batman
Serious Thumper
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SuzukiSavage.com Rocks!
Posts: 3806
osceola new york
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Early this riding season My reg./rec. failed . The style (a Y wound alternator with 3 ungrounded legs, and a reg./rec. that sheds extra power to ground by releasing it as heat-thru the blades found on it's surface) it turns out, is standard use on about 90% of all motorcycles , only differing in output ,governed by the power needs of each bike, like lighting ,ignition , accessories and battery size. While I haven't found in print anywhere, the output of your alternator in DC amps , I will ASSUME that it is at least 10 amps ,and that the voltage level is around 14 volts. These assumptions are based on factors such as ; to charge the battery the voltage has to be higher than 12v or the current wouldn't flow to it, and after riding to the point the battery is fully charged ,a reading across the battery poles is in the neighborhood of 13.5 volts ( if the system an battery are in good condition) and the fact that the resistance of a 100ft. of copper wire is about .36 volts. The fact that the ignition draws very little power, as does the decomp timer , turn signals , neutral light and brake light are not on continually ,I have discounted altogether , but all the rest of the lighting systems is , with low beam on it draws 7.5 amps / high beam 8 amps . normal charging rate of a new battery is said to be max. 2 amps , bringing the needed output to around 10amps.(any added power can be provided by the battery with it's 220 cca) I am guilty of using LED turn signals ,but they have little affect on my system. Where the use of LED light can provide better lighting , and last much longer, the power savings can become a two way street . If you plan on adding additional accessories the power saved can help. I didn't ,so I stopped . Being that when the battery becomes fully charged ,the regulator needs to dump power, it heats up , in the stock bike it needs to shed only about 2 amps, however if you also use an LED headlight which draws about 1.25 amps ,now it needs to shed another 4.4amps ,or a total of 6.4 amps , over 3 times the heat it normally sees. Heat is hardly a friend to electronics. If you intend to use LED's I would urge you to check out regulator /rectifier s that use Mosfet Technology these rid the same amount of power, with a decrease of 50% less heat , with a cost of a stock regulator from Suzuki , and work with the same type system that the Savage and most bikes do.
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