Can the 2014 Super Tenere ES alternator handle this?

[sigeye]

I'm heading off north 2-up soon and I'll be running the following off and on during the trip. Should I be worried about the alternator's ability to hold-up to this on my '14 Super Tenere ES?

1. Baja Designs OnX light bar (only at night if we get caught out at night)
2. LED Converted headlamps by Cyclops
3. Garmin Zumo 590
4. Charging 1-2 cell phones at times
5. (2) pairs of Firstgear Heated Gloves (1 pair for each of us at 15 watts each)
6. (2) heated Firstgear Jacket liners (1 liner for each of us at 90 watts each)
7. This is my first use of heated gear, so I presume that I will not be running my heated grips in conjunction with the gear

Thanks!

 

[Checkswrecks]

I don't have the wattage for the lights but am quite sure that if you run all the heated gear and lights at max, you'll be well over what the bike can produce. (The phones and GPS are minor by comparison.) Further, the amperage provided is a function of engine speed, so if you are going through towns, your situation will be worse than on highways.

That said, we've run two jackets, gloves, and occasionally a Rigid light bar with no problem. The reason is that in reality we never run the jackets or gloves at anything near full power. It's in the 20s (F) by the time mine is cranked up and Karen would never be on the back when it's that cold.


Since there are variables on both sides (supply and draw) the best answer would be to install a voltmeter that you can watch, or an ammeter. You could also stick a temporary voltmeter into the cigarette lighter socket. If you search the electrics sub-section of the forum there are a number of installation threads for how others have done it.

 

[sigeye]

Thanks for your reply and insight. I assume we would rarely use high power from the heated gear as well, but I've never used any before and I just don't know yet. We'll be 2-up in Yellowstone and Glacier NP'd during the first week of September and I imagine the mornings will be pretty cold.

The voltmeter is a good suggestion and I'll find a way to do this. I wonder if my Zumo 590 will read it out given that it is hard wired..?

Thanks again.




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[eemsreno]

A 600 watt Alternator is only 600 at high RPM.
Just putting around on Yellowstone 45 MPH roads it might only put out half that much.
Just with two heated vest on if I turn up my heated grips, My wife will ask me in about five minutes if I turned up my grips. She loses heat in her vest.
You won't hurt anything [unless you drain the battery just to much and it won't start next time] but you might not be as warm as you think you'll be.

Have fun in Yellowstone and Glacier, Hope most of the traffic is gone when you get there.

Steve

 

[hojo in sc]

The first thing I put on a new bike is a digital voltmeter, something like this;

http://datelmeters.com/

I suspect you will be okay with what you want to run, as long as you are at HIGH RPM's, once your going slow, you will be drawing too much.

 

[Cycledude]

The big plus is your Cyclops LED headlights they use much less electricity than the stock bulbs.

A voltmeter would be a very handy tool for your situation.

As long as you don't use the heated gear to much at slow speeds I think you will be fine.

 

[VRODE]

I've run a digital voltmeter on all my bikes since my VFR (a necessity for that one). With my heated grips on medium and my heated vest on the voltmeter drops from 14.3 to 14.2v on my 2016 ES. I have Cyclops lights as well. The alternator is world's better than my FZ1 which could not keep up at idle with this load (I'd turn off the jacket at stoplights)
2 sets of gloves and 2 jackets might be more than the alternator can handle at low revs (below 3k). A voltmeter will go a long way in helping you figure out the effects of the increased load. I don't know why Yamaha didn't include one in all the plethora of info available.

 

[sigeye]

Thanks for the advise everyone. I'm searching for a good and waterproof volt meter that will mount easily.

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[Spider]

Here's what I use. Easy to mount one LED, and it has been bulletproof reliable for the past few years.

https://clearwaterlights.com/collections/all-products-1/products/clearwater-voltage-sentry

 

[patrickg450]

good thread, good discussion...........


I'd like to add I have a volt meter, yes it works, yes it helps you. Like Steve said putting around you wont have that much as you are at low RPMs. Easy fix....run the heated gear at low, take turns cycling on/off. Let her run high until she is warm then cut her down, if she gets cold YOU will be miserable. If you hit a small town drop the bike down to a lower gear, keep the RPMs up for a bit. At the slower speeds there will be less wind, wont need as much heated gear.

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-battery-alternator-tester-66842.html

If you are not comfortable installing a meter, this is a cheap alternative to help you out.

 

[Brick]

Any of these voltage meters are simply mounted off the battery... Right?!?! One lead to a positive source and one lead to ground.



Let's Ride!
Brick

 

[hojo in sc]

I prefer digital meters over those that show a light within a voltage range, this way I know exactly what is coming out of the battery/alternator (amp meter is better than a volt meter but volt meter is more popular). I also prefer to come off the battery rather than a powered source or from a wire that is sharing power (horn, light, etc). Then finally, you can put an on/off switch between the meter and the battery, so that the meter doesn't take too much from the battery when you aren't riding enough. Most (small) digital meters do not draw that much power so draining the battery won't be a problem.

here is one example

http://wonmeter.com/

This is one that I prefer:

http://cyclemax.com/inc/sdetail/4231

 

[Checkswrecks]

The next thing is where to put it. The Gen1 and Gen2 bikes have dash panels available, or they are easy to make yourself.


http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=14382.msg227640#msg227640

 

[AVGeek]

I prefer digital meters over those that show a light within a voltage range, this way I know exactly what is coming out of the battery/alternator (amp meter is better than a volt meter but volt meter is more popular). I also prefer to come off the battery rather than a powered source or from a wire that is sharing power (horn, light, etc). Then finally, you can put an on/off switch between the meter and the battery, so that the meter doesn't take too much from the battery when you aren't riding enough. Most (small) digital meters do not draw that much power so draining the battery won't be a problem.

here is one example

http://wonmeter.com/

This is one that I prefer:

http://cyclemax.com/inc/sdetail/4231

Volt meters are easier to wire, as they are wired in parallel to the battery circuit. Ammeters have to be more robust, as they need to be in series.

 

[sigeye]

Hey everyone, I'm the OP and I figured I should update you guys on how the ride went with all the electrics.

In brief, we ran all accessories all at the same time no matter how slow or how fast we were going. We routinely made stops and routinely had our heated jackets turned up high, our heated gloves turned up high, our cell phones charging and we never had any issue at all. I mean all at the same time btw. I also ran my Baja Designs LED light bar the whole time too.

My battery gauge never indicated a drop below 13.0v when running everything.

Bike did great and kept us comfortable and happy.

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[Checkswrecks]

Great to pass on - Thanks!

 

[outdoorsntn]

Question: How many amps does a stock ST draw to run?

I'm kind of a novice at electrical consumption but this is my understanding, and I tend to grasp amperage usage better than watts. And please calibrate me where I am off... And this info may already be in another string on the forum but my quick search did not break it down for my simple mind. If it is out there, apologize for my redundancy.

To determine amps, as I understand it you divide watts by volts. - I believe my 2013 ST electrical system output is 42.9 AMPS per my service manual. If my heated gear draws 150 watts, that's a 12.5 amp draw from my available electrical power. If my ST requires somewhere around 20 amps to run, and I am just using 20 amps as an example, then I should have plenty of surplus amps to power additional electrical items. My question is how many amps does a stock ST draw to run? Knowing this, I should be able to determine my available amperage to run additional electrical items and leave enough amperage to still provide a 1-2amp trickle charge to the battery.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I don't think anybody has a firm number for what you are asking, partly because so many of us have our bikes set up different and because output is rpm-dependent. The best answer is going to be from measuring it yourself with an ammeter (even temporarily).


The next best and easiest answer is what most do, in installing a simple voltmeter to watch for when your load drives the reading to less than what is required for charging. There are a couple of threads for making or buying a simple flat panel to go beneath the instrument cluster, which makes a great place for additional switches and the voltmeter.
http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=14924.msg233016#msg233016


150 Watts for heated gear is a LOT. I know the full jackets are about 75W, so you must be running a jacket, gloves, pants, and maybe socks. Even so, those numbers come at full heat which you probably never do. Just for discussion, if you are running at half power to stay toasty warm without getting burned (btdt) you're probably pretty close to some of the couple around here running 2-up with heated gear. You should be fine at anything much above idle.

 

[WJBertrand]

Just a comment on wiring voltmeters. Make sure to connect them directly to the battery and not just some available circuit. A lot of circuits, when in use, will show substantially lower than battery voltage or worse they can be variable. Install a switch or a relay if you want to turn off the voltmeter when the bike is off. They don't pull much current so some folks just leave them live all the time. Not a problem for a bike used frequently.

 

[outdoorsntn]

Mounting a voltmeter in a flat panel to go beneath the instrument cluster appears to be the way to go. If the voltmeter reads ~14.2 - ~13-5 while running, then I’m good. Battery is charging. Appreciate the thread for the flat panel. Not that it is super important but what I have not been able to find is the operating load in watts of the stock 2013 ST. I know the charging output (600 watts), but without the stock operating load, I am unable to determine the excess capacity. But too, like you mentioned earlier Checks, it is RPM dependent. I’m looking at it like a check book balance or a middle school word math problem but it may not be this simple: If the alternator produces ~50 amps (600 watts) and when stock without any additional electrical add-ons, the bike's operating load is ~25 amps (300 watts), then my access capacity is 25 amps (300 watts) . Then with Ericas on high (120 watts), heated gear (75 watts), GPS (4 watts), Cell Phone (2 watts) and so on running, I’m pretty sure I have about 100 watts of excess capacity.