Charging (or battery) issue?!

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Nate,
The unit I had would trip around 12v. Guess I should have read up on yours. I do most of this stuff on my phone. P.I.T.A. w/ small screen and 60yr old eyeballs.

I just got back from the garage and tested mine to see if my memory(? what memory?) was correct.
13v @ 2,000rpm
13.4v @ 2.5k
14v @ 3k
14.4 @ 4k
measured at my battery with 55w headlight on.
I think your numbers are close to what I had with the stock unit, which I believe you have on your bike.

Pete
 
The LED color change "Idiot" light was only way I could run Ms Peel on hi beam while creeping along rough narrow path after dark on 1.2 ah gel cell battery, by picking gears/rpm to keep mostly green light showing -even with some brake drag, or stall out and not get re-started w/o a fast push or a jump. Did not have to actually look down at it to know if time to get a bit faster/risky to get more green time till parked so juice enough to kick off next day. WAY more informative-useful and stupid oil pressure gauge.
 
Deets55 said:
Nate,
The unit I had would trip around 12v. Guess I should have read up on yours. I do most of this stuff on my phone. P.I.T.A. w/ small screen and 60yr old eyeballs.

I just got back from the garage and tested mine to see if my memory(? what memory?) was correct.
13v @ 2,000rpm
13.4v @ 2.5k
14v @ 3k
14.4 @ 4k
measured at my battery with 55w headlight on.
I think your numbers are close to what I had with the stock unit, which I believe you have on your bike.

Pete
Click to expand...

Yep, those numbers you get with the three phase are much more what I'd like to see. It's only money...

The Sparkbright is a wonderful piece of gear; only requires two wires, and is self dimming! All that, and it's a drop-in to the existing hole in the lamp shell. It even works with the funny little rubber cup thingy (#24, http://www.oldbritts.com/1973_g30.html) btw, does anyone know what that is really for? I was told it was put on the Interstate models to help reduce glare from the inside of the windscreen; it didn't... I suppose I just inadvertently derailed this thread!

Nathan
 
Nater_Potater said:
Deets55 said:
Nate,
The unit I had would trip around 12v. Guess I should have read up on yours. I do most of this stuff on my phone. P.I.T.A. w/ small screen and 60yr old eyeballs.

I just got back from the garage and tested mine to see if my memory(? what memory?) was correct.
13v @ 2,000rpm
13.4v @ 2.5k
14v @ 3k
14.4 @ 4k
measured at my battery with 55w headlight on.
I think your numbers are close to what I had with the stock unit, which I believe you have on your bike.

Pete
Click to expand...

Yep, those numbers you get with the three phase are much more what I'd like to see. It's only money...

The Sparkbright is a wonderful piece of gear; only requires two wires, and is self dimming! All that, and it's a drop-in to the existing hole in the lamp shell. It even works with the funny little rubber cup thingy (#24, http://www.oldbritts.com/1973_g30.html) btw, does anyone know what that is really for? I was told it was put on the Interstate models to help reduce glare from the inside of the windscreen; it didn't... I suppose I just inadvertently derailed this thread!

Nathan
Click to expand...

Nathan, no derail there, the thread title words are Charging, Battery etc, so a batter voltage monitor is very germain to the topic.
I installed the SparkBright battery voltage monitor in the touring bike this spring. It saved the day on the first trip. About 800 miles from home while travelling thru a new-to-me city, it started flashing furiously, indicating low voltage. Busy watching traffic, the discharge showing on the ammeter would have gone unnoticed without the flashing red light. Realizing that something was wrong I decided to shut things down early and find a nearby motel rather than get stranded on the road. Turned out the alternator had packed it in. At a nearby Napa, a big lawn tractor battery and small charger were purchased, placed in the top case and plugged into the electrical, which was rigged up for this band aid solution . This setup got us home without any further trouble.

Once home again I ordered a sparkbright for each road bike, even the modern one.
Some might call it an idiot light, but for me it made sure that I avoided getting into an idiotic situation , that is,stuck in the middle of nowhere without sparks!

Glen
 
I been back tracking this thread to check on something. I believe I was the first to use the term "idiot light". I was not referring to the LED Nathan is using. I was talking about the stock red assimilator light. I call it an idiot light because it will only tell you if one leg of the alternator is bad (possibly two on the solid state unit). The LED unit I tried was not as nice as Nathan's, and honesty it just didn't do what I wanted. It was washed out in the MKIII dash panel in the daylight, and too bright at night. Hope no one took offence.
 
Naah, none taken. Until the recent appearance of these led battery voltage monitors, which are getting more and more features, the universal name for a dash warning light has been idiot light.

Glen
 
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