Hi folks, immediate apologies if this has been covered elsewhere but I can't find anything specific. I have a 1989 R80GS but this query is probably pertinent to all airheads. I'm fitting a bunch of electrical stuff - lights so I can actually see where I'm going, satnav, heated grips. Experience tells me that to wire these straight to the battery will eventually lead to a bump start in some muddy field far from home because you forgot to switch something off. Conventional wisdom says use relays and an ignition live trigger from, say, the rear light live, which I've done. But I was looking under my seat the other day and thinking 'this doesn't look very good and even with the relays it must be quite a draw on this wee thin back light wire'. Anyone come up with a better solution? Cheers, Poon.
Fitting electrical accessories to R80GS
- Thread starter Poon
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If youre just tapping the rear light wire to trigger relays, the draw is pretty tiny, and shouldnt cause a bother I would think. If youre worried should be easy enough to run a separate wire from another ignition switched live.
Alternatively, get something like a PDM60 which though a bit pricey, is a tidy solution for exactly your needs and removes the need for separate relays.
Alternatively, get something like a PDM60 which though a bit pricey, is a tidy solution for exactly your needs and removes the need for separate relays.
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Probably far to much for a GS charging/battery system to manage TBH...poor thing would never re-charge in time !!
You'd need a system upgrade to charging system...speak to Mikeyboy ( who fitted a PDM60 to my Gpz
)
You'd need a system upgrade to charging system...speak to Mikeyboy ( who fitted a PDM60 to my Gpz
)Thanks; yes, I've thought about an alternator upgrade; I see Motorworks does one. Reckon I'll try it out and see what happens - go for a run for an hour or so with everything switched on and stop on a hill...
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Ref Pdm ,
You can achieve the same with a £2 relay and a small fuse box available from vehicle wiring products.
If you intend fitting all of those accessories,be sure to get decent led lights.
As the standard alt is not going to cope well with 2x60 watt bulbs(10amps) plus heated grips (5amps)
Iirc the alternator is 270 watts, which is approx 22.5 amp
This is max output over 2k revs.
A 600 watt alt would give you 50 amps
You can achieve the same with a £2 relay and a small fuse box available from vehicle wiring products.
If you intend fitting all of those accessories,be sure to get decent led lights.
As the standard alt is not going to cope well with 2x60 watt bulbs(10amps) plus heated grips (5amps)
Iirc the alternator is 270 watts, which is approx 22.5 amp
This is max output over 2k revs.
A 600 watt alt would give you 50 amps
Re PDM, yes, that's kind of what I thought once you take away the bells and whistles. Thanks for the info - I can never get my head around watts/amps. I've read mixed reviews on LED headlamp conversion kits - can you suggest a good one? My auxiliary lamps use 10 amps each. However, I think the 600 watt alternator may be the way to go, no doubt the original one is getting past it's best after 30 years and 98,000 miles, anyway. Cheers, Poon
You can also get a upgrade regulator that pumps out the 13v to 14.2v plus at lower revs. So trailriding at slow speed dosent empty yer battery
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If your aux lamps are 10 amp each they would be 120 watts each ,which I doubt.
If that is the case ,your charging system won’t even power the aux lights and headlamp,let alone ign system,tail lights etc etc.
Volts x amps=watts
Watts divide volts = amps
Amps x volts = watts.
Ohms law iirc
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Have no idea what ign or charge exciter circuit takes,never seen figures published,.
Take as 10amp,that should give a very safe margin,remember though these bikes won’t charge at much less than 1500 revs,
And have a charge voltage of @ 13.8v,ish
So not exactly banging things Home!.
The 600 watt kits I’ve fitted are charging at 14 + volts at idle.
Great with a lithium battery.brum brum.
Take as 10amp,that should give a very safe margin,remember though these bikes won’t charge at much less than 1500 revs,
And have a charge voltage of @ 13.8v,ish
So not exactly banging things Home!.
The 600 watt kits I’ve fitted are charging at 14 + volts at idle.
Great with a lithium battery.brum brum.
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.... and IIRC you need a special battery charger for a lithium battery.
I just go out for a ride on my bike. That charges it too. At 14.2 v I only need to be out for an hour for a top up.
And it saves me buying another charger.
I had old style 55w halogen spotlights, twin headlights and hotgrips on my Monolever 800 g/s and had no trouble with the stock system.
Everything was via relays to avoid leaving stuff switched on and also to avoid burning out the small switch contacts.
Mind you, I didn't ride about in daytime with my lights on, they bring for periods of darkness and reduced visibility.
I did, however, do a 300 mile night ride from Dover with the hotgrips on, twin headlights on, and occasional high beam with spots on, and had no trouble.
Everything was via relays to avoid leaving stuff switched on and also to avoid burning out the small switch contacts.
Mind you, I didn't ride about in daytime with my lights on, they bring for periods of darkness and reduced visibility.
I did, however, do a 300 mile night ride from Dover with the hotgrips on, twin headlights on, and occasional high beam with spots on, and had no trouble.
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You didn't need headlights with that paint job !!
Interesting! I'll have a session in the workshop with a multimeter and if that looks okay I'll go for a spin for an hour or two and stop on top of a hill - easy enough in this part of the world. If I'm going far from home I tend to take with me a small solar panel and a jump start pack. The panel is good for charging phone/ipad and heated vest battery; I've never had to use the jump start pack except to start an old bloke's car in Spain. I don't often plug my heated gear into the bike because 9 times out of 10 I find myself halfway across a car park tethered to the bike like a dog and everyone mocking me. So I have two battery packs instead.
B Murr
Registered user
I wired a fuse box via a relay to the battery. Simple and didn't cost the earth. I have a voltmeter fitted and with heated grips on don't notice very much of a drop plus run LED spots and lights all day although my main bulb is an LED. You could try the fuse box installation anyway, monitor your voltage and then if required upgrade the alternator.
I put my power socket on LHS just in front of the handle bars if when I get off with the jacket plugged in it just pulls it out of the socket. Also its a handy spot for charging stuff in a tankbag.
HTHY
HTHY
Yes, I just had a go in the workshop and basically it's charging at 14.4 with everything switched off. If I switch on full beam, satnav, heated grips at 100%, and spots it's dropping down to around 12 volts. If I switch to dip it charges at about 12.8. This is at about 2,500 rpm I guess - no rev counter - but the neighbouring unit is a funeral parlour so I tend not to rev my bikes too much! I think I'll run it as it is for the time being and see how it goes, maybe fit an LED headlight conversion. It would be a rare occasion I would have everything on full blast - I usually run on sidelights only unless visibility is poor (or it's dark, of course). Depending on the weather I might be going up to Scotland end of the month so that would be a good tryout. If it's not charging enough, a new alternator and regulator it will be. And a voltmeter! Thanks everyone for your advice. Cheers, Poon.
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