How to set up a wire for a Battery Tender.?

2984 Views 11 Replies 8 Participants Last post by drrod, 6 mo ago

Spade

Discussion Starter · 7 mo ago

I have a new 2022 Strom and I've added the usual ad ons of crash bars, skid plate and a center stand. Now I'm looking to install a hot lead so I can plug in my battery tender. If there is a lead somewhere on the bike I haven't seen it. While I'm at it I will probably ad a plug for a gps or phone charger. Where do I tap in? So far the motorcycle has been flawless after around 2,000 miles of road riding. I've only ridden gravel for around 25 miles and there were no obstacles. If I venture off road on anything serious I better look into changing tires because I do not believe the stock factory tires will cut it.

I understand Suzuki will quit making the V-Strom engine and replace it with something more economical to build. Have any of you heard this rumor?

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Silver Badger

· #2 · 7 mo ago

I use a Power Let outlet. It's the same configuration as a BMW plug. There's also Quick Connect and SAE. SAE is probably the most common. They'll connect to battery terminals. Then run the plug-in lead out the left side of the bike. That way you can use it to plug in an electric vest.

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Motorpsychology

· #3 · 7 mo ago

I wired my Battery Tender JR directly to the battery using the supplied SAE plug. I also modified the lead for my Oxford Heaterz grips with an SAE plug, which I plug into the BT Jr plug during the riding season. I have a 12-gang fuse block also on the battery terminals for all the other gizmos.

A search of this forum yields a topic on the 2023 DL800DE.

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Rolex

· #4 · 7 mo ago

Your tender will come with a lead that will bolt to the battery posts

When fitting them I like to cut the ends out of the rings so they look like a C or a U

Then you don't need to remove the battery bolt's now or in the future you just loosen them and slip the rings in or out

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Spade

Discussion Starter · #5 · 7 mo ago

Rolex,
I like that tip. Will do.

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Dado8

· #6 · 7 mo ago

Rolex said:
When fitting them I like to cut the ends out of the rings so they look like a C or a U

seems like good idea, what about reducing the "surface for electrons to travel" when cutting the ring by cca 20% ?
...thinking that heated gear would need as much juice as possible...not an electrician

tried to Google for some answers, but it's waaay over my head

current is supposed to flow through all parts of the conductor, although not necessarily with equal current density. If the conductor is perfect, the electric field vanishes but there may be non-zero current density inside. Surface component of current can be probably neglected for situations with stationary current.

The conclusion that charge is located entirely on the surface of a conducting wire arises when using the assumptions that:

The wire has a net charge
There is a fully steady state situation

Both of these are completely misplaced assumptions regarding a current-carrying wire. The wire may or may not have a net charge. Even if it did, it could be negative or positive. No matter what you assume, it should be clear that the charge has no impact on the ability to conduct charge and thus the effective resistance.
Why should this be true? Because current pushes electrons through which are in the conduction band. Unless you're using a truly insane voltage level, the charge does not significantly affect the total density of charge. The electric potential buildup is due to a marginal change in the balance of charge, which is tiny compared to the total population of conduction band electrons.
To be be painfully explicit about this, let us reflect that the Debye length quantifies the distance from the surface where you have notable charge buildup. This is determined by balancing the charge buildup effects with the electric field. This length is small, and it has nothing to do with current or AC frequency or anything like that. It is just the distance over which the surplus surface charge is smeared.
more here:

https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/131638/do-electrons-flow-only-on-the-surface-of-a-wire

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Rolex

· #7 · 7 mo ago

You will have no problems, the area left will carry more current than any part of the bike can produce including the starter motor.

Look at the cross section of the wire then compare that to the ring.

If you get the cut out just right you will need to push the connector onto the bolt but even if the cut out is a little big you will not have a issue

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Improperly Torqued

· #8 · 6 mo ago

If you're thinking of attaching more than one electrical accessory - and who isn't? - you should start the right way by adding an auxiliary fuse box, such as the PC8 from Eastern Beaver. Make ONE connection to the battery, use their switching and relay leads to avoid any factory harness modifications at all, hang all your custom bits off the aux fuse box, and be happy.

I have my charging lead hanging off one of the unswitched ports on the PC8. A Battery Tender only needs 3A max.

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StretchNM

· #9 · 6 mo ago

Improperly Torqued said:
If you're thinking of attaching more than one electrical accessory - and who isn't? - you should start the right way by adding an auxiliary fuse box, such as the PC8 from Eastern Beaver. Make ONE connection to the battery, use their switching and relay leads to avoid any factory harness modifications at all, hang all your custom bits off the aux fuse box, and be happy.

I have my charging lead hanging off one of the unswitched ports on the PC8. A Battery Tender only needs 3A max.

Did you install just the PC8? I'm at their website and there is a confusing amount of other hardware they sell (besides just the PC8). I know, being electronically challenged is my fault, but do you have a picture or drawing of your setup?

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Improperly Torqued

· #10 · 6 mo ago

I have had a PC8 on both my Wees. I don't have useful pics, but search around the forum; it's a very common upgrade. Eastern Beaver's web site is terrible, and their shipping is slow, but their products are top-shelf and they are nice folks. The kit you need is on this page. VStrom
("PC-8 with Relay Kit for New DLs $112.95").

To add any electricals, you do need to be able to understand very basic DC wiring, though, so mind your comfort level, and always disconnect the negative battery terminal before doing any work.

A big advantage of using an auxiliary fuse box is that you make only one connection to the battery and another plug for power-on signaling, so no matter how much crap you add, if you screw something up, you can disconnect everything you've done in just a few minutes. Having a rollback plan makes it all less stressful.

Honestly, the hardest part, by far, is cleanly routing and securing cables. For anything going to the front of the motorcycle, you're pulling the fuel tank; kind of a pain. And getting everything tidy in the underseat tray is harder on a Gen 3 Wee than on the older models, cuz the tray is quite a bit smaller.

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StretchNM

· #11 · 6 mo ago

Improperly Torqued said:
I have had a PC8 on both my Wees. I don't have useful pics, but search around the forum; it's a very common upgrade. Eastern Beaver's web site is terrible, and their shipping is slow, but their products are top-shelf and they are nice folks. The kit you need is on this page. VStrom ("PC-8 with Relay Kit for New DLs $112.95"). To add any electricals, you do need to be able to understand very basic DC wiring, though, so mind your comfort level, and always disconnect the negative battery terminal before doing any work. A big advantage of using an auxiliary fuse box is that you make only one connection to the battery and another plug for power-on signaling, so no matter how much crap you add, if you screw something up, you can disconnect everything you've done in just a few minutes. Having a rollback plan makes it all less stressful. Honestly, the hardest part, by far, is cleanly routing and securing cables. For anything going to the front of the motorcycle, you're pulling the fuel tank; kind of a pain. And getting everything tidy in the underseat tray is harder on a Gen 3 Wee than on the older models, cuz the tray is quite a bit smaller.

That's a big help. Gracias

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drrod

· #12 · 6 mo ago

I wired my tender lead directly to the battery. Used 10 ga wire, put in a 15 amp fuse, and used a SAE plug on the end. I can use the lead for the tender, air compressor, jump start, heated gear, etc. without having to worry about overloading the circuit.
If you get something like this, you end up with 2 SAE connectors that you can use for whatever you want to plug in.

Amazon.com : 10Gauge Sae Extension Cable 10AWG - 6FT Sae to Sae Cable Battery Charger Extension Cord Heavy Duty 10AWG Quick Disconnect Sae 2Pin Connector Solar Panel Power Connect Plug Harness with Waterproof Cap : Tools & Home Improvement

Amazon.com : 10Gauge Sae Extension Cable 10AWG - 6FT Sae to Sae Cable Battery Charger Extension Cord Heavy Duty 10AWG Quick Disconnect Sae 2Pin Connector Solar Panel Power Connect Plug Harness with Waterproof Cap : Tools & Home Improvement

www.amazon.com

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