Member Contributer elizilla Posted August 6, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 6, 2009 Sweet! I've got one of the Signal Dynamics LED battery monitors in the V-Strom and it's worked very well there. It shows green when all is well, yellow for marginal, red for worse, and flashing red for terrible. It started showing yellow, about a month before I had any other symptoms of battery failure, and a couple weeks later it went to red. Sure enough, one day the battery just wouldn't start the bike. (I should have replaced that battery as soon as I started seeing the problem on my battery monitor, but I was busy so I just started taking the VFR for all my out of town trips, and only riding the Strom locally, until it eventually crapped out.) So after that experience with the Strom, I was a convert. I ordered two more of them, for the TDM and the VFR. I haven't installed it in the VFR yet. I did install it in the TDM. I'm not as happy with the LED monitor there - the light is red or yellow anytime you sit at idle for more than a few seconds, with the brake lights on, and if you have the turn signals on it will switch between red and yellow, in time to the flasher. My boyfriend installed one in his TDM and has the same results. I've been all through the charging system and found no problems. I think the changing LED color is simply not calibrated to the correct range, to track "normal" on a TDM. But an analog gauge would work fine even when "normal" isn't quite the same voltage. I might order a couple of these, one for the VFR and one to replace the LED monitor on the TDM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer elevation Posted August 6, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 6, 2009 A voltmeter saved me from being stranded in Montana. These little devices are worth 10 times their weight in gold. I have a blue LED one and it works great. Too bad our bikes need one. I am about ready to divorce my VFR over numerous electrical issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pete McCrary Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 Sweet! :offtopic: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer JZH Posted August 12, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 12, 2009 I was searching eBay and found a Honda Marine water pressure gauge made by VDO (#360165724639), Honda pn 37352-ZW5-000ZA ($16.97 @ Ron Ayers)...it reads 0-30psi and is labeled "pressure" (any idea why I might be interested in that? :biggrin:), but got me to thinking maybe there was a matching voltmeter, despite the VDO gauges not being listed on the .pdf linked above. A little part number manipulation and Ron Ayers confirms that Honda pn. 37452-ZW5-000ZA is indeed a Honda VDO voltmeter ($12.40). I don't know for sure what it looks like (or if it's backlit, waterproof, etc.), but for under $15, it's a gamble possibly worth taking. Ciao, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Knife Posted August 12, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted August 12, 2009 My brother and I were about to head home our separate ways (him to Syracuse and me to Philadelphia) after the Mid-Ohio Vintage Race Days. Before splitting up, I glanced down at my voltmeter. Uh-oh! 10 volts showing! So rather than taking a chance of being stranded somewhere all by my lonesome, we went to Syracuse together. My wife and kids were there visiting anyway, so it was a nice surprise for them when I showed up. Only problem I had on the ride to Syracuse was that at every stop, I had to bump start it. I put it on the charger that night, and in the morning all was good. Rode home without further incident (other than losing my Sirius radio on a God-awful bumpy road). So all worked out well, but at least the voltmeter gave me an indication of a problem, and an opportunity to make a decision before I got stranded alone somewhere. It was well worth the $14.00 and one hour investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasmeneh Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I also added the one from cycle gagets. So far I like it. Give me a constant update on whats going on with my charging system. What did surprise me a little is that at idle, when warm, like at a stoplight, the battery does show a slight discharge rate. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.