The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
Technical Discussion => BMW Technical Q&A, Primarily R65 => Topic started by: NC Steve on July 09, 2007, 07:06:02 PM
-
I'm looking to ad a "plug" to Ol' Blue, because my '84 didn't come from the factory with the dandy BMW auxiliary power socket/outlet (#4) pictured below. (I do have a #3 and part of #1, but try to avoid #2!)
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi146.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr261%2Fsteve2371%2Fhammersley.png&hash=68fb1f15dc874ad7cec18f58b4d56d7199c60eb8)
Do I really need to use the BMW part, with it's $50 price tag, or would something like this (https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi146.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr261%2Fsteve2371%2Fpowerlet.jpg&hash=9610b126d04031e65c6c392888f813b5f19640eb) , made for BMWs by http://www.powerlet.net/products/plugs_sockets.php and priced @ $24 work just as well? For that matter, would a $5 WallyWorld Special be fine too? Any other suggestions??
Thanks much! ;)
-
Steve, I think the first problem that you are going to have is mounting it, the outlet needs to go through a sheet-metal bracket as it probably has a nut on the backside that secures it. If you are going to use the after market outlet for heated clothing, it might not be robust enough to handle the electrical load. But if you are just going to use it to charge the battery, it probably will do the job.
-
Can the charging system provide enough power? I have been wondering about this same project for my 81 R65.
-
Steve
It would not take much to make the bracket item #7. I have the BMW kits installed on my bikes. The only problem is that the plug is not standard. The other kit does it use standard plugs or can you get extra plug to change what you plug into the outlet. Also the bracket mount to the LH upper shock bolt and sticks down below the sub frame forward of the shock.
Don
-
Thanks guys, these are the questions I need answers to, as I'm really not sure about the size of the socket, what adapters are needed, etc. Probably all I'd ever use it for was to charge my cell phone, and maybe to power a small 12V compressor to add air to tires, both of which I could do with the engine/charging system running. Although, it would be nice to find an adapter to charge my camera's ni-cad battery too.
Thing is, I don't want to order the wrong thing online trying to go the cheapo route, and also don't feel right about going down to worry my local BMW guys and then walking out to buy elsewhere. I've got a feeling you could tie up a bundle of $$$ in adapters and such too, depending. As far as bracketry, I was possibly considering mounting thru a side cover, as they're already black plastic, and could be reinforced on the back side for strength.
Hmmmm, maybe I should only stay at campgrounds with 120V AC at each site... ::)
-
Not sure why you want to spend all that money on a plug. Personal choice of course.
The BMW plug is designed to handle electrical clothing and pretty much anything else. And yes, the R65 charging system can handle electrical clothing. It uses the same charging system as all the other airheads. You don't have a lot of extra watts to play with, but it handles heated grips and an electric vest just fine. If you want auxiliary lights as well, then you will need to turn off the grips and vest :o
Myself, all our bikes are set up with the ubiquitous SAE plug. You can get them anywhere, for $2-$3. Add in a fuse and you are good to go. Make the female the 'live' wire. I also put a SAE plug on my battery chargers.
The bikes are setup with two plugs on every bike, hanging down 6-9" from the left side sidecover. One plug is switched to a switch on the dash via a relay and tied to the ignition. ( so off when ignition switch is off) This is for the electric vest. The other is unswitched direct from battery and is used for the battery charger, tent light etc. It is also there as backup if the regular plug fails on that cold winter drive home!
-
This looks identical to the harness that came with my Battery Tender! I will get around to mounting it some day, but with an Odyssey the bikes rarely need to go "on the tender"...
-
That is the same harness that came with my Battery Tender, it's been on the bike for over a year and used dutifully with the charger.
Chris, are you saying that this same harness can be used in "reverse", feeding power out of the battery? Jeez, if so, that would solve the whole issue. Cool! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
Where can I obtain adapters/connectors to allow use of a standard-type 12V "cigar lighter" plug?
-
Yeah, a direct connection to the battery is a two-way street. As far as adapters, I have no idea. BUT, Harbor Freight (and others) make a lighter socket with wires/alligator clips that one could cut off the gator clips and solder in the correct plug to mate with this harness.
-
...and Harbor Freight's "Dollar Days" sale starts here today too, I think, just in time for my trip to Willville & the Running of The Urals. 8-)
Maybe I can stop in there & look around tonight on my way home from work...
Oh, Happy Day! [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif] [smiley=thumbsup.gif] [smiley=clap.gif]
-
Troy, the maximum output of the stock charging system is 280 watts. The normal load on the charging system, with no accessories, is about 100 - 120 watts, so you do have some power to add accessories, but just remember, that the 280 watts is at higher riding speeds. If you are using an accessory like my driving lights , PIAA 40's (2, 55 watt lights) you will wear the battery down to where it won't be able to operate the starter, after about 45 minutes of 'city driving'. So you have to limit the heavy power use accessories when in other than highway riding. I rigged up my digital multimeter directly to the battery, and velcroed it to the gas cap, to see what kind of voltage I had at the battery, while I was riding at varying speeds and accessory loads. I found that on my '81 R65, that as long as I don't ride under 45 mph, with no stopping, I can keep my driving lights on, anything slower, and the charging system was not making enough electrical power to meet the needs of the load, so the battery starts discharging. Also remember that if you do add accessories, you are now running your charging system at near it's maximum output, and that you most likely have original charging system components ( 20-28 years old), and may cause a premature failure. There are two after market high output charging systems available for our bikes, the Omega 400 watt system, and the Enduralast 450 watt system. They are in the $500-600 cost range.
-
That is the same harness that came with my Battery Tender, it's been on the bike for over a year and used dutifully with the charger.
Chris, are you saying that this same harness can be used in "reverse", feeding power out of the battery? Jeez, if so, that would solve the whole issue. Cool! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
Where can I obtain adapters/connectors to allow use of a standard-type 12V "cigar lighter" plug?
As stated in above replies, electricity flows both ways, but runs downhill easier, which is why my cords hang down beside my sidecovers . ;)
The two prong SAE plugs can be bought anywhere. Quite often in a place like Wal-Mart they would be in the trailer accessory section, but any auto supply will also have them. Aftermarket cigarette lighter plugs, both male and female are also available. These are all just two wire applications. You can merrily cut off the plug your don't want and with a bit of electrical tape join on the plug you do want. Of course you can do as neat or messy a job as want.
Personally, I have had occasional problems with cigarette plugs on a bike, due to vibration causing occasional flaky connections. The SAE plugs make a solid connection, and although definitely not as robust as the BMW single pole plugs, they are readily available anywhere in North America and they are cheap. If you have multiple bikes (3), multiple electric vests (my wife and I {2}), multiple chargers (2), accessories like GPS (2), the SAE plug makes everything interchangeable at a reasonable cost.
-
Troy, the maximum output of the stock charging system is 280 watts. The normal load on the charging system, with no accessories, is about 100 - 120 watts, so you do have some power to add ................
Good writeup Bob. I find that when I do use my driving lights it is generally only at speed in open country, and they go off in areas where I am under 45mph. Similarly with electric vest ( 40 watts, not a full jacket with heated sleeves) and heated grips (40 watts) they are generally on at speed, and they quite often get turned off in slower city traffic as it is quite often warmer. Also, quite often if my vest is on, it warms the blood enough to not require the grips.
And like most of us, would love to have the Omega or Enduralst systems, if it wasn't so damn expensive. :(
-
I found an interesting website for power outlets on the Motorrad Elektrik website, the site is powerlet.com.
-
Yeah, Bob, that's who I referenced in the 1st post in the thread, it's www.powerlet.net.
They've got lots of nice stuff, made to/for BMW specs (they say), and a lot less expensive than BMW but still not "cheap".
I'm going to check on the costs & labor involved in homemaking some devices, but then may turn to them if I go with "fancy store-bought" parts. I just really like the idea of backfeeding thru the Battery Tender harness that's already on the bike, kind of a "2 birds with 1 stone" approach, you know?
Don't know why I never considered that in the 1st place!
Thanks again for everybody's help. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
-
Well, no luck finding the SAE connectors/plugs at Harbor Freight, and, shockingly, none at Advance Auto or AutoZone either, anthough it was strictly "no hable ingles" at the latter, so who knows? ::)
Luckily I remembered that the Battery Tender also came with a 2nd set of cables with alligator clips on one end, so I jet on home and, sure enough, they have an inline fuse & SAE on the other end. In business.
But, now do I want the standard "cigar lighter" attachment, or the BMW-type Powerlet socket, which look smaller in diameter and is more expensive: both are "Great for cell phones, GPS units and heated vests!" The cell charger works "great!" now in my car's standard 12V hole, as does my little compressor. Go cheap with the Universal Cigar Lighter socket? :-/
-
I wouldn't put a cigar lighter plug on the bike at all. Means you have to make a bracket to support it and some method to cover it when not in use, keep water and dirt out, etc.
If you must have a cigar lighter male plug on your cell phone charger etc. , then make up a short adapter cable with a female cigar lighter plug then 6 inches of wire and then an SAE plug.
Every where I go, the SAE plugs generally come in a plastic pouch of two plugs joined together with 12" of wire. You just cut it in half. In the trailer departments of an auto store, they should have 2, 3, and four pin SAE plugs. In a pinch you could use a 4 -pin and not connect two of the wires! Female cigar plugs are quite often found where people want multiple accessories, so one male splitting off to two females. Just cut off one female and splice it too your SAE plug.
Lots of cheap and easy possibilities.
-
Thanks Chris. Yes, I'm making up one of these, with a short wire, and leave it easily disconnectible (sp?) at the Battery Tender SAE junction that's already hardwired to the battery.
I figured I'd keep it with my tools under the seat, and be able to plug 'er up as needed to charge or run something. I don't expect it to see hardcore use, although I may look into one of those 12VDC to 110VAC converters to run the camera's lithium ion battery charger: pain in the a#@... [smiley=furious3.gif]
Maybe I'll get a little more technically correct in the future, but that'll be on a larger roadeater like the R100RSs I've been eying lately... ;)
-
Alright I know I am reviving a 2+ year old post (don't complain that I never search the archives) but this old bit just saved quite a lot of hassle.
I will be heading on my first real trip (1300ish miles) and was wondering how I was going to keep my cell phone charged. I was very skeptical that the R65LS electrical system would produce enough extra juice; thankfully this post proved me wrong.
Thanks
Fissel the Missile
-
SAE plugs are very useful and small and can be bought with a weather cover if you want sometimes. On LRB one SAE plug hangs down the left side near the battery for the electric heated liner, the bike's battery charger. I put a another SAE poking out at the steering head area and ziptied it there for heated wraps on handgrips, cigarette socket/SAE connection to my small aa/aaa battery charger or cell phone charger, or even my power inverter 100 watts for my bluetooth helmet. I think I am covered! THanks to Chris BC I got my upgraded 400 watt system installed by myself from Enduralast, used Eastern Beaver auxiliary light wiring harness for my new 35 watt PIAA H3 bulbs which work in my new cheap auxiliary lights.
I have not put in the HID replacement bulb that riding buddy David gave me for xmas from FutureVision in Winnipeg. Just too much wire under the gastank. I am saving the HID for a new bike!
Good luck and thanks for finding and posting that old thread. I really enjoyed reading it!
-
Sue, how were the shipping costs from Eastern Beaver ?
I'm tempted to purchase some of their wiring harnesses, for headlight and driving light wiring replacements .