Adding a second battery for remote work

As long as you do not tie them series you can add as many batteries as you like.

@conquermike what is it you want to power?

..Tom

And how are you going to charge things? The Strom does not have a powerful charger - there is maybe an excess of about 100W available under the best of circumstances. At idle, the charger is barely able to keep up with the ECU, fuel pump and lights.

If you're going to be running power tools, possibly through an inverter, keep a very close eye on your voltmeter. In fact, I would disconnect one of the batteries while doing so, so that you always have enough juice to start the bike.

The Strom cannot be bump-started if the battery is fully depleted.

PerazziMx14 said:

As long as you do not tie them series you can add as many batteries as you like.

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thats what I figured, I'd

V-Tom said:

@conquermike what is it you want to power?

..Tom

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Not much; laptop, drones/cameras, 12v fan for my tent on warmer nights, electric shaver.

BackPacker said:

And how are you going to charge things? The Strom does not have a powerful charger - there is maybe an excess of about 100W available under the best of circumstances. At idle, the charger is barely able to keep up with the ECU, fuel pump and lights.

If you're going to be running power tools, possibly through an inverter, keep a very close eye on your voltmeter. In fact, I would disconnect one of the batteries while doing so, so that you always have enough juice to start the bike.

The Strom cannot be bump-started if the battery is fully depleted.

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I shouldn't need an inverter, all of my devices can be run DC with the highest voltage being my laptop at 18v DC. I'll be topping it off with 50watt folding solar panels from Goal Zero that pack down to the perfect size for fitting on my top case, I mentioned that in the post. I'll carry a jumpstarter with me just in case, but I may also install a low voltage cutoff to keep the cells above 13v per Shorai's manual.

PerazziMx14 said:

As long as you do not tie them series you can add as many batteries as you like.

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with some plastic welding skills it could be possible to have 2x of their largest batteries, I believe 36ah so 72ah total. I'm not on that level yet

I carried a LI battery in the tail of my Wee for a while, the original battery was 11 years old so I carried the LI battery as a replacement should I need it, I never did and gave the bike to my younger brother with the original battery still working.

You may want to think about fitting LED globes and a series regulator to speed up charging, I love my solar but chasing the sun can get tiresome very quickly.

If you have room you can fit a VSR (voltage sensitive relay) it will ensure the bikes starting battery will be charged enough to start the bike before it charges the backup battery.

Rolex said:

I carried a LI battery in the tail of my Wee for a while, the original battery was 11 years old so I carried the LI battery as a replacement should I need it, I never did and gave the bike to my younger brother with the original battery still working.

You may want to think about fitting LED globes and a series regulator to speed up charging, I love my solar but chasing the sun can get tiresome very quickly.

If you have room you can fit a VSR (voltage sensitive relay) it will ensure the bikes starting battery will be charged enough to start the bike before it charges the backup battery.

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Part of doubling up on batteries is in the name of less chasing the sun. By globes do you mean headlights? I've got those which are definitely lessen the load on the alternator, will need to look into a series regulator and ya something like a VSR will be in the mix too to keep the cells happy

You might consider including a 3-way battery switch like they use on boats. They are affordable.

Battery switch is a good idea if you remember to switch it. Have seen plenty of deck apes not tend to things properly when the skipper was away during a mid-season closure.

I always started engine on Batt 1, ran on that until fully recharged then switched to Batt 2 for the next 8-12 hours. Night fishing was always done on Batt 2 so I knew Batt 1 was fully charged in reserve. This dance got easier after I got an alternator that put out 65 amps at idle, much of the fishing was done at low rpm.

A VSR will ensure the starting battery will always have the power to start the bike, another benefit is the power will be pulled from both batteries to a point, this will extend the battery life and speed up the time it takes to charge and it is full auto, no need to remember anything.

NVDucati said:

You might consider including a 3-way battery switch like they use on boats. They are affordable.

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I'll have a switch but it will be externally mounted next to external +/- terminals so I dont have to remove the seat to plug and unplug things. I'm just going to run the batteries simultaneously in parallel and keep a seperate jumpstarter in case of emergencies, but a voltage regulator should ensure its not needed

I am making a plywood/fiberglass box that will live under the muffler on my 2011. It will hold some tools and a couple of 12v sealed lead acid batteries. It will have a 12v power socket and a few USB charging ports. I will have a manual disconnect so the starting battery is never discharged for my "in camp" uses. SLA or AGM batteries like wheelchair batteries are designed to be discharged deeply and recharged many times. They will suffer less damage than starter batteries, who hate deep discharge.

In today's world, the availability to fashion your own (DIY) LiFeP04 Battery has become pretty easy and more affordable than ever. For motorcycle accessory uses one of the chief benifits is that you can choose the shape and size of your batteries. They can be in the shape of a "L" or an arc, circle, hollow square, etc. They are based on the common 18650 cells and a variety of control boards. I'm contemplating making one in an arc to fit up under the rear fender of my Enfield. You can find a ton of instructions and supply houses online. Here is just one: DIY LiFePO4 Battery Pack

The LiPo batteries have come down in cost significantly. Can't beat them for energy density per kg.

If you plan on running the battery down you will be shortening the life of the battery but that can be acceptable as they are not real expensive.

You should learn to left hand start it may just get you going when the battery is low.

Rolex said:

If you plan on running the battery down you will be shortening the life of the battery but that can be acceptable as they are not real expensive.

You should learn to left hand start it may just get you going when the battery is low.

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What is "Left hand start"?

..Tom

V-Tom said:

What is "Left hand start"?

..Tom

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I believe he is referring to the very handy approach to starting a motorcycle when you know the battery is close to being dead. Before you do anything else, you press and hold the starter button which prevents the head light from coming on and using up the last gulp of power.
Then you rely on the safety features which prevent the starter motor from engaging. Huh?
On the older bikes the starter won't work without the clutch being pulled. On the newer ones the starter won't kick in if the bike is in gear and the sidestand is down.
So while holding the starter button with your right hand ... use your "left hand" to turn on the key, and pull the clutch to start the bike. I've actually made that my habit for my SV and '14 V-2 nearly every time just so I don't forget the drill .

@NVDucati

I know this is slightly off topic but I think on my DL1050 it does not disable the headlight when starting. I am not sure and will have to go to my bike to check it but I suspect with having the LED headlights the power draw is not nearly the same issue as it would be on the older systems.

..Tom