Higher Capacity Battery?

[lovat]

Hey gang,
I volunteer yearly at a marathon, running up and down the course. This is usually at slower speeds. After some time of doing this, the battery becomes too low, because of not high enough RPM's for charging. (There are no issues for the rest of the riding season.) Anyway, there is quite a bit of draw on the system during this event, with cameras, radios, and phones being the majority of it. I'm seeking advice on battery capacity. Perhaps I could get a battery with a higher capacity, which will last a little longer before I would need to go for a charging ride.

I know very little about motorcycle batteries, their physical sizes, and their power capacities. I would love to hear your recommendations on Batteries, and other potential solutions.

Thank you,
Greg

[CrystalPistol]

Put a dozer size 12 volt battery in a saddle bag or top trunk?

Otherwise, maybe a second battery in parallel with OEM and good size cables, use a mower or another GL battery.

[gervais]

well
do you have old halogen driving lights,,turn them OFF.they are 55 watts Each ,130 watts on 12vdc =10 + amps at idle thats a lot.
adjust your idle at 1000,1100 rpm it will help produce more amps from your stator.

this is a weak point of GW,many are installing external alternator because of that.
i did it even if my internal alternator was ok

gervais

[AZgl1800]

Make sure you have an AGM battery,

or, if this is something you do a lot, then spend the bux for a Lithium battery.

and put a toggle switch on the lights so they can be turned OFF, then all the battery needs to do is keep the ignition running.

Make sure the Brake Lights still work.

[DenverWinger]

Don't know what kind of "slow" speed these events are, but if you are idling along in 2nd or 3rd gear you could stay in 1st gear and maybe get a few extra revs for charging.

Years ago a bunch of us were going on a 200 mile poker run, the stator was dead on my 1100 but I didn't want to miss the run. I got a $29 Lawn & Garden mower battery and put that in the saddlebag wired in parallel with the bike battery, and pulled out the headlight fuse (daytime riding with a bunch of other bikes). Even with all the poker run stops there was enough power to start and run the engine for the entire trip. I had a set of jumper cables in the other saddlebag but never needed to use them. It was getting dark after the very last stop, I put the headlight fuse back in and made it home with current to spare. But I suspect pulling the headlight fuse through most of the trip made a big difference...

[lovat]

Thanks Guys,

This event is a marathon, with LOTS of official presence, and running without the headlight is a no no in my state, but I think I could swap the headlight bulb for an LED. Those are usually 1/10th the current draw. I'll try that first, then go for a 2nd battery in the saddlebag. Likely, purchasing a new bike battery, and swapping it in, and putting the older in the saddlebag for a spare.

I think this is my plan, so I'll give it a try for the next season, and report back sometime after June next year on this.
(That race is in June.)

thank you,
Greg

[SilverDave]

I did three things over last 2 years for MY charging impaired l1200
( after hard soldering the stator and reg/rect connections and adding an EC wiring harness )

1) Slowly changed out all the running lights, ring of fire, King lights , etc to LED's . I left the turn and brake bulbs as stock ... Then seem brighter than the LED 1087 bulbs .... and they are rarely on ... not enough to drain the battery much .

2) Replaced the headlight with a HID kit ... LED headlight bulbs seem brighter .. but don't throw much light own the road . The HID kit installation requires some dremel work to install the exciter box but it only draws 30 watts , as opposed to OEM 55/60 watts .
(Battery already thanked me at this stage)

3) When the battery died ( after 8 years !! ) I replaced it with a glass mat AGM .
They have a much higher CCA rating ... thinner plates , I think....

After starting , voltmeter is back at 14 before I get my gloves and helmet on. Wow ! Used to take about 30 blocks .
My Battery tender Jr goes "green " within 15 minutes , even after a long , slow ride with all the lights on.


Worked for me ...

SilverDave

[Ghostt]

On all my bikes, including the ASPY I install the Gammatronix 12V LED MOTORCYCLE / BIKE Battery level and Charge monitor

http://gammatronixltd.com/epages/bae94c ... BIKE-E-12V


Link to my install on the ASPY viewtopic.php?f=10&t=41152#p249669

You need to check this out as its saved me a few times over the years, and different bikes as well.

Any questions please feel free to contact me.

[lovat]

Thanks Guys!
I'm on my way to solving this issue!
G