Heated products

[F5 Dave]

Think they were pulling about 2A ea on flat ‘nackers I wasn’t really concerned as I think the RF has a fairly grunty alternator & had no drama over 8 days using the bike.

I just replaced my GS1100G with the RF so I know what you mean, one of the reasons I bought the new bike was to not have to worry about it. If you still have it replace the std suzi rec/reg with a Yamaha or Honda one & feed the extra wire the suzi doesn’t have into a wire that becomes live when the ignition is on, its basically a voltage check feedback.

Make sure the battery is always ok & oil level is not low or it stresses the alternator. High wattage bulbs are out of the question. I’m sure you’ll know all this but worth a mention.

'Guilty' is an emotion that passes I am reliably told.

[pete376403]

thanks for that tip about the regulator. I was seriously considering getting an Electrex one or maybe building my own. Big prob with the Suzi system is that only two phases are regulated, the third phase is only switched on with the lights but it's unregulated. If a bulb goes then all the volts go to the battery and it cooks up fast.
I'm using a gel-cel battery from a computer UPS, its quite a bit bigger than the standard item. I've also relocated the regulator to under the steering head so it gets better cooling.

[F5 Dave]

Um, I thought the 3rd phase was just grounded when the lights were off.

Thinking about it that is one of the symptoms of a duff regulator is the headlight bulbs blow frequently from over voltage, plus it will boil the battery & over work the alternator which is flat out.

The high voltage often fries the ignition as well. The alternator which will burn out from plain old age is hurried to the call by a duff reg or battery.

My 550, kat 750, borrowed 1000, & 11 all fell victim to some extent.

[vifferman]

I've also relocated the regulator to under the steering head so it gets better cooling.

Excellent idea! I did that too on my VFR, in conjunction with a beefier R/R, no plugs in the charging system wiring loom, and heavier gauge wiring from stator to R/R to battery.
Having done all that, I had to do the same thing on the VTR, but didn't bother with the R/R under the headstock.

I used to think that heated stuff was a bit unnecessary in NZ apart from down in the sunny south, but as I like to wear really thin-palmed gloves (which I can feel the cold from the levers through in the winter!), I can understand getting them. However, my commute is too short and the VTR's alternator output (280W) too low to entertain the idea. Especially with a 90/130W headlamp....

[pete376403]

The the three coils of the alternator are connected in delta. If the headlight switch grounded anything then two coils would be grounded. Output wouldn't be much. Check the GS resources www.thegsresources.com for the full story (look for "the stator papers")

[F5 Dave]

"Check the GS resources www.thegsresources.com for the full story (look for "the stator papers")"

Actually I'd prefer to forget the whole sordid arrangement.

[Kickaha]

Dunno but my first trip to USA back in 1980 I bought (for a bit of a laugh) a pair of "Electra Sox" for my brother. They ran on standard alkaline batteries and had little heating thingies at the end of the toes. They made all sorts of other clothes at the time, but I haven't looked for them since but I am sure if you searched the net there is probably something available.

There was an article about a locally made sock that works off a 7.2 volt? battery in the Christchurch press the other day,they have just gone into production,couldn't tell you where to find them though.

[bgd]

I think you can run the gerbing heated jacket (i.e. with sleeves) off a battery - try here (www.gerbing.co.uk). I'm sure they'll ship to NZ but no idea of cost.

[F5 Dave]

Yeah I looked at gerbing but they were more expensive & reports I read (ain't the web grand?) suggested they had localised hot spots

[bgd]

I use the gerbing with a heat controller which allows me to set the temps. Haven't really noticed hotspots other than the arms where it is very tight (worn under leathers). On a cold day any heated jacket (that works!) is good