voltage questions, electrical experts needed
#1
02-05-2011, 11:38 AM
voltage questions, electrical experts needed
Hey guys....
Here's the deal, the bad weather recently killed my battery so I have to buy a new one.
Now I am also about to add a stereo system made for Harleys that advertises it has a 2-3 amp draw.
After doing some quick research I found that our batteries (nightster) are 2 amp with 220cca and 12v
So I am wondering, how do people add all the accesories to their bike like stereos, gps's, extra lighting etc without draining the battery?
If the battery is only 2 amps and the accesory/s are pulling more amps that what can be supplied to charge the battery.
I know I am missing something because I have seen people with loadeed bikes with electonic add ons and are still keeping their bikes on the road without battery issues.
Can someone shed some light on this for me?
Here's the deal, the bad weather recently killed my battery so I have to buy a new one.
Now I am also about to add a stereo system made for Harleys that advertises it has a 2-3 amp draw.
After doing some quick research I found that our batteries (nightster) are 2 amp with 220cca and 12v
So I am wondering, how do people add all the accesories to their bike like stereos, gps's, extra lighting etc without draining the battery?
If the battery is only 2 amps and the accesory/s are pulling more amps that what can be supplied to charge the battery.
I know I am missing something because I have seen people with loadeed bikes with electonic add ons and are still keeping their bikes on the road without battery issues.
Can someone shed some light on this for me?
#2
02-05-2011, 11:50 AM
Road Captain
First, your battery is not a 2 amp battery. It is probably a 20 amp-hour battery. Amp-hour is a way of rating battery capacity. Most motorcycle batteries are in the 18-22 amp-hour range.
See the attached link for some more information about battery ratings.
http://www.dcbattery.com/faq.html
Second, once you start the bike, all the electrical energy is supplied by your charging system. The battery is only used to start the bike. Once running, the charging system replenishes the charge in the battery used to start the bike and also supplies all the electricity used to run accessories, such as lights, stereo, etc. Cars work the same way.
The only time the battery comes back into play when running is when you sit somewhere with the engine idling, as the charging system needs a few RPM to put out maximum voltage.
Your owners manual should give you the capacity of your charging system which can be used to help determine how many accessories you can add but just adding a radio should not exceed bike's capacity.
How did the bad weather destroy your battery? Did it go dead because you haven't been riding? If so, you need to look into the purchase of a battery maintainer, such as the Battery Tender brand of products.
Hope this helps.
See the attached link for some more information about battery ratings.
http://www.dcbattery.com/faq.html
Second, once you start the bike, all the electrical energy is supplied by your charging system. The battery is only used to start the bike. Once running, the charging system replenishes the charge in the battery used to start the bike and also supplies all the electricity used to run accessories, such as lights, stereo, etc. Cars work the same way.
The only time the battery comes back into play when running is when you sit somewhere with the engine idling, as the charging system needs a few RPM to put out maximum voltage.
Your owners manual should give you the capacity of your charging system which can be used to help determine how many accessories you can add but just adding a radio should not exceed bike's capacity.
How did the bad weather destroy your battery? Did it go dead because you haven't been riding? If so, you need to look into the purchase of a battery maintainer, such as the Battery Tender brand of products.
Hope this helps.
#3
02-05-2011, 12:07 PM
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