Quote:
Originally Posted by boatnut
Hi, looking for some advise/backup. 01 Road King. Stock 38 amp alternator. I've totalled up all the lights,ignition etc and come up with 23 amps max if everything on. I am adding electric vests x2 and electric gloves totalling 190watts. Using 14v that's 13.5amps.
23 plus 13.5= 36.5amps. My thinking is I would be fine with stock alternator if I do NOT use the driving lamps at same time? (They are rated at 5amps draw). This gives me 31.5 amps total draw. The vests and gloves cycle on and off so are not a continuous draw.
Anybody see any issues? Thanks for your time, Clive.
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I rode will full liners last year on my 30 amp Sportster. Since the liners have a thermostat, you will usually not run with them wide open, especially if you are behind a windshield and lowers. Even with everything turned on, high beam, thermostat wide open on all liners, the bike produced enough current as long as I was not sitting in traffic. Then all I did was turn the thermostat down a bit. You usually don't need anywhere as much heat sitting still or at low speed as when you are a normal riding speed.
A couple of suggestions:
I have a vest and a jacket liner. In cold weather the jacket liner is much more comfortable than the vest. Your arms are exposed to cold air much more than your torso. Even though the vest keeps the torso and body core temperature up, it leaves your arms feeling that much colder in comparison. It's also a lot easier to plug your gloves into the outlets in the sleeves of your jacket than it is to stretch the wires from the vest to the gloves. I only wear my vest on days when it won't be getting all that cold, but when I could start to get fatigued from the cold after a long ride.
Don't rely entirely on the liners to keep you warm. I wear DuoFold wool long underwear under my liners. They keep you warm even if they get wet. Without bulking up too much, wear something warm over the liners like insulated ski or snowboard pants. They are waterproof and windproof. If wind gets under the outer layer, you will need more heat from the liners to offset the heat loss. I usually wear a medium weight wool sweater over the wool underwear top and under the jacket liner. In the winter I wear a lined Tour Master Transitions jacket. It is 3/4 length and it is both windproof and waterproof. I top it off with a Scorpion full face helmet with the chin-piece that keeps out most of the air that usually gets in from the bottom of a helmet.
Gerbing makes heated footbeds that are nice. I wear leather pack boots in the winter. They have kept me warm in the mountains in the snow in sub zero weather. They have no problem keeping my feet warm on the bike when its 16 degrees.
One last thing that riders often ignore is that if the power on your bike fails or if you break down, your electric gear will be useless. I always carry enough winter clothing, including insulated mitts with chemical hand and foot warmers, to get me through if I end up without my liners functioning.
Install a volt meter on your bike. They are pretty simple to hook up and the meter can tell you when you are drawing more current than your electrical system can handle. That way when you are riding at low speed, you can dial the thermostat down until the volts come up to where they need to be to keep your battery charged.
Last year I stopped on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few minutes to change some gear. It was in the high to mid 40's or so. The wind was really blowing. By the time I put my jacket back on, my fingers were so numb that I could not grip the zipper to zip it up. I plugged in the gloves, turn on the bike, and revved the motor so that I could warm my hands enough to zip my jacket up.
Heated gear can really extend your riding season. For me, the only time that I don't ride is when there is frozen precipitation on the ground. Other than that, I'm out there. I have done 200+ miles rides without ever seeing another bike. I think that means that I'm nuts, or so the wife says.
The good news for me is that I just bought a 2009 FXD with a 40 amp electrical system. That is ten more amps than I had last year.
Pete
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