Leaving for a 3 week tour

[JasonS]

I posted this at the end of the voltage fix thread, but need to poke you experts for some opinions...

After way too many hours... over the weekend I did a major electrical upgrade to y '06 Girly, adding a fused power supply to feed the Volt meter, Radar detector, GPS, Horns, Accesory socket and driving lights. A significant increase int he potential load, especially on top of the heated Jacket I already run when needed.

My first test ride, the volt meter paid off before I even left the driveway. I went out to jump on and go and saw that voltage was at 8 V and dropping and no amount of throttle changed that...

Back into the garage I went, and soon found that the main wire had pulled out of its crimp on the Voltage fix, but was covered by shrink tube so it couldn't be seen... and I swear I pull tested all my crimps.. honest!

So with that fixed I went on a nice test ride, and all was well.

I get up to 14.9 volts when not much is running, but turn on those driving lights and we are instantly hovering at 12v with all else shut off and sitting at 5000 rpm.... so I will have to get the 35 watt bulbs and swap out the 55 watt ones. even with that I question if the lights will be able to be run much.

Last night I got a chance to run with the light a bit and I need to
remount/aim them anyway.

Now comes the issue....and the second issue diagnosed and monitored by the new Voltmeter, 'cause there just had to be an issue, right? ......

the Gerbings jacket I have will cycle on/off as a matter of course when it isn;t set on high... as the jacket kicks in I can see voltage drop to low 13's, but what really got me was all the lighting dimming significantly when the Jacket kicked in... the instrument lights would dim significantly and the headlights the same.

Prior to doing the bypass voltage fix, I had run the same jacket on a night ride, running the jacket the entire time, and I never noticed this effect.

The jacket plugs into the access socket in the factory harness to the bike.

I do have the wiring kit that came with the jacket and can try that..

(update) Gerbings agrees... hook the jacket direct to the battery.. once again the wimpy Tiger wiring harness strikes fear into the hearts of the non-mechanically inclined!! LOL SO I will perform the swap and see what happens.

BTW, the Gerbings sucks 75 watts at full load.. I would assume that with most else off the bike would support that load... ??

I have some most excellent pictures I will post at some point


I am off to Louisiana, TX, NM and maybe AZ on Thursday

[JetdocX]

I think you are finding the limits of your charging system.  But I could be wrong. 8)

[The Kurgan]

... to feed the Volt meter, Radar detector, GPS, Horns, Accesory socket and driving lights. A significant increase in the potential load, especially on top of the heated Jacket I already run when needed.

... but turn on those driving lights and we are instantly hovering at 12v with all else shut off and sitting at 5000 rpm.... so I will have to get the 35 watt bulbs and swap out the 55 watt ones.

... the Gerbings sucks 75 watts at full load.. I would assume that with most else off the bike would support that load

Jason;

First off, congrats on your upcoming trip. Sounds like a blast!



Is that your old Sprint? How many feet of wire did you run with all that stuff?  :shock:

If I were you, I would prioritize what you absolutely need in the way of electrical accessories... creature comforts are nice, but NOT at the expense of a roadside breakdown in Buttfack-Nowhere.  :lol:

Heated vests are a great accessory, but if you don't need one, don't run one. Multiple layers and a proper 3/4 length riding coat (like a Coldwave jacket) plus proper gloves is all that you need. I ride all the way to December here in Canada (until the snow, ice and sanders/salters come) WITHOUT a heated vest, and I am always toasty warm with my cold weather gear. Just a thought.

As for driving lights... I agree that these are worth their weight in gold when out on open highways at night.  I bought a cheap pair of 55w halogen driving lights and mounted them to the fork tubes:

http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,5420

They don't draw nearly as much power as something like a PIAA or whatever, and they work very well. I also switch them off when not needed. Of course, I don't run any other accessories (my GPS runs on 2 AA batteries for 35 hours), so I am o.k. with the additional draw from the driving lights. I personally wouldn't downgrade to 35w... that is a BIG difference from 55w!

Another thought would be to run only one driving light. You really don't need a double beam in most cases, especially if your single light is effective. Some Tiger riders are using these, and I have heard they are so effective, you can even disconnect the stock headlights (they are pricey):

http://www.jacklilley.com/view_part.asp ... rt_id=4502

Another idea is to run one 55w driving light and one lower wattage yellow fog light.

Radar detector? Do you really need it?

Horns (plural?)... you really just need one. The stocker is fine for most applications. What are you running? -- double air horns designed for a Peterbuilt truck? Have you tested your horn(s) while running the vest and everything else? Did you blow any fuses?

A GPS draws next to nothing so no worries there.

In summary, don't use the vest when running the driving lights, or just don't use the vest and buy good cold weather gear. Perhaps a single, effective driving light? If the horns are a problem, disconnect one or go back to the stocker.

Cheers.

[matttys]

I did the voltage fix and am running a bunch of gizmos without problems.  Maybe I missed it, but are you using a switched relay for the fuse panel?  That was my main problem.  Otherwise, I'm able to run stock lights, 2 13w HID lights, Gerbings jacket, heated grips, GPS, Stebel horn all without dropping below 13.5V at cruise speed.  I am using 10ga wire on the voltage fix and 14ga wire every where else.  

I too hate the way the Gerbings jacket works. . . it doesn't lower the power usage, it pulses it.  That's really annoying when the Datel is jumping all over the place.

[JasonS]

Winter gear is all well and good.. I use a ton here in Maine, down to 20 degrees and that includes the heated jacket!!.. However, I am not apt to use the jacket much, and certainly not at all once I am south of New England. Maybe, on the next trip out in June, I will have need in the mountain passes, but other than that... not much use... but carrying winter gear is too bulky.

I do intend to not use the lights much, as I do not intend on driving at night, but intend being the operative word.... IF I have to drive at night I want some extra light to scare away the boogie man!!!  :shock:  I will prolly try the 35 bulbs and see how it is.` These are PIAA 004XT lights that I picked up new for $80 on ebay, so it isn't like I poured a ton of cash into them.. but then if they can;t do the job, it is pissed away... of course I could always sell them to someone with a better alternator..


...it occurs to me that this is the Tigers biggest fault.


I found on the Sprint that the stock horn is wimpy and demands no respect at all. I swapped out for a set on HI/Lo Fiamm horns on it and it was the bomb... SO I have a similar set I got off a SAAB ($7) and just need to figure out the mounting of them... They don;t draw all that much power, but they will overload the stock horn wiring, so it got it's own run of wire.

I ran 5 sets of power to the front of the bike and the run for the Lights. I wrapped the 5 in it's own bundle and weaved it back through the frame next to the stock harness. They all connect to a fused power plate, which is relay energized off the tail light. I have a ground plate installed as well for ganging together the grounds. BOth the ground plate and the Fused power plate run direct to the Batt on a 10GA tinned marine wire. The voltage fix also uses the 10GA marine wire... good stuff!

The 13 watt hid lights really are the solution, but they cost way too much still...

time to get packling!!!  ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh



 :shock:

[oxnsox]

Hope you put a fuse in the line for your Jacket now that its connected directly to the battery...  you've got a lot going on there with all the added wiring and anything you add has the potential to spoil the whole experience.
Enjoy your trip.

[JasonS]

Hope you put a fuse in the line for your Jacket now that its connected directly to the battery...  you've got a lot going on there with all the added wiring and anything you add has the potential to spoil the whole experience.
Enjoy your trip.

I have the factory kit and will install it during some down time. I really do understand the aspect of overloading the system, but with my spiffy datel blue led voltmeter, I am one stylin fool too!