HEX ezCAN Installation Guide

HEX ezCAN PURE and generic input harness

This is a step-by-step guide to installing the HEX ezCAN PURE, and its generic input harness, on any compatible motorcycle.
As an alternative to reading this section, you can watch the video below for general instructions on how to install the HEX ezCAN PURE and its included generic input harness.

If you would like to see an installation case study of a HEX ezCAN PURE, its generic input harness, and typical accessories instead, click here.

HEX ezCAN PURE packaging:

What's in the Box

HEX ezCAN installation kit contents:

1x HEX ezCAN PURE device (Impact-absorbent grey/black body, white 6-pin JWPF connector)
1x generic control input harness kit, including:
- 1x 1.8m 6-wire generic control input harness with input wires for Ignition, High beam, Horn, Left & Right turn signal, and Brake inputs
- 4m thicker protective braid
- 4m thinner protective braid
- 1x thicker, longer section of adhesive heatshrink tubing
- 4x short sections of adhesive heatshrink tubing
- 6x Posi-taps
1x USB C-to-USB C cable with included USB C-to-USB A adaptor
4x rubber blanking seals
3x power-circuit blanking plugs
20x cable ties
4x 2-wire stub connectors (Black/Orange wiring)
4x 1-wire terminal wires (Orange)

Play Video

Step 1: Things to know before you start

STEP 1:

Things to know before you start

The HEX ezCAN PURE is specifically designed for vehicles not featuring CAN-bus systems that are compatible with regular HEX ezCANs. Instead, the HEX ezCAN PURE reads 12-volt control inputs from the electrical cables supplying power to the bike’s lights, horn, and ignition power.

This page shows you how to install a HEX ezCAN PURE and its included generic input harness.
Most steps are applicable to nearly all motorcycles. Only the input harness tap points, and routes taken by wiring, may differ.

Step 2: Download, install and configure the software

STEP 2:

Download, install and configure the software

This is a good time to:

Unbox the HEX ezCAN PURE.
Decide what and how many accessories you will be installing, and their requirements. Must some accessories be connected in a specific manner and/or to specific power circuits? As an example, low-powered ‘smart’ accessories must typically be installed on the ezBUS (White) power circuit.
Read the Installing for Life section of the HEX ezCAN User Manual (downloadable from here), and evaluate your planned installation according to the guidelines in that section.
Register your HEX ezCAN PURE (All you need to do to register the ezCAN PURE is connect it to your computer using the supplied USB cable, meaning you can do it at the comfort of your desk.)

Step 3: Gather your tools

STEP 3:

Gather your tools

As well as the tools you will need to remove and re-install all components necessary to access input tap points, you will need the following:

An electronic multimeter capable of readings on the 20 VDC scale.
Side-cutters or sidecutting pliers.
A focused heat source, such as a heat gun. A cigarette lighter will also work.
Your vehicle’s electrical circuit diagrams (optional).

Step 4: Locate your vehicle's battery

STEP 4:

Locate your vehicle's battery

The HEX ezCAN PURE’s power wires are long enough to give you a generous margin during installation.

As a general rule, the location of the vehicle’s battery will determine where you install the HEX ezCAN PURE. Remember that while the location of the battery cannot be changed, the location of the HEX ezCAN PURE can be.

With the location of the battery in mind, find an optimal place to install the HEX ezCAN PURE. This should be a place on the vehicle where the HEX ezCAN PURE’s:

Main fuse can easily be reached, and the status LED can be easily seen.
Main body is protected from overheating, crushing, impacts, abrasion, vibration, and water spray.
Wiring is kept well clear of moving components (such as fork stanchions, steering triple clamps and swingarms), and is not in danger of being cut, abraded or overheated.

Step 5: Determine the control signals

STEP 5:

Determine the control signals

IMPORTANT: Only follow the instructions in this section if you intend to use the generic input harness supplied with the HEX ezCAN PURE.
If you intend to use an optional plug-&-play input harness for your specific model instead, click here for installation instructions.

If you have the vehicle’s electrical circuit diagrams, refer to them before installing the input harness. Doing so will make locating the correct control input tap points much easier. Circuit diagrams are usually included in the manufacturer’s workshop manual for the vehicle. Alternatively, you can find the circuit diagrams in the relevant Haynes workshop manual or Clymer workshop manual for the vehicle.

CAUTION: If your vehicle has a fuel-injection system, do not tap into the fuel-injection system’s sensor wiring. Doing so could cause the fuel-injection system to malfunction.

Before connecting any input harness wires to the vehicle’s wiring, use a multimeter set to the 20 VDC scale to verify that the vehicle circuit you want to tap behaves only in a way that is expected. Our recommendation is to locate signal sources for all six control signals, and connect to them. Ignition is the HEX ezCAN PURE’s only compulsory signal input, and any or all other signal inputs can be used as needed. Howver, even if you don’t need all the inputs right away, connecting to all six will make it easier to add functions and outputs later.

In all cases below, you will connect the relevant wire on the HEX ezCAN’s generic input harness to the positive wire on the relevant vehicle circuit.

1. Identify the Ignition signal source

Keep in mind that without an ignition signal, the HEX ezCAN PURE cannot be activated.
There are a number of ways to connect to an ignition signal:

The vehicle’s headlight connector normally has a voltage signal that is approximately equal to Battery voltage when the ignition is switched on. Keep in mind that there may be more than one ignition signal. If so, one of them may be switched through the vehicle’s headlight relay, meaning power to it may be shut off whenever the engine is started.
Another suitable place to source an ignition signal is from the vehicle’s rear running/brake light. On most modern vehicles, the rear running light always goes on when the ignition is switched on.

2. Identify the High beam signal source

To do this, trace wires back from the headlight’s high beam source.
Most high beam signals will change from 0V to approximately battery voltage when the high beam is active. However, note the following exceptions:

High beam voltage may change from a higher value to around 0V when the high beam is active, and/or
The difference between the high beam’s off-state voltage and on-state voltage may be less than 12 volts.

3. Identify the Brake signal source

To do this, trace wires back from the tail/brake light’s brake light source.

4. Identify the Turn signal sources

Identify the Turn signal sources for both left and right.
On vehicles with turn signals, there are options at the front and rear of the vehicle.

5. Identify the Horn signal source

Do this as follows:

Touch your multimeter’s negative (black) probe to the Battery negative terminal.
Touch the positive (red) probe to one horn terminal, then the other horn terminal, while pressing the horn button.
The wire to which you should connect the HORN input wire will be connected to the horn terminal whose voltage changes whenever the Horn is active. Note that the voltage change could be from approximately 0V to approximately battery voltage, or from approximately battery voltage to approximately 0V.

Note: Some horns only have one wire, with the horn grounding/earthing at its mounting point. In these cases, connect the HORN input wire on the generic input harness to the vehicle’s horn power wire.

Step 6: Assemble the included generic input harness

STEP 6:

Assemble the included generic input harness

IMPORTANT: Only follow the instructions in this section if you intend to use the generic input harness supplied with the HEX ezCAN PURE.
If you intend to use an optional plug-&-play input harness for your specific model instead, click here for installation instructions.

To see a video on how to assemble the generic input harness included in the HEX ezCAN PURE kit, play the video below.

Step 7: Posi-Tap the input wires to the vehicle wires

STEP 7:

Posi-Tap the input wires to the vehicle wires

IMPORTANT: Only follow the instructions in this section if you intend to use the generic input harness supplied with the HEX ezCAN PURE.
If you intend to use an optional plug-&-play input harness for your specific model instead, click here for installation instructions.

1. Connect each wire of the generic input harness to your chosen points on the vehicle’s wiring, using the Posi-taps included in the kit.
To see a video on how to use Posi-taps, click Play below.

2. Connect the input harness to the HEX ezCAN PURE’s 6-pin JWPF connector.

Step 8: Connecting intelligent HEX controllers

STEP 8:

Connecting intelligent HEX controllers

If you will not be connecting an intelligent controller made by HEX (such as an ezSWITCH) to the HEX ezCAN PURE, prevent dirt and water from entering the 3-pin JWPF connector by sealing the end of the connector with electrical insulation tape (right).

Step 9: Connect the HEX ezCAN PURE to the vehicle's battery

STEP 9:

Connect the HEX ezCAN PURE to the vehicle's battery

Make sure all wiring is routed safely and securely, in a way that does not allow it to chafe or pinch. Where needed, secure all wiring to frame tubes or other components using the cable ties supplied with the HEX ezCAN installation kit.

WARNING: For safety reasons, always disconnect the negative battery terminal first, and re-connect it last.

Disconnect the negative wiring harness terminal from the negative battery pole.
Disconnect the positive wiring harness terminal from the positive battery pole.
If needed, open the rubber lid of the HEX ezCAN PURE’s main fuse housing, and temporarily remove the fuse. This will make it easier to route the power cables and fuse housing through any tight spaces.
Route both HEX ezCAN power supply cables toward the battery from the ezCAN’s main body.
Connect the terminal on the orange ezCAN power cable, along with the bike’s positive wiring harness terminal, to the positive battery pole. Do not fasten the terminal at this time.
Connect the terminal on the brown ezCAN power cable, along with the bike’s negative wiring harness terminal, to the negative battery pole. Do not fasten the terminal at this time.
If the HEX ezCAN’s main fuse was removed from the fuse holder, re-install the fuse and close the rubber lid of the fuse housing.
Make sure both the battery cables are optimally positioned for final fitment.
Tighten the negative and positive battery terminals.
Starting at the location of the battery, secure the ezCAN’s battery cables using cable ties.
Secure the remaining length of the ezCAN battery cables using cable ties, following the battery cables back toward the main body of the HEX ezCAN PURE.

Note: The HEX ezCAN PURE’s status LED should be solid green for approximately a minute after connection to the battery. After this time, the HEX ezCAN PURE enters Sleep Mode, and there will be no LED activity until the vehicle’s ignition is switched ON.

Step 10: Connect the accessories, using the colour coding

STEP 10:

Connect the accessories, using the colour coding

The HEX ezCAN installation kit includes four two-wire stub connectors with male connection terminals, orange power wires and black ground wires.

The following parts are also included:

4x pulse-width modulation (PWM) terminal wires (orange with white tracer)
4x rubber blanking seals

If the accessory to be connected to a power circuit has three wires, convert a two-wire stub connector to a three-wire connector as shown in the Connecting 3-wire LED lights section of the HEX ezCAN User Manual (downloadable from here).

If the accessory to be connected to a power circuit has two wires, seal the stub connector’s empty terminal cavity as shown in the Connecting 2-wire accessories section of the HEX ezCAN User Manual.

If any of the HEX ezCAN’s power circuits will not be used, we recommend that you connect a blanking plug to the output plug of each unused circuit.

2-wire applications: insert a blanking seal.
3-wire applications: insert a PWM terminal wire.

Connect the male terminal of each stub connector to the relevant female HEX ezCAN power circuit connector (below).

Connecting a 2-wire accessory to a HEX ezCAN stub connector:

Connect the accessory’s ground/Earth wire (this is usually, but not always black or brown) to the ground wire of a HEX ezCAN stub connector.
Connect the accessory’s power wire (this is usually, but not always red) to the 12V power wire of a HEX ezCAN stub connector.

Connecting a 3-wire accessory to a HEX ezCAN stub connector:

Connect the accessory’s ground/Earth wire and power wire as described above.
Connect the accessory’s PWM control wire to the dual-colour (solid colour+tracer) wire of a HEX ezCAN stub connector.

Connecting low-power smart accessories to a power circuit:

If you are installing ‘smart’ accessories (that is, low-power accessories capable of intelligent input and control through the HEX ezCAN’s LIN bus), note the following:

Smart accessories (including the HEX ezSWITCH) must only be connected to the HEX ezCAN’s ezBUS (white) power circuit. Smart accessories will not work if connected to the red, yellow or blue circuits.
The ezBUS (white) power circuit can accommodate any number of individual accessories, to a maximum of fifteen.
A selection of HEX ezBUS adaptors and connectors is available, allowing you to connect smart accessories quickly and easily. See the ezBUS Accessories section of the HEX Innovate online store for details.

Read the HEX ezBUS and Configuring HEX ezBUS functionality sections of the HEX ezCAN user manual (downloadable from here) for detailed information on how to use ezBUS functionality.

IMPORTANT: if the white circuit is set to ezBUS mode, its fuse trip limit is set to 15 Amps by default. If needed, the ezBUS PWR function can be used to increase the white circuit’s current capacity to a maximum of 30 Amps in ezBUS mode. See the relevant section of the HEX ezCAN User Manual (downloadable from here) for details.

IMPORTANT: If the accessory stub connectors included in your HEX ezCAN installation kit do not have orange power wires, but instead have colours that match the colouring of the ezCAN power circuits (as seen below), always connect like-to-like (red stub connector to red power circuit, blue stub connector to blue power circuit, and so on.)

EASIER INSTALLATION WITH THE HEX ezCAN EXTENSION KIT

The HEX ezCAN Extension Kit contains everything you need to connect front auxiliary lights, rear accessory lights and a horn to the HEX ezCAN. It also includes additional connectors that allow you to connect other accessories.

You can purchase the Extension Cable Kit here.

HEX ezCAN Extension Kit Contents

2x 1.5m 3-core extension cables (typically used for 2-wire or 3-wire front auxiliary lights)
1x 0.5m 3-core extension cable (typically used for a rear running/brake light)
1x 1.5m 2-core extension cable, with spade connectors (typically used to connect air horns or other 2-wire accessories)
3x female MT-3 connectors, including terminal pins and terminal seals
5x male MT-3 connector kit, including terminal pins and terminal seals
5x rubber blanking seals (used in cases where only two terminals are used in a 3-wire MT-3 connector)
6x 20mm sections of adhesive-lined heat-shrink tubing
2x 6.3mm female spade connector terminals
1m cable sheathing

Step 11: Good housekeeping

STEP 11:

Good housekeeping

Tidy the input harness, accessory wiring and battery cable routing, making sure you have easy access to the four power circuit plugs.

Secure all loose cables using the cable ties included in the HEX ezCAN installation kit.

Step 12: Complete the installation

STEP 12:

Complete the installation

Complete the HEX ezCAN installation as follows:

Make sure the main body of the HEX ezCAN is well-secured in a place where it is protected from pressure, heat and impact.
Make sure all factory, HEX ezCAN and accessory cables and wiring harnesses are well clear of all moving parts, and securely fastened. Where needed, use the cable ties included in the HEX ezCAN installation kit.
Replace all motorcycle components and fasteners that may have been removed for the sake of the HEX ezCAN installation.
Inspect the complete installation for mistakes or problems, and fix all problems that you have noted.
Download the HEX ezCAN user manual from this page. Keep the manual in a safe place on your computer or phone: it contains all the information you need to operate the HEX ezCAN and adjust its functionality.

Step 13: Adjust input values and do configuration

STEP 13:

Adjust input values and do configuration

To be able to operate the HEX ezCAN PURE and connected accessories in the way you want to, you must now adjust the input circuit parameters, and device configuration settings.

To learn how to do this, see the HEX ezCAN PURE Device Configuration page.

Step 14: Test the installation

STEP 14:

Test the installation

WARNING: Test and check your installations and accessories in a safe, controlled environment before first use. Caution is advised at all times. Extra vigilance is needed when testing new features or accessories. You do so at your own risk.

DISCLAIMER: HEX Innovate is not liable for any injury or damage, howsoever caused, and all products and services are used at your own risk.

Before finalizing the HEX ezCAN PURE installation, or re-installing any components you may have removed, it is important that you test all newly installed accessories for satisfactory fitment and correct operation.

Many HEX ezCAN PURE-powered accessories can be tested by switching the ignition ON and operating the relevant controls. Exceptions include accessories for which you have enabled the Only on when engine running feature (examples may include Aux 1 lights, Aux 2 lights, MotoLights, and heated clothing). To test these functions, the bike’s engine must be running.