So you want to add a 12 volt accessory, say a GPS or a USB charger for your cell phone or Cardo or something to your G310 GS. You could just wire it straight off the battery, but then every time you turn the bike off you need to go to the accessory and turn it off manually. If not, you risk the chance of coming back to a dead bike. Alternatively, you can cut into the ignition harness and put in a relay to run all your 12v accessories, but that is going to violate your warranty and also make a huge mess.
Conveniently, BMW includes two 12v accessory plugs on most of their bikes. On most GS models it lives in the battery compartment, but since the G310R is naked in the front, BMW decided to place it behind the headlamp instead since it was easier to access for the handlebar accessories most people would be installing. Unfortunately, when they made the GS model, they didn't bother to move the accessory ports. That means that it's covered by a load of plastic on the G310GS.
No need to panic, however, the forums are greatly exaggerating how hard it is to actually get to this port and install whatever you want. You DO NOT need to remove the front beak and display surround to access this. As long as you are a bit careful, that is.
What you need:
Items:
- Metric Hex Wrench Set
- Accessory Plug Harness for a G310 GS (I bought this one on eBay. If out of stock there are several similar listings)
- Some way of attaching the accessory plug harness to your accessory
Step-By-Step Guide:
First, locate the two bolts holding the headlamp from the sides. These are right in front of the turn signals. If i remember correctly these are 6mm hex but i could be wrong on that. Either way, use a metric hex wrench to remove the bolts from both sides.
Next, you need to find the two bolts holding the headlamp in from the bottom. These are the same size as the top ones, but are somewhat awkward to remove since there is a hard plastic hose in the way. Unscrew these, and when removing be careful not to lose the grommet washers as they like to fall out.
Once all the bolts are removed, you need to remove the headlamp. This can be done by carefully bending the plastic of the headlamp surround out of the way and pulling the headlamp through. It is a very tight fit to get it out but it can come out. Just be careful not to stretch the surround too far and crack it or scratch the paint on the surround.
I find it easiest to pull it straight out, and then remove one of the side bolt holes from the surround, then pull the entire thing out sideways.
Once you have the headlamp free from the surround, you'll notice that there is a plug on the top right holding it to the bike. You can easily unplug the headlamp from the bike by pushing the top of the two buttons on the left and right side of the connector. Then just pull it straight up. It wasn't held in particularly tight on my bike.
Set the headlamp aside and let's look at the hole we just made
The ports we are looking for are connected to some dummy plugs on the top right of the headlight surround (next to where the headlamp wire runs). Remove one (or both) by pushing down on the plastic retaining clip release and pulling straight up or down.
From here, all we have to do is connect our female connector plug. Before installing it in the bike, I'd recommend connecting it to your accessory on the bench. I soldered the harness for my zumo XT gps to the harness I purchased and heat shrink'd the connection, but feel free to crimp, wire nut, whatever you think works best for automotive wiring. I know everyone tends to be opinionated on that and I won't be the one to tell you you're doing it wrong.
Once it's on the harness, just plug it to the male side of the connector on the bike and tie down your extra cables. BMW conveniently left a little square hole leading out of this compartment to the bars so you won't need to do any cutting to get your accessories' wires out. From here, just reinstall the headlamp the way it came out. Be mindful of the grommet washers on the top of the headlamp as they like to pop out when putting the headlamp back in. I found it easiest to push the bottom platform of the headlamp against them to where they start to pull out, and just pushed them down and under with my fingers through the holes next to the turn signals.
Once the headlamp is in, it will need to be adjusted according to the settings on your owners manual. That being said, I find the LED headlamps included on the 2022+ models don't actually have any adjustment whatsoever and only go in one way. From there, enjoy your accessories!
