Electrical Supply Question

[Skids]

On my 2014 VFR1200, I have a supply lead for a Keiss heated jacket connected directly to the battery. I am considering adding another supply for a second jacket so that both Mrs Skids & I can use them when it's proper cold.

The manufacturers website quotes values of draw as:

X20 (already have one of these) - 3.3A 40W

X25 (plan to get one of these) - 7A 84W

Gloves (already have one set, may get another) - 1A 12W

Questions;

1. Will this cause any issues for the 1200's electrical circuitry/supply? The only other accessories that are powered are a TomTom Rider Sat Nag and the OEM heated grips.

2. Is connecting them directly to the battery, as recommended by the manufacturer, ok? If not, what should I do?

My understanding of electrickery is minimal so any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[fink]

No, there should be no problems at all if you connect them direct to the battery as they will be disconnected when not in use.

[Skids]

No, there should be no problems at all if you connect them direct to the battery as they will be disconnected when not in use.

Thanks Fink.

I was also interested in the amount of draw they take and would the alternator etc be able to cope?

[fink]

Alternator makes 0.57 kW@ 5000 rpm.

[Dutchy]

I saw somewhere that the alternator pumps out 450w @6krmp

then there is the loads (from the powerlet webiste)

Table 2 – Common Operating Loads High Beam 55 watts Low Beam 55 watts Number Plate 5 watts Brake/Tail 21 watts Instrument Panel 2 watts Computer 25 watts Fuel Pump 60 watts Cooling Fan 60 watts Electronic Ignition 50 watts

A common operating load for a standard fuel injected bike is about 285 watts.
A common operating load for a standard carbureted bike is about 195 watts.

Some bikes leave the low beam on when the high beam is activated. To conserve power, many bikes automatically turn off the low beam when the high beam is turned on. Many larger bikes have additional lighting and miscellaneous loads like radios make sure you include all of the items that operate continuously while riding. Carbureted bikes require about 85 watts less to operate.

STEP #3 - Subtract the operating load from the charging output; this calculation will approximately predict the excess capacity. Usually the larger displacement bikes will have greater excess capacity, but this is not always true as seen in the following six examples (operating loads are approximate):

Table 4 – Common Appliances Appliance Power Usage Heated Garments 35 – 77 watts Aux lights 35 – 100 watts (each) Laptop 40 – 60 watts Cell Phone 1 – 3 watts Radar Detector 1 – 3 watts GPS 2 – 6 watts Portable Music 1 – 3 watts

[CandyRedRC46]

Dont over complicate things. Install a voltmeter on the bike. Keep an eye on it. Put all the accessories you want on the bike, but keep an eye on your voltage. If you are over 14 volts, turn the heat up. As you start to approach 13 volts, turn the heat down. You will find that you can regulate your bikes voltage fairly easily, at idle in traffic you wont have much to spare especially when the radiator fan comes on, so you probably would want to keep the heat on low and not use high beams. but when you are on the highway and your rpms are up and the fan is off, you should have plenty of power to spare.

If you are feeling froggy, go ahead and start swapping out the factory bulbs for LEDs. This will give you some extra power to use towards additional accessories, but you must keep in mind, the more power you free up, the more power your RR will need to shunt to ground in order to bring you back to 14 volts. So don't swap out all your incandescent bulbs for LEDs, unless you make sure to use up that extra power or get a series RR.

[Skids]

Thanks for those answers.