Dual Battery System

[glennis]

Hi all,

Recently acquired an 06 GSA with 7k under its belt and have so far been loving it, however on the weekend I was stranded by a flat battery

As I am planning a trip to Oz in 12 months on the bike, my confidence in the reliability of the GS took a bit of a nose dive and after reading several threads in ukGSer it seems some bikes (or batteries??) suffer from short battery life spans or batteries that just fail without warning.

As a possible solution to avoid being stranded again by a flat battery, has anyone had or heard of a dual battery system on a motorcycle like those found in 4WDs? It would also be great for powering camping lights etc.

I envisage the system working as follows:

Aux/second battery is disconnected from main battery when ignition is off.
Engine is started and aux battery is connected to main battery via a relay (or solenoid) that is energised from the head light wire (as this is only active after the engine has started). Switch bike off and relay/solenoid disconnects aux battery. Would also build a manually operated switch (to operate solenoid) that connects the aux battery to start bike if main battery fails.

My major concern is that adding a second second battery will effect the charging characteristics of the main starting battery or somehow confuse the the EMC/ZFE and not charge the battery correctly.

Does anyone have any comments on building a system like this as I am not familiar with the electrics on the GS particularly the can-bus system.

Might also just squeeze in 1 stupid question. In the interest of size and weight constraints of a second battery, could the aux battery be substantially smaller with the idea of just providing power for fuel pump, EMC etc and then push start the bike?

Cheers

 

[Slowdown]

Yea - stick another battery on the bike - Why not a 50Ah Gel battery. It's just weight and space..... Something 4x4's have lots of and bikes don't.... And read up about what 'Can Bus' actually is . It's a networking protocol, nothing more......

Still, perhaps it'll justify not carrying the Mrs

 

[Mucky Helmet]

Hi all,
my confidence in the reliability of the GS took a bit of a nose dive and after reading several threads in ukGSer it seems some bikes (or batteries??) suffer from short battery life spans or batteries that just fail without warning.

I think you're over engineering a solution for a problem that doesn't really exist. Yes, there have been GSs with battery failures and there have been bad batches of batteries. I used to have a few Triumphs that wouldn't last a cold weekend 'cos of the shite batteries in them. That was REALLY annoying!

All of the "battery issues" I've had with my 1200GSs (two of them), have been down to add ons that keep the BUS high and the ZFE powered, thereby draining the battery. Identical setups across different year bikes caused different issues, all down to different software versions on the bikes.

Since "correcting" the installation of GPS cradles and such like, I've never had a flat battery. The aux sockets are more sensitive than I'd like but that's well documented and understood on here and other forums.

IMHO, ride the bike, install any electrical add ons via a fuse panel and relay if they're likely to keep the BUS high. Maybe invest in a better quality battery for your trip.

Enjoy the bike and enjoy your trip.

 

[Pauly S]

cheap old gs

i dont know these cheap ol bikes,they dont make em like they used to.....bikes in my day had magnetos and cranking handles...and small leather bags to put yer hovis in.

 

[Navigator]

i dont know these cheap ol bikes,they dont make em like they used to.....bikes in my day had magnetos and cranking handles...and small leather bags to put yer hovis in.

My Missus is called Hovis; Is there something your not telling me????

 

[Pauly S]

My Missus is called Hovis; Is there something your not telling me????

i said a small leather bag to put your hovis in, not a small bag in leather called hovis..

 

[Thunder]

Why not replace the stock battery with an Odessey High Performence battery and fit a BAAS bike start socket?

Yes I know it's not a perfect solution but an easy upgrade compared to a dual system.

 

[Pauly S]

might wanna check the current

Why not replace the stock battery with an Odessey High Performence battery and fit a BAAS bike start socket?

Yes I know it's not a perfect solution but an easy upgrade compared to a dual system.

i dont think that socket would take a jump start, bet the 1200 draws 200 amps plus on crank, time for a meltdown me thinks..

will the old jump start clip off an 1150 fit a 1200, the one which attaches directly to the starter terminals, ive not checked a 1200 up close.Paul.

 

[EasySushi]

Hi all,

Recently acquired an 06 GSA with 7k under its belt and have so far been loving it, however on the weekend I was stranded by a flat battery

As I am planning a trip to Oz in 12 months on the bike, my confidence in the reliability of the GS took a bit of a nose dive and after reading several threads in ukGSer it seems some bikes (or batteries??) suffer from short battery life spans or batteries that just fail without warning.

As a possible solution to avoid being stranded again by a flat battery, has anyone had or heard of a dual battery system on a motorcycle like those found in 4WDs? It would also be great for powering camping lights etc.

I envisage the system working as follows:

Aux/second battery is disconnected from main battery when ignition is off.
Engine is started and aux battery is connected to main battery via a relay (or solenoid) that is energised from the head light wire (as this is only active after the engine has started). Switch bike off and relay/solenoid disconnects aux battery. Would also build a manually operated switch (to operate solenoid) that connects the aux battery to start bike if main battery fails.

My major concern is that adding a second second battery will effect the charging characteristics of the main starting battery or somehow confuse the the EMC/ZFE and not charge the battery correctly.

Does anyone have any comments on building a system like this as I am not familiar with the electrics on the GS particularly the can-bus system.

Might also just squeeze in 1 stupid question. In the interest of size and weight constraints of a second battery, could the aux battery be substantially smaller with the idea of just providing power for fuel pump, EMC etc and then push start the bike?

Cheers

No need to go to such extremes
I to have a 06 GSA with 40,000 on the clock, the stock batteries are crap swap it out for an Odyssey Batt you will have no further issues.

Also I always carry a spare fuel pump controller, ring antenna, roll up tool kit and a GS-911 for fault diagnosing; not had a problem just don't want to be stranded anywhere.

Ty