it stop against the oil temp sensor threads.

13. Rout the oil pressure switch wire safely, connect the oil pressure switch terminal and put the rubber cover over the oil pressure switch (see Oil Pressure Switch Removal, steps 11 through 13).
I rerouted the oil pressure switch wire under the front lower fairing bracket. It is fastened by the stock plastic clip.

14. Fill the crankcase with oil (OIL CHANGE, steps 5 through 7).

Connect the battery negative cable (see Battery Removal, step 5)

Prime the oil pump if you wish (see step 13, Oil Pressure Switch Removal.

Start the engine and observe for leaks at the oil sensor adapter and the sensors. Use a rag to test for drips.

Gauges
Mounting the gauges to the handlebars will probably be the easiest way to do it. I made aluminum brackets that fasten to the master cylinder clamps and fluid reservoir bracket mount. There is very little space to spare near the clutch fluid reservoir and the front brake fluid reservoir definitely would need to be repositioned to fit a gauge in a similar fashion on the RH handlebar. My bracket moves the reservoir forward 1/4” which stresses the rubber hose just a bit. Mounting the gauges close together and close to the handlebars makes the most sense but this also results in very tight clearances.

You can see my handlebars accessories bracket in BRACKET SCIENCE thread for some information on how to make your own brackets. If one gauge is positioned on each master cylinder clamp instead of both on one handlebar, that will not be too difficult and the fluid reservoirs will not need to be bothered with either.

Another possibility for gauges mounting is to order multi joint brake fluid reservoir brackets and fasten them to the same points that I have used. You can adjust them to fit the exact angle you desire. These little aluminum brackets are really cool looking and they are available for cheap on Ebay. You will need to attach a mounting plate like I have on my brackets. Probably also cut and drill an inch long piece of aluminum to raise the mounting point on the front of the triple tree clamps but that will be far less work than making a whole bracket.

For a really quick and dirty gauge install, I’ve been told that Goop adhesive/sealant may applied between the metal parts and the parts be taped while the Goop cures. Goop has an inherent vibration damping effect, is extremely strong and can be removed by grabbing with a needle nose pliers and rolling off. I would test it on a piece of painted scrap metal and if it works, I’d trust it as much as bolts to fasten small objects to the bike.

15. Tighten the nuts that secure the gauges to the brackets with a 6 mm wrench. The studs on the back of Glow-Shift gauges are delicate so don’t tighten them more than it takes to compress the lock washer which should be placed between the nut and bracket. If you can’t fit the lock washer with you mounting plate, use a small amount of nonpermanent thread locking agent.

For brackets made of thicker material like 1/8’ aluminum, you may use the extenders included with the Glow-Shift gauge. The extenders would probably have worked with the brackets I made but I would have needed to use a quarter inch grommet for vibration damping instead of the eighth inch grommets and that is all starting to seem pretty bulky for a motorcycle. I didn’t use the lock washers or locking agent. The rubber dampeners will probably keep the nuts from vibrating loose but I applied a piece of vinyl over them just in case.

* Last updated by: Rook on 9/9/2017 @ 9:13 PM *

Power Sources for Glow-Shift Gauges
Glow-Shift gauges require 2 power sources. One must switch on with the ignition and the other must be constant. Both require 3 or 5 amps. Additionally, a 3 or 5 amp circuit that switches with the high beams is required to activate the dimmer function of the gauges but this is not necessary if you don’t mind the gauges being bright all the time. A ground is also required. Circuits with the lowest amperage on the ZX-14 are 10 amps. Two or three 3 to 5 amp fuses need to be installed.

I investigated using an expandable circuit installed in one of the fuse boxes to provide the switched power source. An expandable circuit prevents the cover on the fuse box from closing and the seat will no not fit over an open fuse box cover. If the cover is folded back for a long period of time, it will eventually crack off (I remember someone reporting this). When closed, the inside top of the fuse box cover is just a tiny bit higher than the top of the fuses. A hole would need to be cut in the cover to allow the expandable circuit to protrude and also, more trimming would be required to allow the wire coming out of the expandable circuit to protrude from the side of the box.

A low-profile expandable circuit requires an adjoining open fuse slot which we do not have on the 14. Even if there was an open spot to fit a low-profile expandable circuit, you would still need to cut slots in the side of the fuse box and cover for the expandable circuit wire to protrude.

I did some experimentation with creating a DIY expandable circuit. There are two spare fuses and an open slot running lengthwise on the side of the fuse box. If female contacts were placed in one of these fuse slots, with wires exiting the bottom, it basically would become a functioning fuse slot. Power from an ignition switched source would still need to be tapped into from the existing wires below so there seems to be little benefit to using this approach. You can easily and safely install an inline fuse anywhere you want (more on that later) without it needing to be in the fuse box.

However, power could be jumped off of an existing fuse to a new fuse for the gauges. The new fuse could be placed in one of the unused slots at the side of the fusebox. There would only need to be an outgoing wire exiting the bottom of the fuse box from the new circuit to the gauges. No tapping of stock wires required, you just tap the existing fuse. All you need is a very short wire with a very thin, narrow male contact on one end and a female contact that fits a fuse tine on the other end. Slide the male contact in with either tine of an existing fuse and connect the female contact to a tine on the new fuse. Pop the new fuse into one of the unused slots which has been fitted with a second female contact connected to a wire exiting the bottom of the fuse box. I probably would not use the ECU fuse box on the LH side of the tail for this just in case there was an overload. I doubt that would be a problem with 3 or 5 amps, however. I abandoned the idea since the proper sources of power are readily available right up near the gauges and require a lot less wire.

The city light and high beam connectors will be used to ground and supply power to the gauges. If you follow the my procedures exactly, you will not have a functioning high beam or city light on the LH side. You may choose instead to use posi-taps to draw current from existing circuits while retaining function of the lights or you could skip the dimmer wire on the GlowShift power harness and retain the use of both high beams. With the dimmer function activated, GlowShift gauges are still much brighter than the stock instruments.

Wiring Connections and Routing to Fork Leg
Except for tail fairings, remove all fairings and the top cowling (see FAIRING REMOVAL, GEN1).

POSITIVE 12V CONSTANT 3~5 A
The constant source of 12 volt current will come off of the battery.

16. Slide on a shrink tube and use a crimping tool to fasten a ring terminal to one end of a 3 or 5 amp inline fuse. It does not matter which wire you choose to attach the ring to.

Apply RTV silicone sealant to the connection and and shrink the shrink tube (see step 21).

Butt connect (see step 31) about 7-8 feet (never skimp when routing wire) of 18 gauge wire to the other wire on the inline fuse.

I could have made my own inline fuse as shown in steps 20 through 22 but I decided to use one of the manufactured inline fuse holders. The place in the battery box where the fuse holder is located is too perfect to not use.

17. There are a number of passages from the battery box that a wire may pass through. The one located on the LH fire wall will accept a quarter inch grommet. There are two holes located in the LH side of the floor that will take a half inch grommet and there is one hole located between them that will take an eighth inch grommet.

There is also a square recess in the forward firewall where an inline fuse will fit. The battery tray bolt may be used to fasten a fuse holder retainer if you wish to make one out of a P-clip.

Pick a hole and insert the proper sized grommet.

The hole at the side of the battery box is easiest to install a wire through. One of the three holes in the floor of the battery box is ideal. They pass directly above the main wiring harness to which we will be routing the wire from the battery to the power harness. The center hole in the floor is perfect. With an eighth inch grommet, it’s just big enough to slip an 18 gauge wire through. This is the hole I ended up using.

Warning!: Take precautions when installing grommets to the holes in the battery box floor. The best I could come up with was to simply push them in very carefully checking with my fingernail that the upper flange was entirely above the floor rather than getting pushed through with the rest of the grommet. The metal is slightly thicker than a grommet is designed to fit to. It is easy to push it straight through the hole in the floor. It will probably end up in the pocket between the rear engine mounts (otherwise known as “the rabbit hole”) where it is impossible to reach without a lot of disassembly or it will drop inside the sprocket cover. If you’re lucky, you’d find it on the floor. I heard a small “pla-plink” as mine vanished forever. This caused me a lot of consternation even though it will probably bounce out or lay harmlessly until I disassemble something and find it one day. Then I guess I will try to fit it in one of the battery box holes one more time.?

18. Pass the 18 gauge wire through the grommet from inside the battery box. Leave several inches of slack so the wire can lay near the wall at the forward LH corner of the battery box.

Mount the inline fuse inside the recess in the battery box or on the battery tray. I used medium-duty double sided tape. Let that sit a overnight and it will stick very firmly.

19. Pull the 18 gauge wire from the inline fuse out to the side of the bike.

If you want to install 1/8” PET (recommended), do it now.

Rout the wire along the main wiring harness using zip ties to temporarily fasten it.

Remove the electrical tape from the top of the rubber bell on the ram air tube at the end of the main wiring harness. Turn the bell inside out.

Rout the wire from the battery through the top opening in the rubber bell and out of the bottom.

IGNITION SWITCHED AND HIGH BEAMS SWITCHED 12 V 3~5 A SOURCES
20. Place the crimp tube end of a 7/64” female contact for 22-18 gauge wire (audio contacts) on a small steel rod held in a vice.

Use a flat steel object to carefully press one tine of a 3 or 5 amp mini fuse into the female contact. It will be very tight.

Repeat this procedure for the other tine on the fuse.

I felt the manufactured inline fuse holders were a bit bulky to install to the ram air tubes and the wire was also rather stiff. A home made inline fuse is a lot smaller and does exactly the same thing. I have perfect confidence in them.

21. Crimp about 3” of 18 gauge wire onto one female contact and about 15 inches to the other. It does not matter which length wire goes to either contact.

Coat the top and bottom of each connection with RTV silicone sealant.

Slide a shrink tube over the connections and heat them with a lighter.

Repeat this procedure to make a second inline fuse if you plan to have the dimmer feature opperational.

22. If you are unable to find three male contacts narrow enough to fit the slots in the headlight connector leads, you will need to use a file to reduce some larger contacts. lighter file

Crimp one male contact at the end of each wire on the inline fuses you made in steps 20 through 21. Apply RTV silicone sealant and shrink tube the connection (see step 21). Your two inline fuses are done.

I reduced male contacts for 22-18 gauge wire for the city light receptacles. This seemed too loose for the high beam receptacle because they are set a bit deeper. 1/4” male contacts for 12-10 gauge wire fit very securely in the high beam receptacle. The 1/4” contacts will probably work best for both connector leads but they require additional work to reduce the crimp tube to an appropriate size for 18 gauge wire.

23. Reroute the LH main headlights wire so that the loop wraps around the wire to the stock instrument cluster. It almost looks like the wire was bent to be routed this way from the factory.

24. Use a Sharpie to mark the + contacts slot in the LH high beam (white wire from main wiring harness) and the + contacts slot in the LH city light (red wire from main wiring harness).

25. Wrap electrical tape or vinyl over the outer bodies of the LH city light lead connector and if you are including the dimmer feature, the LH high beam connector. Do not cover the open ends where the contacts are yet. This will seal dust from entering through the openings in the outside of the connectors. Vinyl will leave less of a mess than tape if this procedure needs to reversed in the future.

Remove the LH city light and high beam light bulbs by twisting one quarter turn counterclockwise. For reinstallation, you may want too mark which side of the city light goes up because it is not so obvious when you put it back in.

Wrap the city light and high beam light bulb sockets in the same way but cover the sides as well as the opening on the bulbs.

Reinstall the bulbs to prevent accumulation of water and debris within the light.

26. Place the male contact from the short wire on one inline fuse into the positive receptacle of the high beam lead connector.

Place the male contact from the short wire on the other inline fuse into the positive receptacle of the city lights lead connector.

Place the ground wire male contact into the negative receptacle of the city lights lead connector.


If you are not certain which receptacle on each lead connector is positive, you will need to test each with a test light. You will need to connect the battery attaching the inline fuse holder ring terminal to the positive pole. You will need to start the engine to test the high beam connector. There will be an FI error code on the multifunction meter if the ignition is switched on without the vehicle down sensor connected. I did not try to start the engine with the error code. I loosely installed and bolted the top fairing, connected the vehicle down sensor, started the engine and tested the receptacles. Also, I tested the current draw from the switched source to two Glowshift gauges and it was only 0.17 milliamps with ignition on and 0.18 with engine running at idle. The draw rose to 0.19 milliamps at 4000 rpm and that may go up to 0.22 mA at redline. One city light probably draws 1.00 amp which is four-thousand times more current. The Audible alarm did not cause any increase in the draw.

27. Wrap the crimp of the contacts with electrical tape so that the negative and positive contacts on the city light lead connector are held apart from one another.

Wrap the tape over the outside of the body so all contacts are held securely into the receptacles in the lead connectors.

Wrap the tape over the fuse so it is held securely to the side of the connector.

28. Cut the lock off of a 14” zip tie.

Slide the cut off lock onto another 14” zip tie ONLY about 3 or 4 clicks.

Use a razor knife to make a small slice in the wrap on the city light just below the arch over the latch button. Slide the 14” zip tie through the slot. Be careful to not advance the cut off lock any more clicks.

Do the same with the high beam lead connector.

29. Wrap the zip ties around the LH ram air tube and pull the tongue through the lock so the tie is barely snug.

Carefully move the cut lock over a few teeth so that it supports the connector at the height you want it tightening the tie through the main lock at the same time. Do not pull SUPER tight! If the ties are gripping the flat surfaces of the tube perfectly flat, that could be tight enough to cause permanent damage.

The lock on the 14” zip tie becomes your top stop and the cut off lock becomes your bottom stop. Secure the locks in position by wrapping a 4” zip tie under the bottom lock and over the top lock. Not too tight, you don’t want to break your lead connectors. Now tape the connectors together so they do not rattle against one another.

You will probably need to cut the whole thing off and do over at least twice to get it right.

Pass all three wires from the headlight connector leads one at a time through the top of the rubber bell along the same path as the wire from the battery.

Power Harness
30. Strip the ends of all four wires on the power harness. Each wire has only 7 strands so fold each in half to bulk it up for crimping.

Place whatever sizes of shrink tube on the power harness now because it may not be possible to get smaller sizes on after the wires have butt connectors attached.

31. Place an 18 gauge weather-proof butt connector on the bare end of each wire and crimp it with a crimping tool (you can skip the orange wire if you decided not to use the dimmer function). You could use bullet connectors but I would not recommend because of the repeated slight pull that will be happening to these connections as the steering is turned.

Shrink the plastic tube over the connection with a lighter. Be careful not to melt the wire insulation.

DO squeeze as hard as you can and DO use both hands. Gently tug and push the wire toward and away from the crimp a few times. If you feel it move even one hair, it needs to be crimped tighter.

A good trick to use when shrinking the tube is to protect the wire insulation with your fingers. If your fingers start to burn, you will stop heating before you burn the wire.

32. Mark the length that the the wires from the battery and headlight connector leads should be trimmed to butt connect to the power harness. The power harness butt connectors will line up with the end of the OEM white cube shaped wire connector in the rubber bell.

I strongly suggest at this time using masking tape and colored Sharpies to color code each wire hanging from the bottom of the bell. You would not want to accidentally crimp any wire to the wrong butt connector on the power harness.

To estimate the length the wires needed to be cut to, I taped the butt connectors together as they will be arranged in the shrink tubing positioned in step 30.

33. Install the top fairing and connect the vehicle down sensor to start the bike (see FAIRING REMOVAL, GEN1).

Connect the battery cables attaching the inline fuse ring terminal to the positive pole of the battery (BATTERY REMOVAL, step 5).

Test light the three positive wires hanging from the bottom of the bell to verify current is present (test light clip to ground). Also use the test light to verify the ground wire. (test light clip to positive pole of battery).

Disconnect BOTH terminals from the battery before you continue.

34. After completing this step, the power harness and 18 gauge wires wires are permanently attached to the bike. You will not be able to detach the entire wiring assembly unless you are using bullet connectors or if you cut the wires. If you want to put PET sleeving or additional shrink tubing on any of these wires, you will need to do it before crimping wires.

With all wires in place as you want them, cut each wire hanging from the bell an inch or so longer than you marked it. Snip the constant power source wire to the proper length for its butt connector (don’t forget to leave a quarter inch extra for the stripped portion) and strip the end. Crimp the constant positive wire to the RED butt connector.

Continue to cut, strip and crimp each remaining wire to the proper butt connector on the Glow-Shift power harness.

Battery (constant) + wire to the red wire
City Light + (ignition switched) to White
City Light - (ground) to Black
High Beam + (high beams switched) to Orange <<this connection is optional for function of the gauge dimmer feature.

Shrink the butt connector tubes with a lighter.

SENSOR HARNESSES
35. Connect the sensor harnesses to the sensors. Make sure the bullet connectors on the oil temperature gauge are pushed all the way together.

Install 1/4” PET sleeving. I also contemplated installing a heat reflective, flame proof sleeve to the sensors but after running the bike, it does not appear that this area gets hot enough to require that.

36. Rout the sensor harnesses under the forward lower fairing bracket and P-clip them to the bracket bolt, zip tie or use the OEM plastic retainer rings to secure them.

Make sure the wires will not wear against the lower fairing bolts when they are installed.

Rout the sensor harnesses to the back lower fairing bracket where you may zip tie or P-clip to an oil pan screw or the hardware store probably has a plastic automotive fastener with a ribbed mount that would fit in the hole of the rear lower fairing bracket.

Rout the sensor harness between the water pump and the clutch slave cylinder. There is room between the water pump and the engine to pull the harnesses through so it is more of a straight shot up. I have my AutoTune harness coupling there and it could be a hot spot so I decided against it. Also, there is no need to rout the harness along the shortest path possible. The harness is about two feet longer than necessary.

If the sprocket cover is removed, there are stock wires running through a retainer under there (see AUTOTUNE-200 INSTALL, step 6). http://zx14ninjaforum.com/messages.cfm?threadid=75FAFD44-BC8B-A407-2349A7FE15471C07 You can see them exiting the top of the sprocket cover to the front of the breather bottle in the pic above. I will probably rout my sensor harnesses through that retainer the next time I take the sprocket cover off.

From there forward, the sensor harness follows the main wiring harness. Zip tie the sensor harness and the 18 gauge constant positive wire from the battery to the main wiring harness.

Make one coil of excess wire and place it on the side of the ram air tube below the main wiring harness. Zip tie it to the LH signal light wire retainer.

Rout the sensor harnesses through the rubber bell along with all the other wires.

* Last updated by: Rook on 10/3/2019 @ 6:57 AM *

Routing and Connection to Gauges
37. Rout the power harness and sensor harness from the bell around the outside of the OEM loop of wires so that the wires will be kept away from the upper inner fairing when the steering is turned full lock. Loosely zip tie the harnesses to the OEM loop.

Rout the power harness between the clutch line and the fork.

Pass the power harness between the clutch line ring coupling stem and the clutch sensor wire then back around the front of the handlebar.

38. There are three notches formed by the top triple tree and the clutch master cylinder. There are also two channels along the inboard edge of the LH control pod. These make perfect wire separators for the harnesses to rout to the gauges.

Move the power harness from notch 1 to notch 2 and finally to notch 3. The part of the harness with the main insulation on it will not pass between notches but if you spread out the 4 small colored wires that go into the white connector, they will slide through without force when you find the right angle.

If necessary, loosen or remove the top bolt on the master cylinder clamp and move it just a hair. There is a detent on the handlebar that indicates where the edge of the clamp and the seam between the halves of the clamp are supposed to be positioned.

Pull the main insulation of the harness up through notch 1 and rout it to the ports in the outboard gauge.

39. Rout the daisy chain harness in channel #4 between the LH control pod and the clutch master cylinder clamp.

Loop it under the master cylinder and up through notch #2 between the clutch master cylinder clamp and the top triple tree clamp.

40. Rout the inboard gauge sensor harness between the clutch line and fork like the power harness.

Place the inboard gauge sensor harness into notch 3 then straight up to the gauge ports.

Rout the outboard gauge sensor harness to the clutch line ring coupling and then wrap it around the chamfer at the inboard edge of the LH control pod.

The oil temperature gauge will have excess wire because the sensor is located a couple inches closer than the oil pressure sensor. Wrap the excess around the whole bunch.

41. If you have more than one gauge you want to connect in series, it does not matter which one you start with. The outboard gauge seems a natural choice for the first in the series if the intention is to daisy chain across the triple tree to gauges located on the RH handlebar (future tutorial).

Remove the the outboard bracket leaving the gauge attached to it.

Plug the power harness into port A of the outboard gauge. It MUST be port A for the first gauge in the series. Use a small flat, nonmetallic tool to press the connectors in snug. Do not use a metal object. If the battery is connected, there will be a risk of shorting the constant power to the ground which might harm the gauge.

The top/bottom orientation of the connector may seem ambiguous so refer to the picture for proper fit.

Before we go any further, let’s admit something: GlowShift connectors are crap. They have no lock and they don’t stay in. There is a ridge at the front of the plugs that prevents it from going all the way to the back of the port and that doesn’t help at all. The ridge has three channels that are designed to guide the plug onto the pins straight so I was hesitant to file that off. I don’t think it would solve the problem anyway.

Connect the daisy chain harness to port B of the outboard gauge. The daisy chain must start from port B on the first gauge in the series (the gauge with the power harness).

Connect the correct sensor harness connector to port D of the outboard gauge.

The sensor harnesses have a lock that will prevent them from falling out of the gauge but they can still loose contact within the port.

If you are attaching an external warning light, connect it to the remaining port below port A.

42. Remove the inboard bracket with gauge.

Connect the other end of the daisy chain harness to either port A or port B of the inboard gauge. It does not matter if the daisy chain harness connectors go into port A or port B on any of the gauges following the gauge with the power harness.

Fasten the inboard bracket with gauge back to the clutch fluid reservoir mount.

43. Wrap a zip tie around all of the wires drawing them all to the clutch line ring coupling .

Install the battery attaching the inline fuse ring terminal to the positive pole of the battery (BATTERY REMOVAL, step 5).

Install the top fairing and connect the vehicle down sensor to start the bike (see FAIRING REMOVAL, GEN1). You may also need to bend the low beams lead so that it does not drag on the upper inner fairing. Make it point straight out to the side like the RH low beams lead does.

44. Switch the ignition ON. The gauges should light up solid. If either flashes, the sensor harness is not connected. If it does not light up at all, the power harness is not connected or there is a problem with one of the wire connections to the power harness.

Start the bike. The oil pressure should indicate on the oil pressure gauge. If it does not, There is a connection problem with the sensor.

You will not see the oil temperature gauge move more than a couple ticks past the peg. Unfortunately, the external adapter does not heat up much past the lowest indicated temperature (130° F) but the gauge is set for when you drill and tap a port in the oil pan.

Turn on the high beams switch. The gauges should dim. If they do not, there is a connection problem between the high beams connector and the power harness.

Turn the ignition off.

Install all fairings (see FAIRING REMOVAL, GEN1).

* Last updated by: Rook on 9/8/2017 @ 5:05 PM *

Weights

Multi-port Oil Sensor Adapter ………………… 3.20
One steel 1/8 NPT plug…………………………0.10
One hollow brass plug…………………………..0.30
Oil pressure sensor………………………………1.15
Oil temperature sensor………………………… 0.70
Oil pressure harness…………………………… 2.90
Oil temperature harness………………………. 1.60
Two gauge brackets…………………………… 0.65
GlowShift oil pressure gauge………………… 2.25
GlowShift oil temperature gauge…………….. 2.25
GlowShift power harness and wiring hardware 2.70

total weight gain: 17.8 oz

* Last updated by: Rook on 9/8/2017 @ 4:59 PM *

done. might add more later.

* Last updated by: Rook on 9/8/2017 @ 5:07 PM *

done. might add more later.