- 8 Feet Long. Voltage Converter/fuse box is in the middle, 4 feet from the connector and 4 feet from power source
I ordered two of these, one for myself and the other for my father. I also installed both of them an our bikes and they work perfectly.
As far as installation goes, I would recommend using a fuse tap (such as an add-a-circuit) from and auto parts store so that the converter box in the line doesn't drain the battery if you don't ride for a while. You may find, however that your fuse circuit is still hot because you may have relays on your fuse box, in that case, I would recommend installing a switch with the hot wire running into the fuse tap so that all you need to do is flip the switch off and the converter box will not use up your battery.
I don't think the converter box uses up that much power, but if it is directly connected to your battery (or you have the fuse tap in a hot circuit ((by hot circuit, I mean that it is getting power even with the ignition off)) ), the converter box IS using power constantly, so that is why i recommend using a switch or a fuse tap to a switched circuit (meaning a circuit that is not receiving power when the ignition is off).
Make sure you ground everything you install, or it won't work, and make sure every new line has a fuse (why i recommend the fuse tap).
You will have to ground the converter box or the setup will not work. If you use a switch with an LED indicator on it, you will also have to ground the switch if you want the LED to work, but not grounding the switch should not impact the setup's functionality as long as the converter box is grounded (speaking from logic, not experience).
If you have any question for motorcycle install, feel free to ask... I know how difficult it can be to find answers to these questions, but fortunately i found a setup that worked for me and my dad.
Buy Gilsson Direct Wire Cable for Garmin Nuvi 205 255 265 550 660 755 760 765 775 885 Magellan 1412 4210 Now
Nice cable for direct wire up of the Garmin Nuvi. The only awkward part is the fact that the step down transformer (black egg looking thing) is only 2 feet from the plug that goes into the Nuvi. That makes it hard to hide the cable from view. It has a small led to let you know that it is connected to power and that seems to draw a small amount of current even when not plugged into the Nuvi. Keep that in mind if current drain is a concern.
Read Best Reviews of Gilsson Direct Wire Cable for Garmin Nuvi 205 255 265 550 660 755 760 765 775 885 Magellan 1412 4210 Here
A note inside the packaging for this unit says the following: "Thank you for the purchase of the Gilsson Direct Wire Cable. Please be sure to test our Direct Wire Cable with your GPS to ensure it does not go into PC Charge Mode while connected to the power source. In certain ISOLATED cases of Garmin nuvi 205, 255W and 265W GPS receivers, customers have reported the PC Charge Mode issue.......". Well, my Garmin nuvi 205W displays a PC to GPS connection icon on the screen after about 30 seconds on this power converter, i.e. the map can't be displayed, making it utterly useless. If the power unit has known issues with certain GPS models they should not list those models as compatible with their product. Back to Amazon it goes.
Want Gilsson Direct Wire Cable for Garmin Nuvi 205 255 265 550 660 755 760 765 775 885 Magellan 1412 4210 Discount?
Two main problems:
1) Poor quality -The unit had a intermittent open circuit at the lower strain relief connector from the unit. If I moved the cable it would make connection but would lose connection again. I knew I'd have to fix their poor wiring for the unit to have a chance of being reliable, but it didn't matter since it was incompatible with my Nuvi 255 (see next proiblem).
2) Garmin issues -The unit comes with a little slip of paper that shows that Gilsson knowingly sells this product with a problem that it goes into PC charge mode when connected. They claim this only occurs with Nuvi 205, 255W, and 265W GPS receivers. I have a Nuvi 255 and it does have the problem, making the Gilsson unit useless. I'm glad it works for some other customers, but for me, this was a bad purchase.
I rarely post reviews unless a product is either very good or very bad. This one is in the bad category. Beware.
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Ok, so I was looking for something to power my nuvi GPS on motorcycle. Read many reviews and picked this one. It does work well. Used ties to position voltage reducer to frame under seat. Then ran striped wires end to splice into tail light. Lastly, I ran GPS plug end under tank along existing wires and tied them down. And there you have it... Riding all day with a powered GPS on a motorcycle.
