Lighting Electrical Issues

[B Evil]

Ok, so I've never been pleased with the stock lighting on my GS 550 and kicked around the idea of installing an HID kit but then my dad gave me a set of spot lights from when he upgraded his on his Harley. It took me awhile to figure out how and where to mount them but finally figured it out and got them mounted and wired. I used a relay triggered by the running lights and ran the main power straight to the battery with a 10 amp in line fuse. So they work great and got them aimed perfectly and I love them but..... after riding to work and stopping to get lunch on the way the bike wouldn't start when I came back out. The battery was completely drained. So I had to push start the bike to make it to work and again to leave work to go home. I did end up pulling the inline fuse out so the new spotlights wouldn't kill the bike on the way home.

Are the electrical systems on these bikes speced out so that it can't even handle an additional 10 amps? Is there anything else I can add into the electrical system to give it the extra amperage it needs or am I just SOL with trying to use the spot lights?

Thanks in advance for any and all help...
Bradley

[Steve]

Yep, I think you are just SOL, especially with the 550. Some of the larger bikes had a little bit in reserve, but 10 amps is pushing it, even for them.

Now, if you have them on a switch and only use them when the engine speed is up, you might get away with it, but any time you drop engine speed, the charging system slows down, too. When you use your brake, it will definitely drain the battery.

If you want to keep the lights on the bike, make sure you have a switch so you can select when you use them, and also install a voltmeter so you can see if you can electrically afford to run them.

.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

There is not a lot of extra current from these classic charging systems. What kind of voltage to you get across the battery at 4000 rpm? Is your charging system in tip-top shape?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[almarconi]

Are the electrical systems on these bikes speced out so that it can't even handle an additional 10 amps?

I'd be surprised if the lights were drawing 10 amps, what is the wattage of the bulbs. Watts = Amps*Volts. If 10 amps, then you have a 120 Watts, thats a big bulb considering most headlights are 55 or 60 watts. You might be able to get some LED bulbs that put out an equivalent amount of light with less wattage.