Your video is a gift to the GS community. I would never had tried this on my own on my new 1250. Now I see it’s very doable with care, patience and common sense. Thank you.
Fitted the same system the other day to a costumers bike and I have to say very very nice bit of kit the air horn is super loud and it strobes the led lights at the same time grate touch. Handy things in the settings like turning off the led light on the side your indicating and flashing the rear light under heavy braking. Super eazy to fit and realy neat and tidy
Yep. Fully agree. Probably my best fitment. I have the Gen 1 controller so unfortunately it switches off BOTH lights with either indicator. I switched that off in the end as I found both lights going off made people think I was flashing them out!! I have strobe in horn and strobe in flash-to-pass switched on and the best feature is alternate with hazards. People think it police when filtering and actually move over 😂
Nick, thanks for the detailed video. As a new BMW owner, this step by step instruction made this process (relatively) simple. ... a real confidence boost. Thanks again.
This has got to to be the most gentle way of removing the body panels on the 1250, most especially that "stubborn" little piece of plastic that you have to gently pry off. Although I have the 1250 GS Adventure, the removal process is much the same, thank you for sharing.
@@nickhodgeUK I have search the entire youtube channels regarding the removal of these panels on the 1250 and so far, yours has got to be the most clear and straight to the point procedure coupled with your clear speaking voice providing good guidance...lol I also got the same Denali kit you have, D4s & DM 2.0, B6 brake light, and the soundbomb. By the way, my sound bomb came with some sort of wrap around material to protect the brake hydraulic line from chaffing/rubbing against the horn. I also wrapped the brake lines with a hockey tape to further protect the lines. thanks for sharing again.
@@dcdell2008 Ah the chafing point is interesting. I was concerned it was very close but to date (6,800 miles). I shows no signs. DM2's for me next...watch this space (channel)
this is a really useful vid, thanks Nick..helped me decide to set aside a good amount of time and a clean/clear garage to fit the horn to mine! :-) you are the next best thing to an old fashioned Haynes manual!
Most of these things are possible (so long as there’s no special tools needed but you are correct. Clear space, clear mind and time is most important. Phone camera pictures help too along the way. Good luck
Thank you for a very detailed and informative explanation of the installation, and for including a step by step description. I have just ordered this system for my R1200GSA and now feel much more confident removing all the various panels.
Nick thank you so much, I did purchase the V2 smart can, D4 light, sound bomb and license plate brake light and like a good friend you were in in my garage (youtube) helping through the install! Thanks again for you videos .
Glenn S fantastic. Hope it all went well. Really good kit and visibility will be improved greatly. Like the idea with V2 of the left light going off with left indicator. I turned feature off with my V1 as all off with any indicator I have a feeling was adding to my issues with people thinking I was flashing them out when lights went off. Ride safe
I 𝙝𝙖𝙙 been considering adding aux lights to the front of my new 1250GS HP. This has got to be one of the best "how to" videos I've seen on RUclips. 𝙀𝙓𝘾𝙀𝙇𝙇𝙀𝙉𝙏! 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙟𝙤𝙗!! On the other hand, after watching you take apart all that stuff I've reconsidered. I think I'll just add the can smart or EZ can and fit a strobing tail light. Or possibly consider mounting some aux lights down on the crash bars, if possible. I recently added a "Battery Tender" dongle direct to the battery, and while that was a very simple procedure I saw how little room there is to route wires for modifications without taking a lot of body panels off, not sure I want to do that.
@@nickhodgeUK Hi Nick - Did you end up removing the tank for running the wires to the back of the bike? I got all the plastics off, including loosening up the tank but the passage from the front through the airbox and the tank is not obvious....
Reli Tal hi Reli. No. I just lifted it and there was a gap on the right (as sat on bike) of the tank that allowed with some wriggling, the wires to pass. I did them individually rather than a bundle
Thank you for your nice video,Best regards from Berlin. I have also 2018 R 1200 GSA and I like to fit this light on my motorbike. Have a safety riding. Have a lovely and Sunny days
A very informative video Nick for which I am grateful but surely there is an easier/quicker way to route the cables? But then, I suppose not. I find it extremely frustrating that manufacturers of "Adventure Bikes" fail to provide ways for buyers easily to add the various electrical accessories we all seem to want (lights, decent horns, heated clothing, more than one GPS etc. etc.). I feel tempted to weld a bit of conduit alongside a frame tube or some such. Equally, the 1250 seems to have less space for stuff than its predecessors; the space under the pillion seat is reduced (I used to get a Fuseblock in there before but would now need a Hex EZCan to fit what's left for space). The second DIN socket under the seat of the Twincam has disappeared and so on. Having seen this I reckon I need to find an enthusiastic farkler to do the job for me.
Chris Knight certainly there’s not enough room with the Denali connectors. Also you need to avoid heat and spinny things. I like neat too. Good luck though and thanks for watching. Ride safe
thanks so much bud for taking the time to film such a detailed and clear cut video. Best out there by a mile. If you ever find yourself in South Africa, and need anything, I'm your man. safe riding buddy.
Great video, Ive now fitted my Aux lights but can't seem to find any info on angle setting or drop angle of the light over a given length. Do you or anyone have this info. Big Thanks in advance, Paul
Hi Paul and thanks. I don’t have it I’m afraid. Maybe Denali?? I used a wall in my garden at night (you get a much better idea than in daylight or even dusk) and adjusted them just below dipped headlight. I really use mine for visibility OF me more than visibility FOR me so erred on the side of lower so as not to dazzle. I also have them through the CanSmart at 60% on daylight running and dipped beam and 100% on full beam. Hope this helps a little?
@@nickhodgeUK Hi Nick. Can I ask a follow up question. Where did you put the Posi Tap white wire? I have done the installation but the lights are not coming on, possibly because I have not correctly tapped the trigger wire. Thanks again
Tim Barnett nope. Was just replying that. I can’t find wiring diagram from lights but if you’re still stuck let me know and I’ll see if I can download them and decipher 👍🏻
scabbyjoe21 just take your time you’ll be fine. Get expanded polystyrene and push bolts in exactly as you see them and mark what panel it was. The only ‘confidence’ part is snapping the top tank panel. All the others, if they don’t come off, you’ve not got all fasteners. The great thing is the tank only needs to be moved off its pegs so no disconnecting keyless tank wires and fuel gauge/pipes. Good luck!
I think the stock BMW horn is louder than the Denali. I had one before and cars never seemed to pay attention to it. Also I would honk at riding buddies to get their attention and they said they never heard it. The Denali is loud in the garage but I think the tone isn’t penetrating on the street.
RonnieMX Welcome along. The original is a different tone for sure and I think beeping buddies it is probably more effective but generally I would think that’s slow paced? I had two early instances at 40 (ish) and they just kept coming!! I have both now and the lights set to strobe when horn is pressed too so they shouldn’t have reason to say they didn’t hear an see me at least 😂 Again. Thanks for taking the time to comment
Thanks for the detailed video, what did you do with original horn after installing soundBomb, is it ok to keep original in its place with its wire attached, if so will they sound together?
Paul. Enjoy. They’re great bikes. I love it and had a 1200 for a short period before. Mate has an Exclusive. The side panel is very slightly different I think but other than that you should be good. Take your time and watch the screw length/type. Sorry about the sound, I’m no vlogger and BTW. it’s mainly Torx 20 😂😂
Me too. Only just discovered these. My GSA 1250 TE Exclusive will be in my dealership end of May. I'm now going to look for this set up. That horn sounded awesome.
Nightcrawler777 used the horn for the first time in earnest the other day. It woke up the car driver. Only downside is you can’t just toot someone! ;). Hope you enjoy the bike. Ride safe
Paul Lynham how’s the bike Paul. Still loving mine. 2,500 miles done now. Going to be a few more videos soon. Maybe a bit of an owner review. Perhaps a run over the TFT in detail and also booked a highland tour in August. Here’s to another good riding season. Be safe
Great video Nick. What torque settings do you use when putting the bike back together pls. I guess plastic to plastic fairings aren’t too important but fixing the fuel tank back to the bike, for instance?
Hi Nick. Thanks for video ... gave me some excellent background to fit my kit. When fitting the horn you mention the horn close/touching the front brake hose and you’d contacted Denali for advice. I’ve got the same challenge on my fit .... what was the outcome please?
Hi Chris. I've had no issue so I think I was overreacting? I've done 7,500 miles and it shows no sign of chafing. All I did was added a little insulation tape to help 'lubricate' any contact
@@nickhodgeUK Thanks for getting back to me Nick. Like yours there is minimal contact - and no chance of the hose getting tangled/caught on the SoundBomb. To protect the hose from possibility of wear, rather than tape I used the tubular handle section from a plastic milk container secured with a zip-tie . Fits around the hose perfectly, 'slippy' and hard wearing. Thanks again for the reassurance.
Glenn S thanks for the comment Glenn. I used to have a myriad of garages and sheds but the leaves on 100 trees was too much 😂😂 now live in the city and have shed for bike but repairs are outside. Hope fitting goes well. Get V2 CanSmart as it allows dimming of right light when right indicator on, etc. And ride safe
Denali are now supplying a little bit of anti abrasive sheathing to put on the Brake hose where it touches the bottom of the horn - your efforts to draw their attention to it were acted upon. Still, I wonder if you found a way of keep the hose well away. And, do you happen to know the the torque setting for that bolt that attaches the horn bracket to the frame, by any chance? Great vid, as ever. Cheers.
Hi Dave. That’s interesting. I did email them in the US to point it out. Interestingly neither of my bikes have even marked the outer pipe let alone the braid underneath. I have got some duck tape on this one as it’s not possible to mitigate the pipe routing. I don’t have the torque value I’m afraid 👍🏻
Hey Nick, I recently had a Denali set (Gen II CANsmart, S4 lights and Soundbomb horn) installed. Great kit but, like you and a couple of your commenters, I also had concerns about the proximity of the Soundbomb to the brake lines. I raised this direct with Denali USA who told me that all the GS Soundbomb mounts should come with a protective sleeve (and a couple of cable ties) which is to fit around the brake lines and provide abrasion protection. The main distributors of Denali kit in the UK are aware and should be sending me the sleeve. I see you have installed the gear onto your new GSA which might have greater clearance?
Thanks for that Robert. Pop back and let us know. It’s a delicate balance of bracket positioning to clear forks and brake cables. It seems slightly better on the adventure. I put tape on my GS but found it never marked which I find surprising as it’s close!! I will one day shortly mount a GoPro on a bumpy/brakey ride and see 👍🏻
Thanks for this very good video!!! Much appreciated. Just installed my S4 following your tutorial and a few others. My only REAL CONCERN is the horn which definitely touches the brake line when riding. I really don't like that and hence have decided to remove the horn. Has anyone found an alternative place on the GS1200/1250?
Hi Eric and welcome along. The horn has now been on for 8,000 miles and shows no signs of contact. It’s weird as it looks like it should but it hasn’t. Hope that re-assures some. Glad the video helped anyhow. Ride safe
@@nickhodgeUK Thanks Nick indeed for re-assuring me Nick :-) But how can it be, as when the bike is on the lateral stand, the brake line physically touches the horn. Hence I was thinking that with compression of the suspension during the ride there would even be much more contact / rubbing between the brake line and the horn with risk of damaging the brake line. What I already did is to use my Dremel to remove the bottom of the horn, a part of the sound conduit. This is helping to free up some space (+/- 1cm) and doesn't change anything at all at the sound. I would love placing back the horn but, based on what I'm seeing on my bike, I'm very skeptical.... If someone has a small camera it would be interesting to attach it under the front fender for a few km to see on motion whether or not there is a contact. Super thanks again for your reply Nick!
Eric Boeckmans I was as sceptical as you and stopped many times on first few rides to look but it’s been fine. I have some new GoPro brackets so if I can safely mount it I may see if I can get footage. Watch this space
@@nickhodgeUK That would be terrific and guess many Soundbomb users would be interested / relieved by this footage :-) Will definitely stay tuned to this page! Thanks!
I thought that. They’re not rigid to be fair but I think the action of the upside-down forks has something to do with it. I put a rubber buffer around to test but it didn’t touch 👍🏻
Question: at 2:27 you remove your CAN-bus accessory controller which clearly has HEX branding and logo visible, also at 2:41 you refer to the device as the "ezCan" before correcting yourself and referring calling it a CanSmart. I appreciate that both devices might for all intents and purposes be the same, but why claim you installed a CanSmart when in fact it is a different manufacturers product?
Chris Hille oh dear Chris you infer a conspiracy. Do you have a CanSmart? It’s made by EzCan and branded for Denali. At the time I did the video, the CanSmart had 4 circuits. You’ll maybe notice (with your eagle eyes) mine has four, so sorry to disappoint you. I purchased a CanSmart, I fitted a CanSmart. How they decide to brand it is not my concern. Hopefully you’ll also notice it comes fitted with Denali connectors and wiring. The base EzyCan does not. Lastly the reverse side, the side I have Velcro on to position it has the Denali branding. If you want to be sure what’s in the box is what’s on the box, buy kellogs.
Thank you for taking the time to share all this. I'm about to install the Denali Hex system and S4 lights on a 2017 Raylle. Im going to have two set of light leads going forward for the two systems so light is off when indicator flashes. Question is, I saw the right hand wires coming over the airbag and under tank, did the wire on the left light go over the left hand side of the airbox or the right hand side along with the others?
Hi Paul. The Gen 2 version may be different but all my lighting and horn wires go up the right side of the bike and under the air box. They are connected under the right side of the front beak. I only have one set, the D4s, but the tails are ready when I need to connect others. What I would say is my D4s are top mounted so the tails are plenty long enough. Not sure that would be the case if they were say bottom of engine bar mounted??? Remember too. If you’re buying the Denali CanSmart it comes with wiring and so then only buy lights (not light sets) as CanSmart comes with all cables and saves about £50 on lights
Yes indeed. The Denali CanSmart is made by Hex. It’s just the Denali version has the plugs ready you may need connectors for the Hex to connect to Denali???
@@nickhodgeUK Cheers. I ended up ordering the denali cansmart as I liked your D4 lights so much I ordered them, so the Touratech shop said he had the Denali canSmart as well and was the same price as the ezCan and was pretty identical in function so I may as well get the denali. So I ordered the D4 lights, the canSmart and the soundbomb. Thanks for the reply and I appreciate the Vid !!!
@@MCIreland99 and I’ll guarantee you won’t regret it “the sweetness of the quality will be remembered long after the bitterness of the price” (who said that?) 👍🏻
Hello. I need to find the positive of the high beam. I would like to connect Denali spotlights that only come on with high beam.can you help me? where can I find it?
I don’t know the wire I’m afraid although a multimeter and the plug for the headlight or opening the switch should help you find it. You could do this in software too if you had a CanSmart or Hex EzyCan (same thing) by turning off daylight running, setting low beam intensity to 0% and High Beam intensity to 100% 👍🏻
Simon Lockyer Hi Simon. It’s from a guy on the Isle of Man called GS Sticker Man. Think he’s on EBay and has his own site. I have the ones on beak. One in back of helmet. One black reflective chevron with GS logo on each pannier and same in top box but give him a design and he’ll make it. Think the pack was about £30??? If you can’t find come back
Really excellent instructional video Nick - thank you for sharing. It has given me more confidence to try out the same installation on my 2015 GSA. Can I ask where you purchased all the kit from? Thanks again.
Hi Simon. Thanks for the comment. I got mine from various places. I would recommend www.abikething.com (say you came from me may help 🤷♂️). It’s important to know if you are going for CanSmart, that has ALL the wiring looms for 2 sets of lights and the horn as well as tail light. This means you only need buy single lights NOT light sets, which also have wiring. The CanSmart are made by Hex Industries and many are tempted to buy their EzyCan as it seems cheaper. Again, the EzyCan whilst the same internals, has no wiring looms for lights etc. I thoroughly recommend Denali for quality and ease/security of installation 👍🏻
Nick Hodge Thanks for that info Nick. Yes, I’d already found abikething on RUclips and was planning to go for the bundle that includes the items you have. I’ll get in touch with him. Thanks again for your help. Simon
Thanks again Nick, great video, how do you find this system a year later? Any problems? I'm considering installing Denali kit on my new 1250gs that I have arriving shortly but a bit concerned it may cause warranty issues or indeed cause issues with electrics your advice is greatly appreciated.
Oh no I’d still thoroughly recommend. The new Gen II canSmart has some new settings too. The wiring all is plug and play. You make no cuts to the BMW stuff at all. It’s expensive but VERY good. Enjoy the 1250
Great video Nick! Do you mind if I ask, do you have a Haynes Manual for your BMW, OR does the handbook you get with the bike just have good details on how the fairing is dismantled because I was just wondering how you knew the exact way the blue plastic fairing came off the petrol tank............or are you one of these people that just can figure these things out?
Nope. No Haynes Manual and the BMW manual doesn’t tell you too much. Many years ago (1975-1983) I was a motorcycle mechanic I guess just the grounding makes this sort of stuff fairly intuitive to me. Glad you liked the video. Thanks for comment
As ever, love all your videos and updates, keep them coming. I'm just about to install the same system on my 2019 GSA and note a lot of people remove their petrol tank or loosen it to reroute cables, is it really worth the effort to do that or are you happy with the result you achieved?
Hi Bob and thanks. I just popped the tank off it’s rubbers without disconnecting any hoses and such. That gives enough room to push the cables through. I like tidy and my objective is always to cable tie to existing wiring or cables from factory. That way you’ll know you’re not going to get movement or chafing 👍🏻
Brilliant Video, extremely detailed. Have you any feedback now after a few months on the D4 spots.....? Thinking of picking up a set myself, maybe another long term use video?
wondaboy12345 I cant recommend highly enough. There are some D7s now but they look a bit ugly. Eve yet one comments about how visible I am which is why I had them. I turned off the ‘off when turn signal active’ setting though in the CanSmart unit as I reckon people saw that as a ‘flash’ and pulled out in me
I’m not sure why it wouldn’t be although untested as the bike is less than 3 years old. I think the only horn issue in the uk are the ones that play tunes??? This one would likely be quieter than a truck one for example and is single tone
Ok that explains things. FYI, after some further research, I discovered that you can tap the signal wire into the 7.5 amp fuse circuit right under the seat. I used the Denali positap that came with the light kit and works fine.
Hi Kevin. If you mean the Denali CanSmart? I am. They are made by Hex Industries and branded for Denali. The Gen 1 CanSmart has Hex EzyCan on the reverse. Not checked on the Gen 2 I now have 👍🏻
hi Nick. This is zunaid from South Africa again. Nick the only company I can get hold off that can arrange delivery to South Africa, via Airfreight is call Denali UK. obviously I have to make the payment first, etc... Just wanted to find out if you heard of them, and if they trustworthy with regard to delivery etc. thanks bud
@@nickhodgeUK I just ordered it today via a supplier in south Africa. I wanted to deal directly with Denali UK (yes that's the correct company, btw), but because I had not hear back from someone that could back them up, I ordered via a local company. it cost me double than what it would have costed if I had dealt directly with Denali uk. they ended up charging me 1050 pounds. I was too scared to pay Denali uk upfrionth without some sort of reference. ag anyway, that's life I guess. thanks anyway for the reply.
@@nickhodgeUK Apology, Bad @ss is American slang meaning good. Bad ass as in it's an Adventure bike, Road Bike, and a Touring bike all rolled up into one neat package. I've taken my ZX-14R and Goldwing on some very treacherous roads...although quite fun and exhilarating there not built to withstand the harshness of the outback LOL. But the R1250GS...up the road, over the mountain, through the forest and take the off road short cut to be home by dinner LOL.
Road Glide it says 8760 lumens the pair. They are each 4 x 10w Cree LEDs. With the CanSmart though you can tailor the output using the Data Dim technology in them and the BMW whizzy wheel. Although it can also be done through the CanSmart software. I have mine at 50% intensity as daylight running (the BMW LED headlight is very good too). Same on dip beam and then 100% on full beam. I have them set to ‘strobe’ on flash to pass and also strobe when horn is ‘active’. The horn does mean you can only use it in earnest.... it’s loud!
Truls. Yes it’s working really well. Changed setting on lights off when flashers on because I’m convinced people were thinking I was flashing them to pull out. Anyhow. Technically all good
Martin Winnes yep it’s the original back seat. I have it in the forward position as it helps support my back. The front seat is high at front (against tank) and low at rear using the standard adjusters. It helps to ‘slide’ me back against face of rear seat. Bike is standard height
Vaporflux not constant no. They have ‘strobe on flash to pass’ (three pulls on flasher switch) and ‘strobe on horn press’. All controlled through settings in the SmartCan (Ezycan)
@@RoamingWithRobert I'm sorry I don't know of any. The light are capable, but it's not a feature of the controller. I would suspect it's a controller you need to look at rather than the lights???
Flatcap007 yep. Just about spot on. It does depend on what you want I guess? If you want to operate things without additional switches/relays but still be able to do ‘smart’ things then the CanSmart/EzyCan is a must. The quality of the units too is without doubt. Unfortunately there’s little cheap with motorcycles and nothing cheap with BMW 😂
Your video is a gift to the GS community. I would never had tried this on my own on my new 1250. Now I see it’s very doable with care, patience and common sense. Thank you.
Bruce Berg thanks Bruce. For sure it’s doable. Take care, photograph if necessary and it’s generally fine. Thanks for the comment
Fitted the same system the other day to a costumers bike and I have to say very very nice bit of kit the air horn is super loud and it strobes the led lights at the same time grate touch. Handy things in the settings like turning off the led light on the side your indicating and flashing the rear light under heavy braking. Super eazy to fit and realy neat and tidy
Yep. Fully agree. Probably my best fitment. I have the Gen 1 controller so unfortunately it switches off BOTH lights with either indicator. I switched that off in the end as I found both lights going off made people think I was flashing them out!! I have strobe in horn and strobe in flash-to-pass switched on and the best feature is alternate with hazards. People think it police when filtering and actually move over 😂
Nick, thanks for the detailed video. As a new BMW owner, this step by step instruction made this process (relatively) simple. ... a real confidence boost. Thanks again.
Michael, really happy it helped.
This has got to to be the most gentle way of removing the body panels on the 1250, most especially that "stubborn" little piece of plastic that you have to gently pry off. Although I have the 1250 GS Adventure, the removal process is much the same, thank you for sharing.
Glad it helped you out, slowly and methodically. Ride safe
@@nickhodgeUK I have search the entire youtube channels regarding the removal of these panels on the 1250 and so far, yours has got to be the most clear and straight to the point procedure coupled with your clear speaking voice providing good guidance...lol
I also got the same Denali kit you have, D4s & DM 2.0, B6 brake light, and the soundbomb. By the way, my sound bomb came with some sort of wrap around material to protect the brake hydraulic line from chaffing/rubbing against the horn. I also wrapped the brake lines with a hockey tape to further protect the lines. thanks for sharing again.
@@dcdell2008 Ah the chafing point is interesting. I was concerned it was very close but to date (6,800 miles). I shows no signs. DM2's for me next...watch this space (channel)
BMW..1250 GS is really a that we should all try to have...BMW. Marvelous brand.
this is a really useful vid, thanks Nick..helped me decide to set aside a good amount of time and a clean/clear garage to fit the horn to mine! :-) you are the next best thing to an old fashioned Haynes manual!
Most of these things are possible (so long as there’s no special tools needed but you are correct. Clear space, clear mind and time is most important. Phone camera pictures help too along the way. Good luck
Thank you for a very detailed and informative explanation of the installation, and for including a step by step description. I have just ordered this system for my R1200GSA and now feel much more confident removing all the various panels.
BikerPete2 cheers Pete. Slowly and make sure you mark which bolts are in which panels and you’ll be fine. Good luck and ride safe
Well done. Thanks for taking the time to film and explain your install.
Your procedure for installing the D4’s is perfect. I will look forward to see your video as you install the DM2’s.
Alan August thanks Alan. The wiring is ready to go so it shouldn’t be as long a job for sure. Wonder if Father Christmas........
Nick thank you so much, I did purchase the V2 smart can, D4 light, sound bomb and license plate brake light and like a good friend you were in in my garage (youtube) helping through the install! Thanks again for you videos .
Glenn S fantastic. Hope it all went well. Really good kit and visibility will be improved greatly. Like the idea with V2 of the left light going off with left indicator. I turned feature off with my V1 as all off with any indicator I have a feeling was adding to my issues with people thinking I was flashing them out when lights went off. Ride safe
Excellent tutorial Nick ! Takes all the guess work out and makes it seem like even I could do it ! Thank you.
Slow and steady is the trick and photos, notes may help too. Good luck
I 𝙝𝙖𝙙 been considering adding aux lights to the front of my new 1250GS HP. This has got to be one of the best "how to" videos I've seen on RUclips. 𝙀𝙓𝘾𝙀𝙇𝙇𝙀𝙉𝙏! 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙟𝙤𝙗!! On the other hand, after watching you take apart all that stuff I've reconsidered. I think I'll just add the can smart or EZ can and fit a strobing tail light. Or possibly consider mounting some aux lights down on the crash bars, if possible. I recently added a "Battery Tender" dongle direct to the battery, and while that was a very simple procedure I saw how little room there is to route wires for modifications without taking a lot of body panels off, not sure I want to do that.
John Scott cheers John. It looks daunting but given time and organisation it’s not that tough. Enjoy the bike though and ride safe
Incredible detailed video. Thanks for taking the time to explain every move !
Reli Tal thanks Reli. Hope it was interesting and useful
@@nickhodgeUK Hi Nick - Did you end up removing the tank for running the wires to the back of the bike? I got all the plastics off, including loosening up the tank but the passage from the front through the airbox and the tank is not obvious....
Reli Tal hi Reli. No. I just lifted it and there was a gap on the right (as sat on bike) of the tank that allowed with some wriggling, the wires to pass. I did them individually rather than a bundle
Thank you for your nice video,Best regards from Berlin.
I have also 2018 R 1200 GSA and I like to fit this light on my motorbike.
Have a safety riding.
Have a lovely and Sunny days
Thank you for the comment. Safe riding to you too ❤️
A very informative video Nick for which I am grateful but surely there is an easier/quicker way to route the cables? But then, I suppose not. I find it extremely frustrating that manufacturers of "Adventure Bikes" fail to provide ways for buyers easily to add the various electrical accessories we all seem to want (lights, decent horns, heated clothing, more than one GPS etc. etc.). I feel tempted to weld a bit of conduit alongside a frame tube or some such. Equally, the 1250 seems to have less space for stuff than its predecessors; the space under the pillion seat is reduced (I used to get a Fuseblock in there before but would now need a Hex EZCan to fit what's left for space). The second DIN socket under the seat of the Twincam has disappeared and so on. Having seen this I reckon I need to find an enthusiastic farkler to do the job for me.
Chris Knight certainly there’s not enough room with the Denali connectors. Also you need to avoid heat and spinny things. I like neat too. Good luck though and thanks for watching. Ride safe
Thanks Nick. I would have really struggled without your video. Very helpful.
Please it helped you, thanks for the comment
thanks so much bud for taking the time to film such a detailed and clear cut video. Best out there by a mile. If you ever find yourself in South Africa, and need anything, I'm your man. safe riding buddy.
Thanks Zunaid. Hope it helps
Great video, Ive now fitted my Aux lights but can't seem to find any info on angle setting or drop angle of the light over a given length. Do you or anyone have this info. Big Thanks in advance, Paul
Hi Paul and thanks. I don’t have it I’m afraid. Maybe Denali?? I used a wall in my garden at night (you get a much better idea than in daylight or even dusk) and adjusted them just below dipped headlight. I really use mine for visibility OF me more than visibility FOR me so erred on the side of lower so as not to dazzle. I also have them through the CanSmart at 60% on daylight running and dipped beam and 100% on full beam. Hope this helps a little?
@@nickhodgeUK Cheers Nick thanks for the advice 🤘
New to your channel, but I find it very helpful and very well explained, well done and thanks
Thanks for the comment James. Glad you like it
Nick, thank you very much for this helpful, clear and thoughtful video.
Thanks for the comment Tim
@@nickhodgeUK Hi Nick. Can I ask a follow up question. Where did you put the Posi Tap white wire? I have done the installation but the lights are not coming on, possibly because I have not correctly tapped the trigger wire. Thanks again
Please ignore my last comment above. You don’t have a posi tap with a trigger wire if you’re using the CanSmart! Apologies.
Tim Barnett nope. Was just replying that. I can’t find wiring diagram from lights but if you’re still stuck let me know and I’ll see if I can download them and decipher 👍🏻
Superb video. I've bought a Hex Ezycan and rear and aux lights but I'm trying to find the confidence to take off all those panels! Great job
scabbyjoe21 just take your time you’ll be fine. Get expanded polystyrene and push bolts in exactly as you see them and mark what panel it was. The only ‘confidence’ part is snapping the top tank panel. All the others, if they don’t come off, you’ve not got all fasteners. The great thing is the tank only needs to be moved off its pegs so no disconnecting keyless tank wires and fuel gauge/pipes. Good luck!
Thanks Nick,
Brilliant vid, used it to dismantle my GS1250 and fit some cheep led lights👍
Regards
Gerry
Well done Gerry. Slow and steady wins the race. Glad you could use it
merci pour votre vidéo, elle m'a bien servi
Roger. merci pour votre commentaire et content qu'il vous ai été utile 👍🏻
I think the stock BMW horn is louder than the Denali. I had one before and cars never seemed to pay attention to it. Also I would honk at riding buddies to get their attention and they said they never heard it. The Denali is loud in the garage but I think the tone isn’t penetrating on the street.
RonnieMX Welcome along. The original is a different tone for sure and I think beeping buddies it is probably more effective but generally I would think that’s slow paced? I had two early instances at 40 (ish) and they just kept coming!! I have both now and the lights set to strobe when horn is pressed too so they shouldn’t have reason to say they didn’t hear an see me at least 😂 Again. Thanks for taking the time to comment
Thanks for the detailed video, what did you do with original horn after installing soundBomb, is it ok to keep original in its place with its wire attached, if so will they sound together?
Yes. Just leave it and both sound. Although sound dynamics dictate you only hear the loudest but they are both sounding
Thats a lot of plastic to remove for installation...but great end result! Thanks for great tutorial!
Sure is but thanks for the comment
Hi nick greet video are you going to do the same video on the gsa thanks again.
Hi Stephen. I’m not sure. It’s not really significantly different between the two
Brilliant video Nick, I will be doing exactly the same install on my R1250GS TE Exclusive in 28 days time, not that I’m counting, much😉
Paul. Enjoy. They’re great bikes. I love it and had a 1200 for a short period before. Mate has an Exclusive. The side panel is very slightly different I think but other than that you should be good. Take your time and watch the screw length/type. Sorry about the sound, I’m no vlogger and BTW. it’s mainly Torx 20 😂😂
Me too. Only just discovered these. My GSA 1250 TE Exclusive will be in my dealership end of May. I'm now going to look for this set up. That horn sounded awesome.
Nightcrawler777, you won’t be disappointed😉
Nightcrawler777 used the horn for the first time in earnest the other day. It woke up the car driver. Only downside is you can’t just toot someone! ;). Hope you enjoy the bike. Ride safe
Paul Lynham how’s the bike Paul. Still loving mine. 2,500 miles done now. Going to be a few more videos soon. Maybe a bit of an owner review. Perhaps a run over the TFT in detail and also booked a highland tour in August. Here’s to another good riding season. Be safe
Hi Cortese, can you tell me the exact dimensions of the bracket that holds the soundbomb? thank you very much, really kind
Great video Nick. What torque settings do you use when putting the bike back together pls. I guess plastic to plastic fairings aren’t too important but fixing the fuel tank back to the bike, for instance?
Any critical ones are in the manual. The panel screws just screwdriver tight. In fact the collared ones don’t tighten down they more locate 👍🏻
Hi Nick. Thanks for video ... gave me some excellent background to fit my kit. When fitting the horn you mention the horn close/touching the front brake hose and you’d contacted Denali for advice. I’ve got the same challenge on my fit .... what was the outcome please?
Hi Chris. I've had no issue so I think I was overreacting? I've done 7,500 miles and it shows no sign of chafing. All I did was added a little insulation tape to help 'lubricate' any contact
@@nickhodgeUK Thanks for getting back to me Nick. Like yours there is minimal contact - and no chance of the hose getting tangled/caught on the SoundBomb. To protect the hose from possibility of wear, rather than tape I used the tubular handle section from a plastic milk container secured with a zip-tie . Fits around the hose perfectly, 'slippy' and hard wearing. Thanks again for the reassurance.
Thank you, getting close to buying the same cansmart and lighting and will refer to you video when installing, thank you. You need a garage..lol
Glenn S thanks for the comment Glenn. I used to have a myriad of garages and sheds but the leaves on 100 trees was too much 😂😂 now live in the city and have shed for bike but repairs are outside. Hope fitting goes well. Get V2 CanSmart as it allows dimming of right light when right indicator on, etc. And ride safe
Denali are now supplying a little bit of anti abrasive sheathing to put on the Brake hose where it touches the bottom of the horn - your efforts to draw their attention to it were acted upon. Still, I wonder if you found a way of keep the hose well away. And, do you happen to know the the torque setting for that bolt that attaches the horn bracket to the frame, by any chance? Great vid, as ever. Cheers.
Hi Dave. That’s interesting. I did email them in the US to point it out. Interestingly neither of my bikes have even marked the outer pipe let alone the braid underneath. I have got some duck tape on this one as it’s not possible to mitigate the pipe routing. I don’t have the torque value I’m afraid 👍🏻
@@nickhodgeUK Thanks Nick
Hey Nick, I recently had a Denali set (Gen II CANsmart, S4 lights and Soundbomb horn) installed. Great kit but, like you and a couple of your commenters, I also had concerns about the proximity of the Soundbomb to the brake lines. I raised this direct with Denali USA who told me that all the GS Soundbomb mounts should come with a protective sleeve (and a couple of cable ties) which is to fit around the brake lines and provide abrasion protection. The main distributors of Denali kit in the UK are aware and should be sending me the sleeve. I see you have installed the gear onto your new GSA which might have greater clearance?
Thanks for that Robert. Pop back and let us know. It’s a delicate balance of bracket positioning to clear forks and brake cables. It seems slightly better on the adventure. I put tape on my GS but found it never marked which I find surprising as it’s close!! I will one day shortly mount a GoPro on a bumpy/brakey ride and see 👍🏻
@@nickhodgeUK I'll let you know if/when I get something.
Video footage would be great.
Excellent Vid. Thank you! Very enlightening.
RT1200BIKER thanks for viewing and commenting
Thanks for this very good video!!! Much appreciated. Just installed my S4 following your tutorial and a few others. My only REAL CONCERN is the horn which definitely touches the brake line when riding. I really don't like that and hence have decided to remove the horn. Has anyone found an alternative place on the GS1200/1250?
Hi Eric and welcome along. The horn has now been on for 8,000 miles and shows no signs of contact. It’s weird as it looks like it should but it hasn’t. Hope that re-assures some. Glad the video helped anyhow. Ride safe
@@nickhodgeUK Thanks Nick indeed for re-assuring me Nick :-)
But how can it be, as when the bike is on the lateral stand, the brake line physically touches the horn. Hence I was thinking that with compression of the suspension during the ride there would even be much more contact / rubbing between the brake line and the horn with risk of damaging the brake line. What I already did is to use my Dremel to remove the bottom of the horn, a part of the sound conduit. This is helping to free up some space (+/- 1cm) and doesn't change anything at all at the sound.
I would love placing back the horn but, based on what I'm seeing on my bike, I'm very skeptical....
If someone has a small camera it would be interesting to attach it under the front fender for a few km to see on motion whether or not there is a contact.
Super thanks again for your reply Nick!
Eric Boeckmans I was as sceptical as you and stopped many times on first few rides to look but it’s been fine. I have some new GoPro brackets so if I can safely mount it I may see if I can get footage. Watch this space
@@nickhodgeUK That would be terrific and guess many Soundbomb users would be interested / relieved by this footage :-)
Will definitely stay tuned to this page! Thanks!
When the front forks compress, will the horn interfere with those rigid brake cables? Looks too close? Th
I thought that. They’re not rigid to be fair but I think the action of the upside-down forks has something to do with it. I put a rubber buffer around to test but it didn’t touch 👍🏻
Considering the large range of motion of the forks, I thought it would hit for sure. Thanks for the excellent video!
Awesome. I'm now looking for this setup. My GSA will be in my dealership end of May. I've got to get me some of these. Cool video.
Question: at 2:27 you remove your CAN-bus accessory controller which clearly has HEX branding and logo visible, also at 2:41 you refer to the device as the "ezCan" before correcting yourself and referring calling it a CanSmart. I appreciate that both devices might for all intents and purposes be the same, but why claim you installed a CanSmart when in fact it is a different manufacturers product?
Chris Hille oh dear Chris you infer a conspiracy. Do you have a CanSmart? It’s made by EzCan and branded for Denali. At the time I did the video, the CanSmart had 4 circuits. You’ll maybe notice (with your eagle eyes) mine has four, so sorry to disappoint you. I purchased a CanSmart, I fitted a CanSmart. How they decide to brand it is not my concern. Hopefully you’ll also notice it comes fitted with Denali connectors and wiring. The base EzyCan does not. Lastly the reverse side, the side I have Velcro on to position it has the Denali branding. If you want to be sure what’s in the box is what’s on the box, buy kellogs.
Thank you for taking the time to share all this. I'm about to install the Denali Hex system and S4 lights on a 2017 Raylle. Im going to have two set of light leads going forward for the two systems so light is off when indicator flashes. Question is, I saw the right hand wires coming over the airbag and under tank, did the wire on the left light go over the left hand side of the airbox or the right hand side along with the others?
Hi Paul. The Gen 2 version may be different but all my lighting and horn wires go up the right side of the bike and under the air box. They are connected under the right side of the front beak. I only have one set, the D4s, but the tails are ready when I need to connect others. What I would say is my D4s are top mounted so the tails are plenty long enough. Not sure that would be the case if they were say bottom of engine bar mounted??? Remember too. If you’re buying the Denali CanSmart it comes with wiring and so then only buy lights (not light sets) as CanSmart comes with all cables and saves about £50 on lights
Many thanks Nick. Installed them today. Aren't they great!!!
Paul B in my opinion the best. Quality look and very much quality feel. Well done 👍🏻
Will the Denali Lights work with the same functionality with a Hex ezCan ??
Yes indeed. The Denali CanSmart is made by Hex. It’s just the Denali version has the plugs ready you may need connectors for the Hex to connect to Denali???
@@nickhodgeUK Cheers. I ended up ordering the denali cansmart as I liked your D4 lights so much I ordered them, so the Touratech shop said he had the Denali canSmart as well and was the same price as the ezCan and was pretty identical in function so I may as well get the denali. So I ordered the D4 lights, the canSmart and the soundbomb. Thanks for the reply and I appreciate the Vid !!!
@@MCIreland99 and I’ll guarantee you won’t regret it “the sweetness of the quality will be remembered long after the bitterness of the price” (who said that?) 👍🏻
Accessories for lighting to the GS 310?
Mohamed Sabri Haji A.Shamsudeen Mohamed. Thanks for commenting. It I’m afraid I have no experience on the GS310 so can’t help much I’m afraid
@@nickhodgeUK better i buy r1250gs.....
Mohamed Sabri Haji A.Shamsudeen Mohamed. You wouldn’t regret it for sure but seems slightly extreme over just buying some lights 😂
Very detailed in a non confusing way. Thanks for sharing. Cheers Nick.
Hello. I need to find the positive of the high beam. I would like to connect Denali spotlights that only come on with high beam.can you help me? where can I find it?
I don’t know the wire I’m afraid although a multimeter and the plug for the headlight or opening the switch should help you find it. You could do this in software too if you had a CanSmart or Hex EzyCan (same thing) by turning off daylight running, setting low beam intensity to 0% and High Beam intensity to 100% 👍🏻
Hi your r1250 decal is from what supplier , like it
Simon Lockyer Hi Simon. It’s from a guy on the Isle of Man called GS Sticker Man. Think he’s on EBay and has his own site. I have the ones on beak. One in back of helmet. One black reflective chevron with GS logo on each pannier and same in top box but give him a design and he’ll make it. Think the pack was about £30??? If you can’t find come back
Many thanks Nick got it 😃
Really excellent instructional video Nick - thank you for sharing. It has given me more confidence to try out the same installation on my 2015 GSA. Can I ask where you purchased all the kit from? Thanks again.
Hi Simon. Thanks for the comment. I got mine from various places. I would recommend www.abikething.com (say you came from me may help 🤷♂️). It’s important to know if you are going for CanSmart, that has ALL the wiring looms for 2 sets of lights and the horn as well as tail light. This means you only need buy single lights NOT light sets, which also have wiring. The CanSmart are made by Hex Industries and many are tempted to buy their EzyCan as it seems cheaper. Again, the EzyCan whilst the same internals, has no wiring looms for lights etc. I thoroughly recommend Denali for quality and ease/security of installation 👍🏻
Nick Hodge Thanks for that info Nick. Yes, I’d already found abikething on RUclips and was planning to go for the bundle that includes the items you have. I’ll get in touch with him. Thanks again for your help. Simon
This is just great! Thanks for sharing!!
ehome thanks for commenting.
Thanks again Nick, great video, how do you find this system a year later? Any problems? I'm considering installing Denali kit on my new 1250gs that I have arriving shortly but a bit concerned it may cause warranty issues or indeed cause issues with electrics your advice is greatly appreciated.
Oh no I’d still thoroughly recommend. The new Gen II canSmart has some new settings too. The wiring all is plug and play. You make no cuts to the BMW stuff at all. It’s expensive but VERY good. Enjoy the 1250
Great video Nick!
Do you mind if I ask, do you have a Haynes Manual for your BMW, OR does the handbook you get with the bike just have good details on how the fairing is dismantled because I was just wondering how you knew the exact way the blue plastic fairing came off the petrol tank............or are you one of these people that just can figure these things out?
Nope. No Haynes Manual and the BMW manual doesn’t tell you too much. Many years ago (1975-1983) I was a motorcycle mechanic I guess just the grounding makes this sort of stuff fairly intuitive to me. Glad you liked the video. Thanks for comment
@@nickhodgeUK Thanks Nick!
As ever, love all your videos and updates, keep them coming. I'm just about to install the same system on my 2019 GSA and note a lot of people remove their petrol tank or loosen it to reroute cables, is it really worth the effort to do that or are you happy with the result you achieved?
Hi Bob and thanks. I just popped the tank off it’s rubbers without disconnecting any hoses and such. That gives enough room to push the cables through. I like tidy and my objective is always to cable tie to existing wiring or cables from factory. That way you’ll know you’re not going to get movement or chafing 👍🏻
Brilliant Video, extremely detailed. Have you any feedback now after a few months on the D4 spots.....? Thinking of picking up a set myself, maybe another long term use video?
wondaboy12345 I cant recommend highly enough. There are some D7s now but they look a bit ugly. Eve yet one comments about how visible I am which is why I had them. I turned off the ‘off when turn signal active’ setting though in the CanSmart unit as I reckon people saw that as a ‘flash’ and pulled out in me
Is the Denali horn road legal in the UK? Would it pass an MOT? Thanks.
I’m not sure why it wouldn’t be although untested as the bike is less than 3 years old. I think the only horn issue in the uk are the ones that play tunes??? This one would likely be quieter than a truck one for example and is single tone
Great video - appreciate the detail. Where did you tie the trigger wire for the lights?
Hi Rick. The lights are all controlled by the dedicated Denali CanSmart unit. Expensive but zero wire tapping and highly programmable
Ok that explains things. FYI, after some further research, I discovered that you can tap the signal wire into the 7.5 amp fuse circuit right under the seat. I used the Denali positap that came with the light kit and works fine.
Rick McLeod perfect. I have a mate that maybe useful for. Thanks 👍🏻
Thanks for this great video Nick.
Why aren’t you using the Denali canbus?
Hi Kevin. If you mean the Denali CanSmart? I am. They are made by Hex Industries and branded for Denali. The Gen 1 CanSmart has Hex EzyCan on the reverse. Not checked on the Gen 2 I now have 👍🏻
hi Nick. This is zunaid from South Africa again. Nick the only company I can get hold off that can arrange delivery to South Africa, via Airfreight is call Denali UK.
obviously I have to make the payment first, etc... Just wanted to find out if you heard of them, and if they trustworthy with regard to delivery etc.
thanks bud
Zunaid, sorry this is late, somehow this reply went under the radar. Denalishop.co.uk look OK, is that who you mean? Let me know if you're still stuck
@@nickhodgeUK I just ordered it today via a supplier in south Africa. I wanted to deal directly with Denali UK (yes that's the correct company, btw), but because I had not hear back from someone that could back them up, I ordered via a local company.
it cost me double than what it would have costed if I had dealt directly with Denali uk.
they ended up charging me 1050 pounds.
I was too scared to pay Denali uk upfrionth without some sort of reference.
ag anyway, that's life I guess.
thanks anyway for the reply.
Ughh!!! All I can say is this BMW R1250GS is Bad @ss😎 I'm really digging the reviews you're giving.
2Wheel4Fun what’s bad about it?
@@nickhodgeUK Apology, Bad @ss is American slang meaning good. Bad ass as in it's an Adventure bike, Road Bike, and a Touring bike all rolled up into one neat package.
I've taken my ZX-14R and Goldwing on some very treacherous roads...although quite fun and exhilarating there not built to withstand the harshness of the outback LOL.
But the R1250GS...up the road, over the mountain, through the forest and take the off road short cut to be home by dinner LOL.
Great vid love the GTI
Thanks Arthur and welcome along
What are the total lumens for the pair? Never enough lights. The most excellent horn is an absolute must too.
Road Glide it says 8760 lumens the pair. They are each 4 x 10w Cree LEDs. With the CanSmart though you can tailor the output using the Data Dim technology in them and the BMW whizzy wheel. Although it can also be done through the CanSmart software. I have mine at 50% intensity as daylight running (the BMW LED headlight is very good too). Same on dip beam and then 100% on full beam. I have them set to ‘strobe’ on flash to pass and also strobe when horn is ‘active’. The horn does mean you can only use it in earnest.... it’s loud!
Nick Hodge
That’s an excellent amount of illumination. Much needed too. Build quality is top shelf. The horn is amazing. Way to go Matey!!
Well done and thanks for sharing.
Hey mate, thanks for the great video! I've got a question about the tank, did you empty it before you lifted it? Thanks!
Nope. No need. You only need it off the mounts to be able to thread cable. No disconnect of keyless tank filler electrics either. Just slow and steady
@@nickhodgeUK Thanks for the prompt reply!
Fantastic video many thanks
I think those brackets are for the ADV version. For the standard GS, the bar has leds dept.
Nope this is the standard GS. The GSA has steeper mounts
@@nickhodgeUK ok. Ride safe. Cheers.
Great video Nick, was that a size 20 or 25😄
Ha ha, still don't remember, actually I think I do, had to remove the battery cover the other day and it was ……..25!
Great video !!
Dan Sklenicka thanks Dan
Hi Nick. Thanks for video ! Is system working ok, 6 mnths. after installation ?
Truls. Yes it’s working really well. Changed setting on lights off when flashers on because I’m convinced people were thinking I was flashing them to pull out. Anyhow. Technically all good
Nice vid good work
Thanks Rob 👍🏻
a NON light related question.... is that an original backseat... it looks a bit more bulky than what I have seen on other pictures... I like ;o)
Martin Winnes yep it’s the original back seat. I have it in the forward position as it helps support my back. The front seat is high at front (against tank) and low at rear using the standard adjusters. It helps to ‘slide’ me back against face of rear seat. Bike is standard height
do these lights have a setting that allows constant modulation (strobe)?
Vaporflux not constant no. They have ‘strobe on flash to pass’ (three pulls on flasher switch) and ‘strobe on horn press’. All controlled through settings in the SmartCan (Ezycan)
@@nickhodgeUK thanks for clarification. I'm looking for a solution that allows for constant strobe of auxiliary lights. Any recommendations?
@@RoamingWithRobert I'm sorry I don't know of any. The light are capable, but it's not a feature of the controller. I would suspect it's a controller you need to look at rather than the lights???
@@nickhodgeUK ok thanks for advice
Would that Horne fit the tiger 1200 2018?
Kanguro Salvadoreño the Horn is universal. The bracket is Bike Specific so yes the horn will fit your bike
Which brackets you use for lights ?
kamal bhola here’s the link where I bought them www.nippynormans.com/denali/denali-spotlight-mount-bracket-for-r1200gs-lc-2013-to-2018-r1250gs
Nick Hodge thank you so much
Perfect.
Please get a microphone, I would rather have to turn you down than not be able to hear you, other than that a well done video.
Sounds like £670 no chance!
Flatcap007 yep. Just about spot on. It does depend on what you want I guess? If you want to operate things without additional switches/relays but still be able to do ‘smart’ things then the CanSmart/EzyCan is a must. The quality of the units too is without doubt. Unfortunately there’s little cheap with motorcycles and nothing cheap with BMW 😂
looking at the responses go get a pair and get on with it, not excatly rocket science