Charging

[Trondyne]

Haven't had this bike too long so forgive the noob question please....

Where is the easiest, fastest place to:

A. Get a quick jump start connection...

B. Get easy access for charging...


On my other bikes I could get cables on the bike in seconds... With this bike it doesn't look so easy, but I am hoping there is some way to do that just as easy or close...

All I need, I would guess for charging access is a live hot side connection to the battery...and ground it wherever.... Do I need to fab something?

I have a Corbin seat and in the event of a no tools situation it would be nice to know, if possible, how to jump the battery or at least what others have done...

My battery is near dead after trying to start her in the cold, with the starter clutch not cooperating due to a too heavy weight oil in these temps... (unusually cold now at 16 degrees....)

Thanks...

 

[sdt354]

The starter solenoid, battery side, and the frame for the negative will work. You can charge there too.

 

[Conman]

The battery is under the seat and most people just ride with their seats unbolted. You should be able to access it with only the seat pulled off. I just put battery tender rings on each battery pole permanently and tucked the cable under the seat. My charging system was shot so after every few rides I'd hook it up to the battery tender and after a few hours the battery was charged again. I'd recommend trickle charging with the battery tender rather than jumping it, since you're not stranded roadside or anything. Jump starting access is the same as the battery tender access though; no need to fab.

 

[Bill Seward]

+1 on the battery tender plug. If you're not charging well, just leave the tender on between rides. There is a lot of information here about upgrading the charge systems...

 

[Trondyne]

The starter solenoid, battery side, and the frame for the negative will work. You can charge there too.

Where's the solenoid?

 

[Bill Seward]

Under the seat near the coils.

 

[sdt354]

One goes to the battery and the other to the starter. The neutral safety switch won't work, so. Don't knock the bike off the side stand with a jump start on the starter side, if in gear. Best bet is to just charge it until you can start it.

 

[Bill Seward]

If you wind up needing a battery some time, think about the Gold Wing battery box mod. I did it to my '85 a few years back. The larger battery really helps with cranking power.

 

[Trondyne]

Thanks for the info....

Taking the seat off is a major PITA due to the Corbin seat and my fabbed luggage rack....

Sounds like it needs a mod where I can have a hot side terminal/connector available under the airbox cover.... a much easier point of access... Taking this seat off is nuts... On my CB900 I can just pull the side cover off in 2 seconds and there's the solenoid...easy jump/charge when needed...

I think I am going to try to push start her when the roads clear and then charge her the normal way...and change the oil to a mix of 10 and 5 weight...to avoid the starter clutch issue in super low temps... I had the same problem with my CB900...

I was surprised the short time trying to start her killed the battery until I saw a pick of the battery... Doesn't look like many amp hours in that skinny little battery...but she never had a lick of trouble starting before or charging... I may try the Goldwing upgrade, along with some other tweaks but not until the temps rise a bit...

Thanks again and Happy New Year to All!

 

[D-Max2012]

Before upgrading to my Shorai Lithium battery. I used a setup like this, which made charging my battery, much easier. You would need the male and female ends. (Pic on link). It worked out really well. I would just plug the connector to my charger when needed.. with the protective heat shrink that's on the wires, there's really nothing to short out. The wire would hang a little off, from under the seat.

https://www.amainhobbies.com/deans-...QTbA3uHpgiCW6XWKg3ECPAqe2PB5OJ1oaAni0EALw_wcB

 

[Trondyne]

Before upgrading to my Shorai Lithium battery. I used a setup like this, which made charging my battery, much easier. You would need the male and female ends. (Pic on link). It worked out really well. I would just plug the connector to my charger when needed.. with the protective heat shrink that's on the wires, there's really nothing to short out. The wire would hang a little off, from under the seat.

https://www.amainhobbies.com/deans-...QTbA3uHpgiCW6XWKg3ECPAqe2PB5OJ1oaAni0EALw_wcB

Ah yeah good old Dean's.... I use them on all my drones...

I had thought about using them on my other bike at one point but it just didn't become that important...

I would change over to another type of connector now XT or something a little more refined...though, Deans are a bit outdated IMO...yet another thing I'll probably never get around to....

I have to take a close look at what's under the airbox cover.... I'll know it when I see it and then I'll decide exactly how to implement a connection there... I want everything possible accessible under that cover.... it's the perfect place, easy to get to and yet also secure...

Too bad it's so damn cold out, too cold to do much of anything... I want to move to Arizona.... or some other place when they never heard of streets of ICE....

Happy New Year...!

 

[D-Max2012]

I like the XT60 connectors also.. I use them on my largest drone and a couple of heli's. The bright yellow color would be easier to see, in low light situations. Most of my other stuff is on Deans, just because they started out that way. When I used the older stock type battery, I picked up some of that multi strand 12 gauge wire from Hobby King a few years ago to create a motorcycle jumper cable. I wanted something that was easier to manage than a standard jumper cable, that had smaller alligator clips on the bikes' end. It worked out perfectly, and that wire has can handle more than enough amps, to use car to car if I needed too.

I here ya on moving to a warmer climate..
This cold weather is a bitch..
I'd like to be able to ride all year round, and fly also.
Too many damn restrictions on flying sites around here..

Happy New Year to all.

 

[Trondyne]

I like the XT60 connectors also.. I use them on my largest drone and a couple of heli's. The bright yellow color would be easier to see, in low light situations. Most of my other stuff is on Deans, just because they started out that way. When I used the older stock type battery, I picked up some of that multi strand 12 gauge wire from Hobby King a few years ago to create a motorcycle jumper cable. I wanted something that was easier to manage than a standard jumper cable, that had smaller alligator clips on the bikes' end. It worked out perfectly, and that wire has can handle more than enough amps, to use car to car if I needed too.

I here ya on moving to a warmer climate..
This cold weather is a bitch..
I'd like to be able to ride all year round, and fly also.
Too many damn restrictions on flying sites around here..

Happy New Year to all.

Oh, cool....a fellow flyer/rider...

Yeah I was ready for cold but this is out of the park...

Where in Jersey are you? Maybe we can meet up sometime....

I have a giant heli kit I have been putting off building.... I stopped flying helis altogether for a while because they're too easy to damage.... I prefer fixed wing...

 

[D-Max2012]

Oh, cool....a fellow flyer/rider...

Yeah I was ready for cold but this is out of the park...

Where in Jersey are you? Maybe we can meet up sometime....

I have a giant heli kit I have been putting off building.... I stopped flying helis altogether for a while because they're too easy to damage.... I prefer fixed wing...

If it weren't for the fact that flying fields are hard to find, that is also heli friendly, I would have been flying my large one also. One thing about helis is this. Since they're completely made up of individual parts, you can replace a busted part, and you can be back flying again like normal.
I started in fixed wing, years ago.. Over the years, I found that the CA'd surfaces, and monocoat started to take its toll on the flight characteristics of the model.
I flew for years before venturing to helis'. I liked the adrenaline rush you get..LOL!.

Which giant kit have you been holding off on putting together??

I'm near Teterboro, but during the summer, I like to ride, and fish, at Harriman State Park in NYS.. Nothing but bikers up at the top of the mountain most weekends..lol..

When it gets warmer, maybe we'll meet up..

 

[Trondyne]

If it weren't for the fact that flying fields are hard to find, that is also heli friendly, I would have been flying my large one also. One thing about helis is this. Since they're completely made up of individual parts, you can replace a busted part, and you can be back flying again like normal.
I started in fixed wing, years ago.. Over the years, I found that the CA'd surfaces, and monocoat started to take its toll on the flight characteristics of the model.
I flew for years before venturing to helis'. I liked the adrenaline rush you get..LOL!.

Which giant kit have you been holding off on putting together??

I'm near Teterboro, but during the summer, I like to ride, and fish, at Harriman State Park in NYS.. Nothing but bikers up at the top of the mountain most weekends..lol..

When it gets warmer, maybe we'll meet up..

Hmmm...

I don't even bother with official flying fields... And helis are even easier for me to find places because they are VTOL...

I gave up on balsa/wood/gas models years ago and converted to foam electrics... EPO mainly... I didn't like foam/electrics at first but then found them to fly very well and were easy to work on and as the technology got better I never looked back to gas... My favorite became a 55" Cessna foam plane...with full FPV gear.. capable of carrying a large battery she can fly forever... (well almost)

I have all Chinese stuff, not including my outdated but beloved JR radio with SPCM which has a long range... The chopper that is currently sitting in boxes is a 500 class electric Chinese copy of a much more expensive T-Rex I think... I love the electric motor sound for the choppers, the high RPM whine sounds a lot like a turbine...

The helis are cool but one false move or minor crash and a whole bunch of little parts can be damaged....and then must be replaced...a major PITA... Also with one of my old Choppers after a crash I found it never flew the same even after repairs...

I haven't really flown in a while and I can't seem to find the time to get working on what I have... I loved the Cessna and I was putting together a small version of a foam video drone... No monocoat needed.... and finishes can be done even on foam with proper sealing of the foam surface...

If I was doing scale then I might consider a wood ship again...but I don't even have time for what I have...

Love to meet up when the weather breaks if you like...

--------------------------

I tried push starting the bike but it was a no go... The engine is so cold it wouldn't even turn over, the rear tire just skidded when I popped the clutch... I have no way to warm her up so charging the battery may not even help if the starter clutch doesn't engage due to the cold thick oil... Not sure how to proceed... I might have to have her picked up....

 

[D-Max2012]

I tried push starting the bike but it was a no go... The engine is so cold it wouldn't even turn over, the rear tire just skidded when I popped the clutch... I have no way to warm her up so charging the battery may not even help if the starter clutch doesn't engage due to the cold thick oil... Not sure how to proceed... I might have to have her picked up....

That sucks.. Since its so cold, and your battery is not 100% charged, the only thing I can think of is to jump start it via a running car's battery. Even if you tried to turn the bike over, without a battery in extremely good condition, it may turn the motor over, but the battery still needs to supply current to the ECU to generate a spark. So in this cold weather, I would think a running car, jump stating the bike might be your best option.

When the weather breaks, and riding season starts back up, I'll let you know.
I'm sure that if you rode up to Harriman State Park, we may have passed by each other already..lol

 

[Trondyne]

That sucks.. Since its so cold, and your battery is not 100% charged, the only thing I can think of is to jump start it via a running car's battery. Even if you tried to turn the bike over, without a battery in extremely good condition, it may turn the motor over, but the battery still needs to supply current to the ECU to generate a spark. So in this cold weather, I would think a running car, jump stating the bike might be your best option.

When the weather breaks, and riding season starts back up, I'll let you know.
I'm sure that if you rode up to Harriman State Park, we may have passed by each other already..lol

I think it has enough power to generate a spark but not sure if the starter clutch will engage...and I don't have time to mess around with pulling the rack off and the seat and I'd have to pull my other battery to charge that to get this one going... I should have put lower weight oil in it but I wasn't expecting the temps to be sub 10...

I may just have someone come pick it up... I need the bike running...

I've actually never been to Harriman... I have to look it up...

 

[marsmax85]

Thunder unk:

 

[D-Max2012]

Thunder

Oh yes.. Don't forget about Thunder in the Valley in Johnstown PA.
Great bunch of folks all hanging out, having fun, and riding the Vmax, to the max..:biglaugh:
Below, is the general T.I.T.V ink..

As time gets closer, our group posts another link with the hotel we hang out at, scheduled rides, places to eat, events etc..

http://www.visitjohnstownpa.com/thunder-valley