If you’ve spent any time around BMW motorcycles, you’ll know they’re a curious blend of engineering brilliance and “why on earth did they do that?” design decisions.
Happily, fitting the Hex EZCan to the BMW R1250RS falls firmly into the former category. In fact, it’s one of the easiest bits of electrical tinkering we’ve done on a modern bike, and that’s saying something given our long and decorated history of misunderstanding wiring diagrams.
There are no wires to splice; it is all plug ‘n ’ play, although we did have one curiosity with TPMS, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
The first pleasant surprise comes when you meet the battery. BMW, in a rare moment of generosity, has placed the positive terminal on a neat little external connector outside the battery box, although I’m sure that BMW refers to it as the “Fahrzeug‑Bordnetz‑Akkumulator‑Unterbringungsmodul” or something similar.
No swearing, no scraped knuckles. You simply remove the panel on the right-hand side, and there it is: a bright red terminal practically waving at you. The negative still goes on the normal battery post, but that isn’t buried deep in the bowels of the Beemer.
Connecting the Hex EZCan’s power leads feels less like motorcycle maintenance and more like plugging in a toaster. If only all manufacturers could take note.
Once powered, the rest of the installation is almost insultingly straightforward. The Hex EZCan unit itself tucks neatly under the seat, and the R1250RS provides enough space to route the cables without resorting to the traditional “stuff it in and hope” technique.
The Hex EzCan connectors are all clearly labelled, colour‑coded, and designed for people who occasionally forget which end of a screwdriver to hold.
Even we, two self‑confessed luddites who still think fuel injection is just another name for carburettors, managed to get everything connected without blowing a fuse or releasing the smoke that is held in every electrical wire just waiting to escape.
No TPMS
There is, however, one small wrinkle for those of us running an RS without TPMS.
The documentation is wonderfully clear if you have a TPMS system fitted to your BMW. In keeping with the theme of liking things we can understand, our R1250RS is the base model without any of the fancy electronics.
If you don’t have TPMS, you’ll find that the plug you need for the Hex EZCan’s CAN‑bus connection is tucked a little deeper into the loom and doesn’t make itself as easy to find as the TPMS connector does.
It requires a moment of rummaging and a brief pause to question your life choices, but once located, it clicks together with the EZCan as cleanly as everything else. Owners with TPMS will wonder what the fuss is about; owners without it will feel quietly proud of their minor archaeological achievement.
Tight Fit
With the Hex EZCan unit installed, with room to spare under the seat, we turned our attention to routing the GPS wiring. The R1250RS, being a semi‑faired sports‑tourer, offers a surprisingly civilised path under the left‑hand trim panels. It is a little tight, and the path wanders about, but there is a wonderful groove in the fuel tank you can use to run the wire from the top to the bottom.
Remove the panels, and the BMW-engraved Allen bolts [Fancy ~ Ed] with care. The panels are tabbed and easily broken if you try to remove them the wrong way, and a few of the Allen bolts are different lengths.
We followed this line all the way to the cockpit, securing the cable as we went, and discovered a perfect little nook just under where the rider’s left knee rests, to Velcro the 12‑volt‑to‑USB converter.
Hex EZCan Programming
Once everything was physically installed, we reached the stage that separates the brave from the bewildered: programming the Hex EZCan.
Now, let’s be clear—this is not difficult. It is, however, slightly less intuitive than the installation itself. The software presents you with options, sliders, and diagrams that make perfect sense once you’ve clicked around for a few minutes, but the first glance may cause a momentary tightening of the chest.
We approached it with the same confidence we apply to assembling flat‑pack furniture: optimistic, clueless, and ready to blame the manufacturer.
To our surprise, we got it working. We set the GPS power output to turn on and off with the ignition, then got fancy and added a Keis heated-clothing connection to the same channel.
We originally added the Keis connector to the heated grips channel of the Hex EZCan, but it pulses depending on the temperature setting you select.
The Hex EZCan responded politely to every command, and once we understood the interface’s logic, it became almost enjoyable. If two motorcycle journalists who still occasionally forget their laptop passwords can configure it, then absolutely anyone can. It’s not witchcraft; it just looks like it for the first ten minutes.
Bottom Line
The end result is a beautifully integrated setup. The GPS powers up and down cleanly, as does the heated kit. The wiring is hidden away like a secret known only to us and the bike, and the Hex EZCan sits quietly under the seat, doing its job without complaint.
There’s something deeply satisfying about a modification that feels OEM, and this one genuinely does. No dangling wires, no bodged connectors, no electrical tape holding back the tide of chaos. Just a neat, tidy, functional upgrade that makes the RS even more capable.
We approached this job with our usual blend of excessive enthusiasm and mild dread. Yet the Hex EZCan installation turned out to be one of the least stressful afternoons we’ve had in the garage.
BMW’s thoughtful battery access, the RS’s generous cable routing, and Hex’s clever design all combine to create a system that even the electrically challenged can install with confidence.
If you’re considering adding accessories to your R1250RS—GPS, lights, horns, or anything else that needs power—the Hex EZCan is absolutely worth the effort.
And by “effort,” we mean an hour of gentle tinkering, a mug of tea, and the smug satisfaction of knowing you’ve improved your bike without once consulting a dealer or sacrificing your sanity.
And having plugged in the GS-911 (more on that another day), we haven’t created any error codes either. Result!
