Is there a way?

[frijoles-and-beans]

Hi Everyone,

I just recently purchased a 1983 GS850GL and having gotten up to speed with the problems concerning the charging systems on these models (stator,R/R) with the stator papers and related reading on the site, I pose this question to the electric gurus listening in.

I am recently back on a motorcycle after many years of not riding and back when I was younger and bulletproof, safety wasn’t really a big concern of mine. I’m a little older and a little wiser now and would simply like to be a little more visible to the caged set.

I was thinking of buying an aftermarket lighting product (specifically underlighting) to make myself a little ball of light out on the road at night. People always talk about not having been able to see the motorcyclist after an accident, and I thought this might be a partial answer to the problem.

Is this technically feasible with a minimalist charging system such as on the GS? Would it help if I took the advice on the stator papers and changed out my stator and rectifier/regulator to an Electrosport brand. Is that not enough? Am I just dreaming? Am I stuck with a minimalist charging system?

I love the GS model, but I know that this is a weak point with it. It would also be nice to one day maybe put in a stereo system or some other equally draining device (fuzzbuster, cigarette lighter, etc.). Will it stay just a nice unattainable daydream, or is there something I could do to realistically beef the charging system up?

[Steve]

Keep it all LEDs and it should not be a problem.

We added some lights to my wife's bike a couple years ago. They would be frowned on by various police departments around the country, but she has not been bothered anywhere we have ridden so far.


In daylight, they are hard to see, even when they are ON.


With them turned OFF, you don't see them at all.


.

[DanTheMan]

I've added a few led lights to mine as well. In the trunk there are two lights, hooked up as tail and brake, and two led on the side of the trunk as running lights. At night they light up the lane to my left and right very well. My original tail/license plate light looks rather dim next to the rest of the lights. I also replaced my sealed beam headlight in my Vetter fairing with an H4 which is much brighter. With my stock electric system I run a CycleSound radio system in my fairing and also have grip heaters and a heated vest that I plug in. With everything running my output voltage on my meter is 12.8-13.4 volts (not at the battery directly, there it measures 14.0 volts).
My turn signals are stock dual filament in the fairing (double as running lights) and on my bags I have single filament amber as well as led red on the outer edges of the lid. I believe in being well lit as well.

[frijoles-and-beans]

Thanks for the input guys,

The kits that I have been looking at (see thumbnail for example) all have LED as the light source so I think I’m golden there. The example is from customdynamics.com but there are many other companies out there.

DanTheMan-I had been worried about the future electrical components (plural) I have yet to install, but it seems that you’re creating quite a draw with no problem at all. Do you use one of those fancy gel batteries or the like?

You know sooner than later I am going to take the advice of many on here and spend a little while breaking down the connections, cleaning them up, and making sure each one ends up as a solid lead.

[DanTheMan]

Thanks for the input guys,

The kits that I have been looking at (see thumbnail for example) all have LED as the light source so I think I’m golden there. The example is from customdynamics.com but there are many other companies out there.

DanTheMan-I had been worried about the future electrical components (plural) I have yet to install, but it seems that you’re creating quite a draw with no problem at all. Do you use one of those fancy gel batteries or the like?

You know sooner than later I am going to take the advice of many on here and spend a little while breaking down the connections, cleaning them up, and making sure each one ends up as a solid lead.

Hey Senor frijoles,
I do use a fancy battery, it's an AGM (absorbed glass mat), I found they last longer than the lead acid and better draw down. They do cost twice as much, but I use them for more than twice as long before they quit, which I think is a good trade. I did finally blow out the original stator on my last trip (CA & back on a lot of fun roads, about 7k miles, it's in GS stories).
I think the main reason I fried the stator was allowing the oil to get too low which allowed the stator to get too hot....but it had 87k miles on it by then. It quit charging at the top of Rocky Mtn National Park 12,000 some odd feet up, so getting down to Estes Park wasn't real difficult. If I stopped, it died, but a bump start was easy since I was headed downhill.

[bobthebiker88]

adding LEDs is no issue for pretty much any charging system. the power draw from LED lighting, well, to equal the current draw of one standard filament turn signal bulb, would require a LOT of lights. they make a lot of light with nearly zero current draw.

check your local laws regarding colors you may lawfully use before you go adding though.

in regards to being visible, the "I didnt see him" excuse, is exactly that. an excuse for not looking. I see it all too often, hear it too often and know its merely an excuse for people who are too stupid/lazy to look for ONE headlight instead of two, or have no business being behind the wheel. but thats a very very political rant I'll save for another thread someday.

wear bright colors like safety yellow at night. there are actualy jackets out there that have panels of "hi viz" yellow that is reflective and will make you VERY hard to not see at night. give this a little thought, easy way to upgrade your protective gear AND improve visibility a little.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Extra lighting is nice and I'm still considering ways to make my bike more visible. I the meantime I make myself more visible like this:



Click the pictures. Ironpony.com has them on sale right now - 2 for $30.

I may look like a dork, but at least they see the dork.



I kind of like the Hyper-lite LED products. See: http://www.hyperlites.com/

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[bobthebiker88]

BassCliff, thats EXACTLY the gear I was referring to. almost nobody in the world will call that illegal, considering its a safety item.

[MBanks]

BassCliff, thats EXACTLY the gear I was referring to. almost nobody in the world will call that illegal, considering its a safety item.

I would also refrain from using any blue or red lights. Blues for sure will get you pulled where I am!

[frijoles-and-beans]

Yeah, it's why I went green with the example. I looked into it before I posted, and around here green is legal.

Really the bigger question rattling around in my head is the last part of the post. Is there a way to get more out of the charging system? Maybe I am being too anal about this, but really just imagine that I am going to hook up every power draining device that you can possibly fit on the bike. Is there an upgrade that I can do to the bike that will allow for such (if somewhat exaggerated) actions?

Thanks for all the contributions gentlemen; much appreciated!

[bobthebiker88]

well, start by replacing the signal bulbs and tail ligh with some LEDs if possible. focus on bright ones from kuryakin or however you spell their name. they make a setup that is LED, and from what I see, BRIGHT AS DAY. this will help reduce SOME of the load on your charging system. a 35W HID kit will also free up a little power, but requires a proper headlight configuration to not blind oncoming drivers.

[frijoles-and-beans]

bobthebiker88,

You know, I like that angle-reduce the amount of power that I am currently consuming-I was thinking of an aftermarket whachamajigit but hadn't really considered just cutting down what I am using now. I think I will take that advice and see where it takes me.

Thanks

[Steve]

I kind of like the Hyper-lite LED products. See: http://www.hyperlites.com/

.
We have the Universal kit on the back of my wife's bike. Very nice.

My sister has the 3-in-1 kit on the back of her bike. Very NICER.

I would also refrain from using any blue or red lights. Blues for sure will get you pulled where I am!

That's why we have a switch on them.

.

[frijoles-and-beans]

You know Steve,

I really like that 3-in-1 kit, plus the under-lighting as well.

I’m gonna look like a frickin’ Christmas tree after I’m through with this bike.