Raeda
New Member
- Region
- USA
I just installed a Supernova M99 TL2 and M99 Mini Pure 25 on a 2018 Toughroad GX E+.
I bought a couple of things that I thought would help:
1. Connection cable for Yamaha - the connector on the end is the wrong gender (same gender as the connectors on the bike).
2. Mount for Yamaha Display C - it's plastic, and doesn't fit (the hole spacing doesn't match).
This is by no means an instructions write-up (there are excellent ones here and videos on YouTube); just wanted to post my general experience with the process.
1. OK, it was a stretch to hope that mount for "display C" (whatever that is) would fit. The way the controller is mounted on this bike makes a lot of handlebar accessories unmountable. Hoping the Ritchey Universal Stem Mount works (haven't received it yet; will update when I do).
2. The Yamaha cable's connector gender mismatch was a real letdown. I guess Yamaha has since changed the gender? I ended up having to use two of the tap splicing connectors from this package (read below).
3. The bike actually has two light connectors in the harness that sits in the downtube; this is a pleasant surprise. One is up near the top and one near the bottom. The one at the bottom has a thicker wire gauge, for some reason... This means for the headlight, you have more than enough wire on the light (and I advise you to trim it; stuffing the wires back into that downtube is more than half the installation work). The tail light was "just enough" I'd say - I installed it on a rear rack and ran the cable down the rack, around the axle, up the chainstay, and then down and under the motor. I considered drilling into the seat post but tying yourself up in a tail light cable like this seemed like a bad idea.
4. The internal shape of the downtube where it meets the motor housing is... unfortunate. There's a bit of a lip there that's great at catching connectors. Take the risk and trim wires as short as you dare; stuffing the cables back in is very difficult. I'm hoping I never have to go in there again. I honestly think even the bike's wire harness is way too long. Pull it out as little as possible: at the top of the downtube, you can pull gently until the controller connector comes out; the light connector is just behind it. At the bottom, do the same - pull only until you get to the light connector. And remember, white is +6V and grey is ground! I put a couple of turns of electrical tape over the controller junction in the downtube before stuffing it back in; if that thing ever comes disconnected in the downtube, it will be very difficult to get the cable out.
5. The tail light came with the crimping connectors but the headlight did not. That was a real bummer, and a big miss on Supernova's part in my eyes. So I had to use two from the cable. It was nice that the bike had two light connectors; there are only two of the three-wire crimpers in that cable's package (and the tail light came with two-wire ones).
6. Said splicers are full of grease. There are a lot of warnings about not pushing the top past down the housing, but what they don't tell you is, you need to get it right to the housing or it won't make contact. Videos often use a specialized set of pliers made for those connectors; if you're like me, you'll have to use regular pliers and press carefully and diligently all around to make sure the top of the splicer goes down evenly over its whole area. Make sure you have the controller connected so you can test them before you close up the bike. Mine did not work at first.
The end result was...underwhelming. 6V 9W is not a lot of juice. I'm glad to have lights that are mounted on with screws and permanently wired as that seems to discourage all but the cruelest of thieves. But the difficulty in sourcing proper connectors and the amount of work involved in dealing with wire stuffing makes me think that, if I were to do this again, I'd splice off the main battery and choose a light that I know I like (and probably add a few more lights).
I bought a couple of things that I thought would help:
1. Connection cable for Yamaha - the connector on the end is the wrong gender (same gender as the connectors on the bike).
2. Mount for Yamaha Display C - it's plastic, and doesn't fit (the hole spacing doesn't match).
This is by no means an instructions write-up (there are excellent ones here and videos on YouTube); just wanted to post my general experience with the process.
1. OK, it was a stretch to hope that mount for "display C" (whatever that is) would fit. The way the controller is mounted on this bike makes a lot of handlebar accessories unmountable. Hoping the Ritchey Universal Stem Mount works (haven't received it yet; will update when I do).
2. The Yamaha cable's connector gender mismatch was a real letdown. I guess Yamaha has since changed the gender? I ended up having to use two of the tap splicing connectors from this package (read below).
3. The bike actually has two light connectors in the harness that sits in the downtube; this is a pleasant surprise. One is up near the top and one near the bottom. The one at the bottom has a thicker wire gauge, for some reason... This means for the headlight, you have more than enough wire on the light (and I advise you to trim it; stuffing the wires back into that downtube is more than half the installation work). The tail light was "just enough" I'd say - I installed it on a rear rack and ran the cable down the rack, around the axle, up the chainstay, and then down and under the motor. I considered drilling into the seat post but tying yourself up in a tail light cable like this seemed like a bad idea.
4. The internal shape of the downtube where it meets the motor housing is... unfortunate. There's a bit of a lip there that's great at catching connectors. Take the risk and trim wires as short as you dare; stuffing the cables back in is very difficult. I'm hoping I never have to go in there again. I honestly think even the bike's wire harness is way too long. Pull it out as little as possible: at the top of the downtube, you can pull gently until the controller connector comes out; the light connector is just behind it. At the bottom, do the same - pull only until you get to the light connector. And remember, white is +6V and grey is ground! I put a couple of turns of electrical tape over the controller junction in the downtube before stuffing it back in; if that thing ever comes disconnected in the downtube, it will be very difficult to get the cable out.
5. The tail light came with the crimping connectors but the headlight did not. That was a real bummer, and a big miss on Supernova's part in my eyes. So I had to use two from the cable. It was nice that the bike had two light connectors; there are only two of the three-wire crimpers in that cable's package (and the tail light came with two-wire ones).
6. Said splicers are full of grease. There are a lot of warnings about not pushing the top past down the housing, but what they don't tell you is, you need to get it right to the housing or it won't make contact. Videos often use a specialized set of pliers made for those connectors; if you're like me, you'll have to use regular pliers and press carefully and diligently all around to make sure the top of the splicer goes down evenly over its whole area. Make sure you have the controller connected so you can test them before you close up the bike. Mine did not work at first.
The end result was...underwhelming. 6V 9W is not a lot of juice. I'm glad to have lights that are mounted on with screws and permanently wired as that seems to discourage all but the cruelest of thieves. But the difficulty in sourcing proper connectors and the amount of work involved in dealing with wire stuffing makes me think that, if I were to do this again, I'd splice off the main battery and choose a light that I know I like (and probably add a few more lights).
