Accurate voltage readings from accessory harness when heated grips turned on ?

JQL

Growing old disgracefully
Joined
Dec 19, 2010
Messages
831
Location
Val de Marne, France
Bike
2010 NT700 & 2019 FJR1300
The LEDs start blinking when the voltage in the system usually falls below (as I recall) 13.1v. So while your battery has a charge level above this you won't see the blinking. When the engine is above 3000 rpm the alternator is supplying approx 14.4v so you won't see the blinking.

The problem arises if you are drawing more power than the alternator can provide so the battery is not being charged and is, in fact, supplying current to run your accessories.
 
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OP
OP
ett

ett

Joined
Aug 21, 2015
Messages
285
Location
Allentown, PA
OP here,

Last night I took another Red Green method to install my Kurakan LED volt meter.

I stopped at local Autozone after work yesterday. And bought a 12v accessory replacement plug.
My NT's 12v accessory socket is inside the left, lockable fairing pocket.
So I stuck the plug in the socket and ran it's lead wires through the small hole in the bottom of the fairing pocket.
For the Kuryakan LED volt meter. I ran it's wires through one of the holes in the faux vent on the left side of the NT's dash cover.
I connected the volt meter and accessory plug wires together using quick-disconnect wire connectors.

Currently the LED volt meter is just dangling in front of that left faux vent. I will probably either ziptie or velcro it in place.
The accessory plug is about 3" long and came with 8 feet of lead wires. So the plug and most of that 8 feet of wire is taking up most space in the fairing pocket.

I'm not certain if I want to stay with this Kurakan meter or someday get a Kisan Chargeguard CG-25.
So although this was a very hack way to install the Kuryakan meter. It's good enough for now.

The important part is that during this morning's commute. The volt meter gave me the information I wanted.
With NT idling; volt meter showed 3 green LEDs. Which I think is 14.5 volts.
Riding down the highway and powering on my Gerbing gear; pants, jacket, and gloves; to full. The volt meter showed 2 green LEDs. With an occasional blink down to 1 green LED.
Further along in my 65 mile commute when I hit stop-n-go traffic. The volt meter began to show a steady 1 green LED. At which point I had to power down my Gerbings to less than half.

So what this tells me. Is that if I did not plug my NT into a Battery Tender every night. I probably would have a dead battery after only a couple days of commuting in cold weather.
Why can't the Japanese motorcycle manufactures install reasonable alternators on their motorcycles ?
The alternator on my Griso is one of the features I love about that bike.

--ET
 
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Messages
184
Location
Knoxville, TN
Several months ago I actually swapped my nt's headlights over to Led's so I could save about 20 watts.
.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
 

DirtFlier

Site Supporter
Joined
Dec 13, 2010
Messages
3,331
Location
Troy, OH
Bike
2010 Silver NT700V/ABS
ett - Having a high capacity charging system is NOT a selling feature that would appeal to most buyers and is only of interest to police depts whose bikes need that capability, so why should manufacturers add cost in an area that is mostly ignored? They could sell more bikes if they fitted nicer suspension, polished wheels, etc.

And it's not just the Japanese makers who use this same logic because BMW's CanBus can be a real nightmare when you add accessories. The CanBus on its own determine if it will or won't shut power to the accessory outlet. Just take a peek at the BMW forums sometime.

Have you ever calculated the power drain of all your heated gear? To me, anything over 10-12 amps could start to drain the battery at idle. My NT gets hooked to the smart charger whenever it's not being ridden and it takes only 10-15 seconds after I pull into the garage.

ps. If you're really worried about voltage drain, you should get a real voltmeter - not one that shows colored lights. I've been using Datel digital voltmeters, 0-20v DC, for years and they work great. :)
 
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Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
2,007
Location
Tijeras, NM
Bike
1984 Moto Guzzi T5
I don't have any problem with my multiple LED voltmeter. I did use a VOM to check at what voltages the LED's lit up. I was concerned with voltage drop between the battery and the voltmeter on the dash. Takes about 30seconds but was worth the piece of mind. Hook up the VOM to the battery and turn on the key. Note the resting voltage of battery and the reading on the voltmeter. Then start the engine and take readings at idle up to where all the LEDs are lit. FWIW, your voltmeter should also tell you if the voltage is too high, to warn you of a voltage regulator failure.

FYI, voltage drop on mine from battery to the dash was 0.1V
 
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