HEX ezCAN Installation Guide

HEX ezCAN R1200 for BMW motorcycles

This is a step-by-step guide to installing the HEX ezCAN R1200 (Generation 1 and Generation 2) on air-and-oil-cooled BMW R1200 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 an ezCAN.

HEX ezCAN R1200 for BMW motorcycles packaging (from June 2024 onward):

The following bikes are supported:

R1200GS (2004-2013, model code K25)
R1200GS Adventure (2006-2014, model code K25)
R1200RT (2005-2014, model code K26)
R1200R (2006-2013, model code K27)
R1200ST (2005-2007, model code K28)
R1200S (2006-2010, model code K29)

What's in the Box

HEX ezCAN installation kit contents:

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

HEX ezCAN R1200 for BMW motorcycles packaging (prior to June 2024):

The following bikes are supported:

R1200GS (2004-2013, model code K25)
R1200GS Adventure (2006-2014, model code K25)
R1200RT (2005-2014, model code K26)
R1200R (2006-2013, model code K27)
R1200ST (2005-2007, model code K28)
R1200S (2006-2010, model code K29)

What's in the Box

HEX ezCAN installation kit contents:

1x HEX ezCAN device (Silver body, BMW male-female 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)
1x horn trigger wiring harness (green wire)

What previous HEX ezCANs looked like

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):

Gen l – 2 Wire Device: 55mm (2,2″) long Black Tube in White Packaging

Step 1: Download, Install & Configure the Software

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

Step 2

Locate the DWA Connector, Battery and Horn

On air-and-oil-cooled BMW R1200 models (K2x), the HEX ezCAN is controlled through the bike’s DWA (anti-theft alarm system) connector, whether or not the bike is equipped with an optional BMW anti-theft alarm system.

Air-and-oil-cooled BMW R1200 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.

R1200GS / R1200GS Adventure (K25)

Needed tools:

10mm wrench or socket
T25 and T30 Torx drivers

Step 1: Locate the DWA connector

Remove the front and rear seats.

- R1200GS: Remove the silver plastic upper luggage rack/grab rail above the tail light using the T25 and T30 Torx drivers.
- R1200GS Adventure: Remove the tubular steel upper luggage rack/grab rail above the tail light using the T25 and T30 Torx drivers and 10mm wrench. Take care not to lose the small aluminium spacers used to locate the luggage rack.

2. Remove the silver plastic rear seat support cowl using the T25 and T30 Torx drivers (below).

The DWA connector is located in front of the tail light (below).

Depending on whether your bike has DWA (the factory BMW anti-theft alarm) or RDC (the BMW tyre-pressure monitoring system), or does not have either system, the DWA connector will be seen 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 (a typical view is shown above).

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

Step 2: Locate the vehicle battery

Remove the rear and front seats to access the battery.

The battery is located behind and below the fuel tank (below).

Step 3: Locate the horn

The factory horn is located on the right side of the bike, next to the front suspension damper assembly. It can be reached without needing to remove the fuel tank.

Looking at the front suspension damper assembly from the front of the bike, the horn is located to the left of the damper (below).

R1200RT (K26) / R1200R (K27) / R1200ST (K28)

Step 1: Locate the DWA connector

Remove the front and rear seats.
The DWA connector is located in the compartment under the pillion seat, in front of the tail light.
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 seen 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.
- If your motorcycle does not have the BMW DWA and/or RDC systems: A resistor plug will be connected to the DWA connector.

Step 2: Locate the vehicle battery

Remove the rear and front seats.
The battery is located under the front seat.

Step 3: Locate the horn

The factory horn is located near the upper end of the front suspension damper assembly. It can be accessed from the front of the bike.

R1200S (K29)

Step 1: Locate the DWA connector

Remove the rider and pillion seats.
The DWA connector is located in the compartment under the pillion seat, in front of the tail light.
Depending on whether your bike has DWA (the factory BMW anti-theft alarm), 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.

Step 2: Locate the vehicle battery

Remove the rear and front seats.
Remove the left and right upper front side body panels.
Remove the fuel tank.
The battery is located under the fuel tank.

Step 3: Locate the horn

The factory horn is located behind the front-suspension A-arm/wishbone assembly.

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Step 3: Plug the HEX ezCAN into the Bike's CAN-BUS

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 diagnostic connector. If you do, the ezCAN will not function.

In the case of air-and-oil-cooled BMW R1200 models, it is generally advisable to install the main body of the HEX ezCAN in the owner’s manual/tool tray located behind the battery.

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.

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

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

Step 4: Connect the HEX ezCAN to the Bike's Battery

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.

Start the installation by locating the main body of the HEX ezCAN in a place that allows straightforward, logical wiring runs. We recommend installing the HEX ezCAN main body in the owner’s manual/tool tray located behind the battery, as this allows easier access for firmware updates and diagnostics.
Disconnect the negative wiring harness terminal from the negative battery pole.
Disconnect the positive wiring harness terminal from the positive battery pole.
Connect the terminal on the orange ezCAN power cable, and the bike’s positive wiring harness terminal, to the positive battery pole.
Connect the terminal on the brown ezCAN power cable, and the bike’s negative wiring harness terminal, to the negative battery pole.
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 HEX ezCAN enters Sleep Mode, and there will be no LED activity until the bike’s ignition is switched ON.

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Step 5: Connect the Horn Trigger Wire (optional)

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 air-and-oil-cooled BMW R1200 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. On most air-oil cooled R1200 models, the horn is located underneath the headlight or front fairing, near the front suspension strut.

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

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 horn trigger lead’s male two-pin plug (below) to the horn connection on the factory BMW wiring harness.

6. 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 a HEX ezCAN power circuit of your choice.

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 (red arrow, below), then click Diagnostics.

The Diagnostics window will be shown.

5. Read the Horn Input Voltage value (red arrow, below). If the HEX ezCAN’s horn trigger wire has replaced the correct (black) factory horn wire:

The value should be at or near 0V when the horn is inactive.
The value should be approximately 12V when the horn is active.

Step 6: Connect the Accessories, using Colour Coding

Step 6

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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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 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:

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 odd or even 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.

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

Step 7: Test the Installation

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

Step 8

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, 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 to facilitate the ezCAN installation.
Inspect the complete installation for mistakes or problems, and fix all problems that you have noted.
Test all new accessories for correct operation a second time.
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.