Electrical Question

Corsair · Post by **Corsair** » Wed May 23, 2007 8:58 pm

I know a lot of people have spoken about future mods (radios, alarms, horns, etc) and have been warned about draining the battery or some other electrical problem. I was wonder how much CAN the Buddy's battery and electrical system take without causing a problem? What steps can be taken to prevent problems (amps, fuses, wires, etc)?

Here's what I'd like to do:
Add Air Horn (which comes with relay and fuse)
Add Alarm
Add a few LEDs (fenders and under body)
Re-wire turn signals (dead turn signals working with DOT)

Can all this be done safely? (After it's done will my Buddy start up the next day...lol) I really don't see a situation where all these things will be pulling from the battery simultaneously but I know I'm not working with the biggest battery ever either. Any tips or feedback is MUCH appreciated.

Tbone · Post by **Tbone** » Thu May 24, 2007 4:24 pm

Don't own a bike yet, but have a similar list and ideas of mod's (depending on what I wind up getting.)

The overall advice I can gather and will most likely get right away is a Battery Tender.

From there...those electrical geniuses on this board will need to reply.

Corsair · Post by **Corsair** » Fri May 25, 2007 1:26 am

Lol... thanks. Actually we got our Battery tender before we even got the scoot (anticipation)

krylonics · Post by **krylonics** » Fri May 25, 2007 2:07 am

I wouldn't worry too much about things that are momentarily used like the horn or the turn signals but the others could be a problem. I doubt an alarm would put much of a drain on your battery but I would be some what leery of add ons like extra lights, radios, and the like. These scooters have a rather small generator and too much of a load could stress them. Just make certain that anything you add is fused. LEDs use very little energy so adding them sparingly shouldn't be an issue. The way I look at it the more you hack and splice into the original system the more you are compromising it.

jrsjr · Post by **jrsjr** » Fri May 25, 2007 3:04 am

krylonics wrote:These scooters have a rather small generator and too much of a load could stress them.

Well said, Krylonics. And not to put too fine a point on it, what that will mean in practial terms is that the generator won't be able to keep a charge on the battery. Exactly the opposite of what you want.

Corsair · Post by **Corsair** » Fri May 25, 2007 5:05 am

Thanks for the replies!

My MAIN worry is the alarm because I really want/need to get one and I don't know how much of a drain it would be to maintain power to the alarm system (will it drain the battery while the scooter's not running?). As far as the LEDs I'm thinking two accent lights/pods (one for each fender) and a single strip (for under the body). I would only run those every once an awhile (show off and whatnot...lol) With I need to run another fuse for the lights?

I don't have any plans for adding a radio but if anyone feels like sharing tips for those that may be interested feel free.

jrsjr · Post by **jrsjr** » Fri May 25, 2007 6:57 am

Corsair wrote:My MAIN worry is the alarm because I really want/need to get one and I don't know how much of a drain it would be to maintain power to the alarm system (will it drain the battery while the scooter's not running?).

It won't drain much power (~5 milliAmps) until somebody sets it off.

Seriously, 5 mA is 5/1000ths of an Amp. Your battery is rated for 9 (or 7 according to a different source) Amp Hours, so it can run that alarm for a week without killing your battery. A week at 5 mA is 0.005 Amps * 24 hours/day * 7 days = 0.84 Amp Hours of drain on your battery. Significant, but not deadly.

The radio is another matter. A radio loud enough to be heard while riding will drain significant power from your electrical system. Not recommended by Genuine or me, sorry.

polianarchy · Post by **polianarchy** » Fri May 25, 2007 2:39 pm

Hey Corsair! I know y'all are over there in Detroit, which rivals my Philly for evil bad thieves and such, thus are rightly concerned with the safety of your scooter. However, seeing as how everyone and their cousin has a car alarm, perhaps the alarm's usefulness has worn off? I know that I barely even register when a car alarm is sounding here in South Philly, much less look around for the perpetrator. And nine times out of ten, the alarm is reporting the car owner's error rather than an attempted robbery.

Just thought I'd chime in with some unsolicited advice. Good luck with all those mods, either way!

Corsair · Post by **Corsair** » Mon May 28, 2007 5:45 am

polianarchy wrote:I know that I barely even register when a car alarm is sounding here in South Philly, much less look around for the perpetrator. And nine times out of ten, the alarm is reporting the car owner's error rather than an attempted robbery.

Just thought I'd chime in with some unsolicited advice. Good luck with all those mods, either way!

Trust me I know ALL I need to know about South Philly, I lived there for quite a few years. Your advice is much appreciated and I definitely agree. I've seen cars get stolen or broken into with alarms that just get ignored. I've also seen too many people getting "comfortable" on other people's scooters and motorcycles when the owner's not around. I don't expect an alarm to get anyone to come to the rescue of my scooter but I do expect it to let me know when to come. That's why I getting an alarm with a pager that let's you know it's your scooter being messed with.

The alarm definitely won't be a substitute for a good chain and disc lock but if it helps even slightly I'm for it. I know no amount of security is perfect so that's why I'll be getting full coverage too (but I'd like to keep that as a last resort).

If anyone else has ANY electrical experience or tips please share it, hopefully it'll help a few of us out

polianarchy · Post by **polianarchy** » Tue May 29, 2007 3:49 pm

Corsair wrote:Trust me I know ALL I need to know about South Philly, I lived there for quite a few years. Your advice is much appreciated and I definitely agree. I've seen cars get stolen or broken into with alarms that just get ignored. I've also seen too many people getting "comfortable" on other people's scooters and motorcycles when the owner's not around. I don't expect an alarm to get anyone to come to the rescue of my scooter but I do expect it to let me know when to come. That's why I getting an alarm with a pager that let's you know it's your scooter being messed with.

I either didn't know or totally forgot you lived in South Philly! Lucky you for getting out while the getting was good.

Whoa, they make an alarm that will page you?! That's sheer genius. I've never heard of that! Do let us know all about it once you get it installed, etc.