GoldWing World    

How do you turn an FZ1 into the perfect touring machine?  Add a throttle lock, a CB and a radio of course!

I started with a Valkerie CB Radio part # 08E95-MZ0-100 (since changed to 08E95-MZ0-101) from Service Honda - it looks something like the image on the right: Okay it looks EXACTLY like the image on the right (G) note the water-resistant housing and small VCR cassette-sized unit.  Perfect for under the seat mounting.

The FZ1 has a fairly large under-seat area, and there is an amazing symmetry between the size of this unit and the length of it's wiring and the placement I had hoped would work. In short even though this unit says "Honda" on it it seems custom made for my FZ!

First I read the instructions and pursued my schematics for the FZ to make certain I could hook this beast up.  Then I did a little hacking, removing two small plastic tabs (left) that held the CB up more then I liked, and placed the CB into the storage area in front of the tool kit, using the packing foam it has shipped with to cushion it against shocks. The picture at the right shows the packing material, some of which  is wedged around the CB / Intercom system to insulate it from vibration.  I had purchased a video camera mount for the CBR and with a little grinding I was able to make it fit perfectly on the left handlebar, thus giving me a perfect mounting point for the interface for this unit.  I think it looks like it was made for the bike; and doesn't interfere with my tankbag, view of the controls or range of motion at all.  Even more amazingly the wiring harness to the controller is exactly the right size with 1/4" of slack after routing it and tie wrapping it in all the right places.

The instructions showed basically four connections: A chassis ground which I connected to the bolt holding the right-side rear cover to the frame, a constant power connection (battery), an accessory tap (fuse block) and a "starter energized" tap (solenoid). You can sort of see these elements in the attached drawing from the Hondaline installation booklet shown to the right.  I'll try and scan this later for a better image but trust me, it's pretty straight-forward, especially if you buy the optional mounting kit like I did and cannibalize it's wiring harness.

I tapped into the accessory wiring (Brown / Blue) at the back of the fuse box using a neat tool that trims and spreads the wire sheathing without breaking or scratching the wire itself, then tightly wrapped and soldered my connection before covering with electrical tape. The Power tap came straight off the battery terminal, and since I was using the Honda Electrical harness and modifying / cutting IT as needed I wound up with two other connections (one for power, one for acc) that I secured for later use by placing yellow end-caps on them.  For a while I struggled with the electrical diagram and thought hard about how and where to tap into the "ignition energized" wiring point and then slapped my head and connected at the solenoid going down to the starter.  The picture at the right shows the ground wiring that is used via the starter switch to engage the solenoid - For a while I had thought I'd need to rig something up there until I came to my senses! 

Once the electrical was in place I ran the controller cable under the frame and gas tank using tie wraps every juncture (supplied in the Honda installation kit) and then installed a shielded stereo mini-din cable from the stereo input up to the front of the bike where I could connect it to my Panasonic CD-player with built-in AM / FM radio and remote controller.  With this all set I only needed to plug in my helmet and test.  It worked beautifully, although it was a lot louder then I anticipated.  A quick volume adjustment later I was grooving to my tunes! Of course since I hadn't placed this CD player in my FastBag I lost it when my helmet and tank bag was stolen off my bike at a local Joe's Crab Shack.  Since then I've purchased a used Archos MP3 player - no radio but remote control and 20 hours of my favorite songs!

The helmet connections and plug-ins are typically on the left-hand side of the bike, but for my purposes it made more sense to mount them on the right-hand side.  To such ends I discovered an ideal mounting position that would minimize the chance of moisture intrusion and stay out of my way even if the passenger intercom was used.  Cleaning the surface I used the supplied rubber mounting blocks and ties to come up with a pleasing arrangement as shown in the image to the right.

Installation accomplished. Total wires modified: 1.  Total wires cut: none.  Distance from the mounting point: 9 inches. New capabilities: 2-way 40-channel CB radio, intercom with optional passenger push-to-talk, AM / FM CD player input.  I have the CB Antenna coming and plan to mount it via a metal "L" to one of the reflector plate mounting junctures.  Hope this has been helpful and please let me know if you need more details!

Jan 16, 2002, updated May 14,2002.