StromTrooper banner

Voltage drops

2663 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Catstrom
When I use my heated jacket or grips the volts starts dropping and the Jacket or grips go to low-voltage modeand turn off. Turn them off and the motorcycle charges fine It goes back up to normal.Any opinions?
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
A few questions / tests to help for a better understanding of your ride's charging system:
Check that the battery conections are tight before taking any readings.
1) What is the battery voltage with the bike running over 3,000 rpm and no heated gear turned on? From 3,000 - 5,000 rpm, the charging system should show above 14 volts. Anything under 14 volts at that rpm you could have a burnt stator or faulty voltage regulator.
2) What is the total wattage of the heated accessories? Trying to identify how much load is placed on the battery / charging system vs no accessory.
3) What rpm are you powering up your heated gear? If at idle, you could be draining from a weak battery or weak charging system.
  • Like
Reactions: 1
How is your heated gear wired into your system, the wires for the gear maybe the problem or it may just be the bikes charging system.

If you find your charging system is OK you may need to fit LED globes to your headlights

All these bikes need a volt meter fitted to keep on top of any charging problems.
  • Like
Reactions: 2
If you are day riding then you could unplug one of the headlights to free up a few amps as a temporary solution. However as @Gert says, you need to test the charging system, battery, connections, etc. and add up the amps to see how close you are to the capacity of the generator. I ran heated grips on my 2007 Wee without problems and it has lower power output than 2008 Wee and above so I suspect your charging system is going South.
Stators are a weak point on the Gen 1 bikes. I rode my '08 with the original stator for 60k miles, and it was fine when I sold the bike. The new owner ran it with a heated vest, and the stator promptly and immediately crapped out. :(
Stators produce 100% power 100% of the time so a bigger load will not shorten the life but it can increase the life.
  • Like
Reactions: 1
On my first Wee, an '05 model, I ran Oxford heated grips and both my wife and I wore heated jackets. ( I think they were the 90W versions). I never had a problem with low voltage. Now, disclaimer: I disconnected one of the two head lights when using the heated gear. Also, I always had a battery that was in good condition. Now, we never had to run the heated clothing or grips at full power, normally it was likely at around 50% at most. I dressed properly for conditions and didn't expect the heated gear to do 100% of the work of keeping us warm.
On my 2017 Wee with the volt meter I never saw excessively low voltage with all the gear running. Now, I believe the '17 model did have a slightly higher output charging system so that would have also helped
Remember that heated clothing cycles off and on to maintain temperature. This is where a good battery ;pays off as it picks up the load when the gear comes on and then it catches up on its charging when the gear cycles off. This is one of the key reasons to keep a good battery in the machine as it makes a big difference. A marginal battery may start the bike but may not perform this voltage stabilization function as well. The key to any electrical problem is to FIRST insure there is a good quality, properly charged battery the system. .
See less See more
  • Like
Reactions: 3
If you are unsure on how to use a multimeter, have a look at Multimeters for non-technical people
My battery was tested it fine .
Plus the same gear works fine on my XSR
It turned out the be the stater.
  • Like
Reactions: 1
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top