How do I know if my battery's not charging?

[Eurostar]

Well my head is really spinning now!

I think - and I'm trying to simpllify things as much as possible - all I really need to do is connect an ammeter when I've got all my toys switched on and the volume turned up and then see what happens. Is that right?

Oh, and perhaps I also need to buy a Hawker battery. That's fine. I've only spent £3000 on Touratech stuff this week.

Frank , I hear what you're saying about taking too much stuff...you wouldn't believe my packing list. My excuse is that having sold my house in order to live on the road I've fallen for the temptation of creating a 2 wheeled mobile home. It will be interesting to see how much of my stuff never gets out of the panniers.

 

[jpisace]

Ammeter

You won't be surprised to hear that it's not necessarily that simple. Yes you can connect an ammeter (in series) and simply take a range of readings with all your various loads applied. Assuming they are less than the max output of your alternator then you won't have any problem when the engine is running. With the engine off, it becomes a different matter. You can establish what your average current draw will be and relate that to your battery's amp/hour rating but it won't really tell you when the battery will actually be too flat to start the bike.

I know it seems like you're going around in circles and each answer is even more frustrating but there really isn't a concise answer that will solve satisfy your concerns - short of fitting a voltmeter and an ammeter and/or fitting a split charge system or simple experimentation while you're at home and able to access charging facilities etc fairly easily.

Johnieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[Frank Warner]

There are two questions that have been asked...
1) How to tell if the electrical load is too great when the engine is running?
- Use a voltmeter, above 13 volts good, under 13 volts you may have a problem restarting the bike next day.

2) How much electrical load can I put on the bike overnight (engine not running) and still start the bike the next day?
- Use an ammeter and do those calculations. There are some assumptions made here and you must have a 'good' battery i.e. one that is not just about to fail... There is also a question of how reliable the bike is in starting. So I advise a safety factor of three. But you could use two if you want. Your choice. You have to consider how much energy your bike will need to start in the mornings, if your camped out in snow and ice the answer is very different than camping along the Mediterranean coast in summer. For deserts I think about 1/3 the rated capacity of the standard battery should be fine... provided noting goes wrong. If the bike does not start as per usual first thing in the morning don't continue to push the starter motor button... fix the problem before you flatten the battery! Use your brain ... sit and think first.