Ive worked on electrical/electronic systems on aircraft for 25 years. Im no engineer. Digi........what is your background? Engineering or hands on real world application?

 

Both. BSECE (Electrical and Computer Engineering, dual major) along with over 20years hands on experience with digital systems, analog systems, and power systems. 10years hands on experience with automotive electronics, I've been modifying and racing VWs and Audis since 2003.

 

Get a trickle charger and be patient.....12 volt systems?? yes!! But which is throwing more amps against what is capable of being handled.....A car throws about .5 amps more than a standard regulator can tolerate.....you may get away with it, but ultimately you could burn it up......I just changed one on my WG.....$115.00 even after HOG gave me 15%....I didn't jump it with the car or truck, but I did boost it on my charger for a Qwik start....wasn't but 50 miles later, I stopped charging......for what it's worth.

 

Just wondering because Ive found occasionally the thoughts and plans of engineers work good in theory and on paper but fail miserably in real life. And its next to impossible to convince them they may be in error.

 

I don't just work on paper... plenty of hands on, real world experience and problem solving. And I've got the calluses to prove it.

Try to convince the laws of physics that they may be in error...

 

The laws of physics and an engineer are 2 TOTALY different things. But that IS precisely the infallible attitude Im talking about.

 

I didn't say I was infallible, but until someone in this thread can disproved Ohm's laws, current dividers, voltage dividers, etc... These things have been proven time and time again. You want to get into electronic theory? We can talk about the current model for a substrate based transistor... has over 4000 variables and we still can't fully model how it acts in real life. But RC circuits are RC circuits... and the models have been proven time and time again.


I really don't care how anyone jump starts their bike or car. That's your problem. I'm just tired of the misinformation that know-it-alls like to post on internet forums. Just because you read it on another forum, doesn't make it so. But I have to remember that it isn't my job to educate the unintelligent. You can all believe whatever you like... no skin off my back


Since I have more than 2 functioning brain cells, my bike is always hooked to a trickle charger when parked in the garage not being ridden. Jumping a bike is not something I have to be concerned about. Even my seasonal vehicles are on trickle chargers when not being driven.

 

Ill just go by my manual. Harley manual says make sure jumper engine isnt running......Ill do that. Car manual say make sure jumper engine IS running.......Ill do that. They must be dealing with different laws of physics...........OR..........the 2 systems arent designed the same........one can handle it......one cant

 

I forgot to add, both manufactures know it happens and say it happens in their manuals. One manufactures (Harley) way of dealing with it is to not run the jumper engine. The other manufactures (Ford/Lincoln) way of dealing with it is to go ahead and run the jumper engine but turn your heater fan on to protect from any surges.

 

Guys...maybe I'm missing something here...The AMPERAGE is the issue and not necessarily to the electronics of the bike as much as to the plates in that little bitty motorcycle battery. It is what is going to be instantaneously drawing current as soon as the cables are hooked up, and too much current can warp those plates in the bike battery causing them to contact or shed any sulfides causing a short inside one or more of the cells, thus ruining the battery and causing resultant issues with the bike's charging circuit. The starter doesn't care...it will spin over as long as it gets ANY voltage (it is a DC motor and rotation speed is determined by voltage - output torque is determined by amperage input. That's why you could have an old battery charged to 12V that won't turn a car over, or turns over really slow - because the AMPERAGE, or CCA, has deteriorated with age. Also, the reason you can't start a tractor trailer with a motorcycle battery even though both are 12VDC systems.) When jumping off a car battery, the full rated amperage of the car battery is being immediately applied to the plates of the dead motorcycle battery. The reason this is not a good thing is the same reason why they sell MOTORCYCLE battery chargers (~2A) and AUTO battery chargers (~30AMP). AMPERAGE. Now, if you are stuck with no other option, you do whatever it takes to get it running, even if that means jumping off a freakin' tractor trailer (which gives you about enough amperage to WELD with) as you undoubtedly need a new battery anyway which is what got you into the dilema to begin with.