Amp Gauage 4 a GS1100

[Guest]

I had the dreaded dead battery the other day. I was lucky to be on a street with an incline. I bump started it, raced home, and the bike died as I made the turn into my driveway. I guess Suzy knows her way.

I found a broken wire and all is well again, quick fix, lucky. I bought a SunPro ampmeter and mounted it to my fairing dash. I hooked it to my fuse block and grounded it, as recomended in the 5 language instructions. The needle jumps around quite a bit at times. Anyone install one of these, and where did you pick up your power from? There has to be a better source, more steady, to hook it into. OH, I wanted to have the gauge as a warning for electrical problems. With all the dummy lights on the dash you'd think Suzuki would have put one for the charging system. :roll:

Thanks,
Chris

[Jethro]

I would hook it right to the battery termanals through a 30amp fuse.

[Anonymous]

Ammeter/Voltmeter

Chris,
An Ammeter needs to be connected in series, in other words in line, in the main positive circuit between the reulator/rectifier and the positive terminal of the battery. I was going to instal one on my GS1100 but decided a Voltmeter was more suitable and much easier to instal. You can connect it to any of the accessory leads that is live when the key is on, and ground. I put mine in yesterday and it works perfectly. Since the power source for the gauge is keyed, I hooked up the light in the gauge right to main terminals at the back of the gauge and it works fine. The specification in the Suzuki manual for my bike is 13.5 to 15.5 volts at 5000 rpm and mine runs at exactly 15 volts at that speed.
Bob
GS1100GKE

[stiksave]

Bob,

Old guys call everything a ampmeter. It's a voltage meter(gauge). Remember the old gauges with the plus or minus off of center. Anyway, where did you hook the positive side of your guage? With a Fluke meter I get 14.1 at the battery terminals with the bike running. The gauge reads 10 to 12 the way it's hooked up now, and bounces all over ,at times.

Chris

[Anonymous]

Chris, now you've got me really confused. An ammeter (amp meter) has the - 0 + scale but an automotive 12 volt voltmeter usually has (the one I bought does anyway) a scale starting on the left side at O, about 12 in the centre and 18 on the right and says Volts right on the face of the scale. The terminals on the back are marked + and - and the + I hooked to an extra accessory wire inside the front fairing just in behind the left signal/park lamp that is live when the key is on and not live when the key is off. That way it doesn't draw any current and kill the battery when the bike if off
Bob
GS1100GKE

[Steve]

Also be sure that the - (minus) side is well-connected to a good ground. Might be best straight to the battery.

On my bike (not a Suzuki), I have a relay that is controlled by the key. The relay powers the voltmeter, along with a few other low-powered items. Best to have the voltmeter connection as close to the battery as possible.

[stiksave]

Sorry for the confusion. It is a voltmeter. I think I have it straightened out. Glad I puttered with this. I had to stip about 2 foot of wiring harness. One of the grounds looked like it got energized during it's lifetime. So there was a mess hiding inside of the harness cover. Stripped and unstuck the cooked wires and had to rewire a ground and tape some bare spots on some others. It never ends. Gotta love it.

Thanks,
Chris