HEX ezCAN Installation Guide

HEX ezCAN F800 for BMW motorcycles

This is a step-by-step guide to installing the HEX ezCAN F800 (Generation I and Generation II) on compatible BMW motorcycles.

IMPORTANT:

This installation guide is only applicable to the BMW motorcycle models listed below.
If you are purchasing a HEX ezCAN for, or installing a HEX ezCAN on a BMW that is not in the model list below, refer to the HEX ezCAN for BMW Installation Guides main page for the model on which you want to install a HEX ezCAN. 

The HEX ezCAN F800 is compatible with F800GS and F800GS Adventure models manufactured between 2008 and 2017. The HEX ezCAN F800 is not compatible with F800GS models manufactured from 2023 onward (model code K80). If you want to purchase a HEX ezCAN for a K80 F800GS, visit the HEX ezCAN K1600 for BMW Bikes purchase page.

HEX ezCAN F800 for BMW motorcycles packaging (from June 2024 onward):

The following bikes are supported:

  • F700GS (2012-2017, model code K70)
  • F800S (2006-2011, model code K71)
  • F800ST (2006-2013, model code K71)
  • F800GT (2012-2019, model code K71)
  • Twin-cylinder F650GS (2007-2013, model code K72)
  • F800GS (2008-2018, model code K72)
  • F800R (2009-2019, model code K73)
  • F800GS Adventure (2013-2017, model code K75)
  • K1300S (2008-2016, model code K40)
  • K1300GT (2008-2012, model code K44)

HEX ezCAN installation kit contents:

  • 1x HEX ezCAN device (Black body, BMW DWA connector)
  • 1x MicroUSB-to-USB C cable with included USB C-to-USB A adaptor
  • 20x cable ties
  • 4x 2-wire stub connectors (Black/Orange wiring)
  • 4x 1-wire terminal wires (Orange)
  • 4x rubber blanking seals
  • 3x power-circuit blanking plugs

HEX ezCAN F800 for BMW motorcycles packaging (prior to June 2024):

The following bikes are supported:

  • F700GS (2012-2017, model code K70)
  • F800S (2006-2011, model code K71)
  • F800ST (2006-2013, model code K71)
  • F800GT (2012-2019, model code K71)
  • Twin-cylinder F650GS (2007-2013, model code K72)
  • F800GS (2008-2018, model code K72)
  • F800R (2009-2019, model code K73)
  • F800GS Adventure (2013-2017, model code K75)
  • K1300S (2008-2016, model code K40)
  • K1300GT (2008-2012, model code K44)

HEX ezCAN installation kit contents:

  • 1x HEX ezCAN device (Silver body, BMW DWA connector)
  • 1x MicroUSB-to-USB A cable
  • 2x Velcro strips
  • 4x rubber blanking seals
  • 2x power-circuit blanking plugs
  • 4x cable ties
  • 4x 2-wire stub connectors (Black/Orange wiring)
  • 4x 1-terminal wires (Orange)

IMPORTANT: Generation I HEX ezCANs are no longer in production. All HEX ezCANs currently in production are Generation II.

Generation l 3-wire HEX ezCAN (55mm / 2,2″ silver main body; white packaging carton):

Generation l 2-wire HEX ezCAN (55mm / 2,2″ black main body; white packaging carton):

Step 1

Download, Install & Configure the Software

This is a good time to:

  • Unbox the HEX ezCAN.
  • 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 (All you need to do to register the ezCAN is connect it to your computer using the supplied USB cable, meaning you can do it at the comfort of your desk.)

Step 2

Locate the DWA Connector, Battery and Horn

On all twin-cylinder BMW F650GS, F700GS, and F800 models, the HEX ezCAN is controlled through the bike’s factory DWA (anti-theft alarm system) connector, whether or not the bike is equipped with the factory BMW anti-theft alarm system.

Twin-cylinder BMW F650GS, F700GS, and F800 models have a number of important differences in terms of component placement and disassembly/re-assembly procedure.
Always follow the instructions in the drop-down for the correct model below.

Needed tools:

  • T25 and T30 Torx drivers


Step 1: Locate the DWA connector

  1. Remove the one-piece seat.
  2. The DWA connector is located in the compartment behind the seat, in front of the tail light (below).

Depending on whether your bike has DWA (the factory BMW anti-theft alarm system), the DWA connector will be seen in one of two configurations:

  • If your motorcycle has the BMW DWA system: The DWA connector will be plugged into the DWA module.
  • If your motorcycle does not have the BMW DWA system: A resistor plug will be connected to the DWA connector (below).
 

Step 2: Locate the vehicle battery

  1. Remove the one-piece seat.
  2. Remove the upper centre trim panel in front of the seat.

3. The battery is located in a recessed compartment above the engine airbox (above).

Step 3: Locate the horn

The factory horn is located between the front forks, under the lower triple clamp (above).

To reach the factory horn connector:

  1. Remove the upper centre trim panel in front of the seat.
  2. Remove the left-side front trim panel covering the left side of the radiator (above).

Step 1: Locate the DWA connector

1. Remove the seat.

2. The DWA connector is located inboard of the fuel filler cap (above).

Depending on whether your bike has DWA (the factory BMW anti-theft alarm), RDC (the factory BMW tyre-pressure monitoring system), or does not have either system, the DWA connector will be in one of two configurations:

  • If your motorcycle has the BMW DWA and/or RDC systems: The DWA connector will be plugged into the DWA module.
  • If your motorcycle does not have the BMW DWA and/or RDC systems: A resistor plug will be connected to the DWA connector (above).


Step 2: Locate the vehicle battery

  1. Remove the one-piece seat.
  2. Remove the upper centre trim panel in front of the seat.
  3. The battery is located in a recessed compartment above the engine airbox (below).

Step 3: Locate the horn

The factory horn is located under the left front main trim panel, next to the left fork leg. The horn can be reached from the bottom edge of the trim panel (below).

Step 3

Plug the HEX ezCAN into the Bike's CAN-BUS

IMPORTANT: Do not connect the HEX ezCAN’s CAN-bus connector to any part of the motorcycle other than the anti-theft alarm (DWA) connector. If you do, the ezCAN will not function.

On twin-cylinder F650GS, F700GS, F800GS and F800GS Adventure models, it is generally advisable to install the main body of the HEX ezCAN in the compartment behind the seat, in front of the tail light.

F800S, F800ST, F800GT and F800R models have slightly more underseat space. On these bikes, it is generally advisable to install the main body of the HEX ezCAN in the general region of the factory DWA connector.

Ensure that all HEX ezCAN 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.

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Depending on whether your bike has DWA (the factory BMW anti-theft alarm), RDC (the factory BMW tyre-pressure monitoring system), or does not have either system, the DWA connector will be in one of two configurations:

If your motorcycle has the BMW DWA and/or RDC systems: The DWA connector will be plugged into the RDC or RDC+DWA module.

  1. Connect the male HEX ezCAN CAN-bus connector to the female BMW DWA connector.
  2. Connect the female HEX ezCAN CAN-bus connector to the BMW DWA module.


If your motorcycle does not have the BMW DWA and/or RDC systems:
 A resistor plug will be connected to the DWA connector.

  1. Connect the male HEX ezCAN CAN-bus connector to the female BMW DWA connector.
  2. Connect the BMW resistor plug to the female HEX ezCAN CAN-bus connector.

Step 4

Connect the HEX ezCAN to the Bike's Battery

HEX ezCAN cable routing may depend on a number of factors, including your personal preference.

Ensure that the 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. 

  1. Start the installation by locating the main body of the HEX ezCAN in a place that allows straightforward, logical wiring runs.
  2. Disconnect the negative wiring harness terminal from the negative battery pole.
  3. Disconnect the positive wiring harness terminal from the positive battery pole.
  4. Connect the terminal on the orange ezCAN power cable, and the bike’s positive wiring harness terminal, to the positive battery pole.
  5. Connect the terminal on the brown ezCAN power cable, and the bike’s negative wiring harness terminal, to the negative battery pole.
  6. Tidy the CAN-bus and battery cable routing. Secure all loose cables using the cable ties included in the HEX ezCAN installation kit, making sure you have easy access to the four power circuit plugs.

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

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HEX ezCAN Power supply cables

Step 5

Connect the Horn Trigger Wire (optional)

Only complete this step if you intend to do one or both of the following:

  • Power an auxiliary horn using one of the HEX ezCAN power circuits
  • Configure front auxiliary lights to strobe on horn activation


The CAN-bus on BMW F800 models does not include a horn trigger signal. To be able to activate an accessory horn when the horn button is pressed, a separate horn trigger input to the HEX ezCAN is needed.

Enabling Accessory Horn Triggering

1. Locate the factory BMW horn on your bike (See Step 2 above).

2. Familiarise yourself with the green horn trigger lead included in the HEX ezCAN installation kit (below):

  • The male single-pin plug (1) connects to the single-pin female terminal leading from the main body of the HEX ezCAN.
  • The female two-pin plug (2) connects to the factory BMW horn.
  • The male two-pin plug (3) connects to the factory BMW horn harness plug.

3. Disconnect the BMW horn harness plug from the factory horn (below).

4. Connect the horn trigger lead’s female two-pin plug to the standard BMW horn (below).

5. Connect the HEX ezCAN horn trigger lead’s male two-pin plug to the horn connection on the BMW wiring harness.

6. Connect the horn trigger lead’s male single-pin plug to the single-pin female terminal leading from the main body of the HEX ezCAN (below).

7. If you want to install an accessory horn, connect the accessory horn to a two-pin HEX ezCAN stub connector (see Step 6). The stub connector will be plugged into an ezCAN power circuit of your choice.

8. If the factory horn and/or accessory horn do not work when the bike’s horn button is pressed, see Testing the horn connection below.

Testing the Horn Connection

If the factory horn and/or the accessory horn do not work when the bike’s horn button is pressed, diagnose the horn circuit by doing the steps that follow:

1. Connect the HEX ezCAN to your computer.

2. Launch the HEX ezCAN configuration software.

3.Switch the motorcycle’s ignition ON.

4.Click the hamburger icon in the upper right corner of the HEX ezCAN Configuration Tool (below), then click Diagnostics.

  • The Diagnostics window will be shown.

5. Read the Horn Input Voltage value (below). If the HEX ezCAN horn trigger circuit is working correctly, the value should be at or near 0V when the horn is inactive, and approximately 12V when the horn is active.

Step 5

Connect the Accessories, using 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.

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2-wire applications: insert a blanking seal. 3-wire applications: insert a PWM terminal wire.
4 x Terminal wires and Blanking seals
4 x Two Wire Stub Connectors

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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:

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

Connecting low-power smart accessories to a HEX ezCAN stub connector:

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.

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:

  1. 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.
  2. The ezBUS (white) power circuit can accommodate any odd or even number of individual accessories, to a maximum of fifteen.
  3. 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.

Note that if the white circuit is set to ezBUS mode, its fuse trip limit is set to 15 Amps by default. If needed, ezBUS PWR functionality 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 for details.

IMPORTANT: If the 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 HEX 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.

The HEX ezCAN Extension Kit
  • 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
Adhesive lined heat shrink & 1m sheathing
Front auxiliary lights extensions
Horn extension
Brake/Accessory extension

Step 7

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 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-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.
  • Some brake light functions require that the bike be moving at or above a certain speed. As examples, Flash on Emergency Stop and Flash on Rapid Engine Braking functions require deceleration of more than 21 Kilometres per hour per second.

Step 8

Complete the Installation

Complete the HEX ezCAN installation as follows:

  1. Make sure the main body of the HEX ezCAN is well-secured in a place where it is protected from pressure, heat and impact.
  2. Make sure all factory, 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.
  3. Replace all motorcycle components and fasteners that may have been removed to facilitate the ezCAN installation.
  4. Inspect the complete installation for mistakes or problems, and fix all problems that you have noted.
  5. Test all new accessories for correct operation a second time.
  6. If you have not already done so, download the HEX ezCAN user manual from this page. Keep the manual in a safe place on your computer, tablet or phone: it contains all the information you need to operate the HEX ezCAN and adjust its functionality.

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