Adding an auxiliary input to the radio on a Honda Goldwing GL1500
After studying this modification on various websites this is how I decided to do it. You do not
have to be an electronics expert to do this, just be reasonably proficient using a soldering iron.
This method does not involve any de-soldering and no relays or switches will need to be
added.
If you are not comfortable with soldering delicate wires, you might want to try some other
method to add the auxiliary input to your Honda radio, such as an FM modulator, cassette
adapter, or even a professional installation.
To complete the project I purchased a 3 meter stereo cable with RCA male plugs on one end
and RCA female sockets on the other. Very cheap off Ebay.
The reason I chose this will become more apparent as we work through the project. I also
purchased a 3.5mm stereo in-line socket.
Firstly remove the radio from the bike. Very straightforward as detailed in the Honda Goldwing
manual, but just to give you an idea: remove the seat, open the fuel filler flap and remove the
two 10mm nuts, release the two white plastic tension levers, remove the two plastic tunnel
fillers from under the handlebars and then the whole console can be removed from the bike.
The job can be done without removing the radio from the console, but to make life a little
easier, I decided to remove the radio unit, removed the cover from the back of the radio and
then removed the board from the radio. This link has details on removing the board from the
radio: http://www.goldwingdocs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=935
Locate capacitors C139 and C140. Shown on the above image.
Turn the board over and locate the solder points of capacitors C139 and C140. My board was
slightly different than the board on the aforementioned website but, using ‘A’ shown on the
image below has a reference point; I worked my way across the board from left to the right to
locate them without any difficulty whatsoever.
I then cut the RCA cable about 10 – 12 inches from the end where the female sockets are
fitted, then soldered the red wire (right channel), white wire (left channel) and, in my case, two
green wires (ground) at the points shown on the image below.
As there wasn’t an exit point for the new cable I made a small hole, using a small round file, in
the side of the unit, just big enough for the cable. See image below. As an extra precaution I
cut a small rubber grommet in half and glued it into the hole to prevent the cable from fraying.
Re-install the board, ensuring all connections are made, and then route the new cable around
the edge of the board to the exit point. My cable has small plastic stops fitted to it so I
ensured this was inside the unit on re-assembly to prevent it being pulled through. You could fit
some small cable ties (zip ties) around the cable and board if you prefer.
Re-assemble the radio unit ensuring the cable is not trapped and exits at the correct point.
You can see a small length of wire and the red and black RCA female sockets exiting the unit.
Now you can route the remaining RCA cable, with the male plugs inserted into their respective
colours, to a location of your choice.
In my case I routed mine through the front of the left side fairing storage box where I fitted
and soldered the 3.5mm in-line socket. I chose this location so that it will be reasonably
waterproof and I can now plug in any device of my choice such as an mp3 player, Sat Nav or
mobile phone and hide them under the leather top-pocket should I choose to do so.
Should I need to remove the radio in the future I can now do so without any problem
whatsoever. It’s just a matter of unplugging everything.
For the auxiliary input to work you will require a dummy cassette tape inserted into the
cassette player. A functioning cassette will work, but I made a dummy tape by dismantling an
old unwanted cassette and removing the inside parts.
When wishing to use the auxiliary input just place the dummy cassette into the tape deck, as
you would do normally, and you can now listen to your favourite music in superior quality.
When you want to listen to your cassettes, if you still have any, remove the dummy cassette
and away you go.
To create a dummy cassette undo the five screws, open it up, remove all the internal parts and
reassemble.
NOTE:
I have since discovered that on some tape decks using a dummy cassette tape without any
moving parts inside simply don’t work, and the tape icon keeps flashing. To remedy this you
could of course use a normal blank tape, but I decided to modify one so I had a continuous
loop, just like the old ‘8 track’ days – if you’re old enough remember them?
All you need to do is use the lead-in tape, removed from the cassette tape mentioned above,
feed it around the spools and guides, and then splice it together. A little bit fiddly but, in my
opinion, well worth the effort has it continuously operates without stopping.
You can clearly see the spliced lead-in tape as a complete ‘loop’ around the spools etc...
Apologies for the quality of some of these pictures, but the images should give you
an idea of the finished project.
