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I have installed a higher wattage bulb in the tail light and headlight and my battery is loosing charge. Is the higher watt bulbs too much of a load? here are more details...
the manual states the charging system is 300 watts at 5000 rpm and volts at battery should be 14-15v.The battery is 14A/H
The measured volts at battery is 13-14v
the change in bulb watts is...
old tail light bulb was 8/27w
new tail light bulb is 15/50w
old headlight bulb was 55/60w
new headlight bulb is 80/100w
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That'll do it....a 1984....no matter what the book says, is most likely not running on full power. 22 years old....
I had a SOHC 750 Honda....Windjammer, bags , extra running lights....I put on a air horn...and when idling...blew the airhorns....everything dimmed to the point where I thought the bike would stall.
So...keep the rpms up. All I can say. I CAN suggest you keep the headlight off as much as possible...let the alternator charge the battery. Or maybe put the original (headlight) bulb back in and get a newer machine for nighttime.
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quote:
Originally posted by dlsmith
I have installed a higher wattage bulb in the tail light and headlight and my battery is loosing charge. Is the higher watt bulbs too much of a load? here are more details...
the manual states the charging system is 300 watts at 5000 rpm and volts at battery should be 14-15v.The battery is 14A/H
The measured volts at battery is 13-14v
the change in bulb watts is...
old tail light bulb was 8/27w
new tail light bulb is 15/50w
old headlight bulb was 55/60w
new headlight bulb is 80/100w
There's a reason that the legal headlight wattage is limited you know.
I doubt that you were able to buy an 80/100 headlight bulb that isn't marked "for off road us only".
So why are you trying to blind oncoming traffic? Do you think you are more visible with the extra brightness?
John
Isaac Newton is my co-pilot.
John
Isaac Newton is my co-pilot.
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thanks for your time....also, I aimed the light more downward so as not to blind on coming traffic.
is there a more powerful stator or regulator i could get?
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also, with the headligh bulb disconnected and the + disconnected from battery the engine had a hard time running...is this normal for the charging system not being able to provide volts and amps to the normal stocked circuits? will it hurt the charging system?
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Why would you disconnect the + cable from the battery and try to keep the motor running?
Hmmmmm....methinksmesmells t r o l l here....
But then again...I might be wrong. Not the first time......
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The reason I disconnected the battery is for trouble shooting.
In auto systems if you have lights on and the engine runs with battery disconnected thats a good indication the charging system is putting out good volts and amps
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The charging system on a motorcycle (or auto) is basically AC (from an alternator) rectified to DC. The DC output is not filtered, so is actually pulsating DC, with pulses at a few hundred pulses per second depending on engine speed. The battery charges only when the DC pulses are at a higher-than-battery voltage. This is probably better than 50% of the time, but certainly not 100%. During the intervals between pulses the battery carries the load. If you disconnect the battery, it may happen that the ignition demands current at times when the alternator isn't supplying any. You might not get good ignition at such times. Too, the voltage regulator "looks" at battery voltage, and if there isn't any it might get confused and provide some rather bizzare voltage outputs, in turn possibly causing the electronic ignition to get confused.
Many motorcycles, especially older ones, were designed with minimal charging systems, both for weight and cost reasons. Some would gradually discharge their batteries in traffic if you used the turn signals or held the brakes at stops (because of the brake light). Some did not charge the battery unless the engine turned faster than, say, 3000 rpm - which meant they discharged at idle or traffic speeds. The typically small batteries on bikes means it doesn't take too long for problems to show up, and any additional electrical load only makes it worse. I won't offer any recommendations, except putting the stock lamps back in your lights and seeing what happens, but if it were me I'd use a clamp-on DC ammeter on the main battery cable and see if there is any charging current.
Profanity is the linguistic crutch of the inarticulate.
Predictions are very difficult, especially about the future.
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thanks for your info on the charging system...i have put the original bulb in and all works well.
i have found a stator that matches my bike and states it has a higher output at low and high rpm(no tech details given), do you think the oem rectifier/regulator will work well with the higher output stator?
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One common disease on older bike is the wire connector between the alternator and regulator/rectifier. The blade connectors inside the plastic plugs corrode, resistance goes up, they heat up, resistance goes even higher and the charging system suffers. In most cases it is only discovered when the plug starts to deform or melt because of the excessive heat. Check all your connections and thoroughly clean them.
On Rare Occasions I Find A Little Meaning In My Life...
And Wonder How It Got There.
On Rare Occasions I Find A Little Meaning In My Life...
And Wonder How It Got There.
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