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Buell Forum » 1125R Superbike Board » Archive through August 08, 2011 » How low is TOO low for volts? « Previous Next »

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Juniorkirk
Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2011 - 12:57 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Here's the situation:
'08 with Erik Buell Racing ECM and HID in both low and high beam.

Just put the second HID set in for the high beams and now know that the standard 15 amp fuse CANT support BOTH high and low beams on at the same time. A 20 amp can, but i played it safe and put a 25 amp fuse in there.

Riding around tonight, i wanted to see how much drain the new HIDs put on my bike. Normal riding anywhere above 3k rpm i'm usually getting 13.8-14.2 volts. When i turned on the high beams and after they were all warmed up my volts are at 12.8-13.0 volts, usually sitting more around 12.8 though.

Is this TOO much draw on my stator and is pulling from my battery, or is it putting just enough juice to the lights but not enough to keep the battery charged?

I'm mainly concerned about this because on Aug 10th, i'm riding from Cali to Iowa NON-STOP so i'm going to be doing a lot of night riding. The 4 HIDs are AMAZING, i can see EVERYTHING in front of me, even saw a coyote way out in the distance crossing the road that i would never have seen with a normal bulb, but i dont want to be half way home and all the sudden my battery light comes on and have to shut my high beams off and lose all that exposed road in front of me.
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Froggy
Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2011 - 01:10 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

The fuse is there to protect the wiring and other electrical items on the bike from overheating and/or catching fire. I really recommend you put the stock fuse back in. If you are blowing fuses, you either are drawing too much power or have exposed wires.
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Boogiman1981
Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2011 - 02:38 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

for dual hid's you need to run a fuse protected relay harness that is triggered off of your handlebar switch. the running current isn't the issue the start up draw is. the inrush on the hid's is pretty big and can/will fry your switch. by changing out the fuse to a bigger one you've removed the protection from the circuit and that's very bad. can be much worse than a burned stator.

could be just fine too. me and mine would never run that risk though.
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Ohsoslow
Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2011 - 02:45 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

what boogi said.....volts are not what you need to be worrying about....amps are
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Posplayr
Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2011 - 07:27 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

what those guys said about the fuse and adding the HID relay, but to answer the original question 12.8V is not going to charge the battery and 13.0V is like a low trickle charger that might charge your battery up in 2-3 days depending
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Ratbuell
Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2011 - 08:42 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

+1 on all the above.

If you're that worried about it, and the high beams are more important to you than lows, put stock low beams back in for your long ride.
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Juniorkirk
Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2011 - 12:19 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Alright, might have too look into some PIAA bulbs for my low beams. I've been looking at some and saw LED....would these be a good option?
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Syonyk
Posted on Saturday, July 30, 2011 - 06:57 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

35W or 55W HIDs?

You should be fine. I've got 35W HIDs in my low beams and 55W standard highs (stock bulbs are 35W, a bit of trimming and 55W bulbs with the same geometry fit). I can't run both low & high at idle, but at speed it's not a problem.

Turn off the highs when you're at a stop and run with highs when you're running. The bike should be fine. I've only seen the battery light when I'm idling with the fans on & forget to turn off the brights.
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Bextreme04
Posted on Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 12:06 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

i've got 35w HID's for my high and low beam. It's an 09' R with the harness upgrade, FH0012 V, and Erik Buell Racing race ECM. I can run both on the stock fuse without it blowing and it never charges below 13.4V even at idle.
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Pmjolly
Posted on Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 03:16 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I have an 08 1125R with both high and low beam HID's 35 watt. I took current readings both before and after installation. The 35 watt HID's once warmed up draw nearly the exact same current as the stock bulbs, but put out tons more light. They draw nearly double as they warm up for a few seconds. I have the original fuse size. If I forget to turn off the high beam, I will blow the fuse as soon as i turn on the key. If the lows are already warmed up, I can turn on the highs, no problem. They really helped when I had to navigate the roads near the dragon's tail at 11:00 qt night with no moon.
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Dennis_c
Posted on Sunday, July 31, 2011 - 06:59 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I put a time delay relay for my second HID to turn on with my low beams. That way I dont get all the load at once. One HID for high beams. 3 HIDS Also a sw. to turn off my low beams If I would have any stator problems. Also two LED for my runing lights the ones that are 15w each. Pmjolly this might be a fix for you.
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