Bloggs
Guest
Does anyone think that fitting the new 1200ADV alternator (720W instead of 600W) will help avoid this problem? It's a mod that I am considering as soon as the part becomes available.
plasmatron
Guest
As people have said at Advrider... the new alternator will no doubt be a simple bolt on, chances are the size and fitting are exactly the same...
the very likely spanner in the works will be whether or not the Canbus will be able to get along with it... it's increased potential could easily cause "implausible voltage/wattage" errors if the Canbus isn't wired to allow for the more powerful unit...
who knows, maybe BMW will release a software update to allow the Canbus to talk to the new alternator if enough people are doing it... it seems like BMW have designed a lot of the ADV parts to be retrofittable to the 12GS... I guess they're clever enough to realise they've got a captive audience in the thousands of 12GS owners who'll be more than willing to hand over their cash to spruce up their 12GS's with a little ADV sparkle... no point in cutting them off with ADV parts that won't fit the standard 12... cheaper development costs for the ADV plus more aftermarket sales is just more filthy lucre for Bavaria...
the very likely spanner in the works will be whether or not the Canbus will be able to get along with it... it's increased potential could easily cause "implausible voltage/wattage" errors if the Canbus isn't wired to allow for the more powerful unit...
who knows, maybe BMW will release a software update to allow the Canbus to talk to the new alternator if enough people are doing it... it seems like BMW have designed a lot of the ADV parts to be retrofittable to the 12GS... I guess they're clever enough to realise they've got a captive audience in the thousands of 12GS owners who'll be more than willing to hand over their cash to spruce up their 12GS's with a little ADV sparkle... no point in cutting them off with ADV parts that won't fit the standard 12... cheaper development costs for the ADV plus more aftermarket sales is just more filthy lucre for Bavaria...
Mouse
Registered user
I don't think the new alternator will make any difference.
The rating of an alternator (in this case 720 Watts) is how much power it can potentially supply, if (a) the power is actually demanded by the bike and (b) if the alternator is turning fast enough.
The issue here is not that the alternator on the 1200 is under specified. Even if the alternator was rated at a million Watts, if the engine is not turning fast enough, it wil not be able to supply that much power. If the engine speed is sufficient, the standard 600W alternator is more than capable of charging the battery and running all the electrics on the bike with plenty of power left over for auxiliary lighting and all the other gizmos GS riders love to fit.
The rating of an alternator (in this case 720 Watts) is how much power it can potentially supply, if (a) the power is actually demanded by the bike and (b) if the alternator is turning fast enough.
The issue here is not that the alternator on the 1200 is under specified. Even if the alternator was rated at a million Watts, if the engine is not turning fast enough, it wil not be able to supply that much power. If the engine speed is sufficient, the standard 600W alternator is more than capable of charging the battery and running all the electrics on the bike with plenty of power left over for auxiliary lighting and all the other gizmos GS riders love to fit.
