Advice on heated gear.

[Redclayrider]

 Hello all!
I would like to hook up a plug for my heated gear on my new to me 2007 GS 500 F. The amp draw on the gear is a little less than 9 amps.
There is no extra electrics hooked up to the bike. All lights are of the factory type, no L.E.D.s.
The rest of the bike is stock too.

I have a couple of questions;
Can the rectifier handle an extra 9-10 amps?
Is the best place to hook it up at the battery?

The plug for the gear has an inline fuse holder that I plan on installing a 10 amp fuse. (has a 20 amp in it now)

Any advice, information, or suggestions are welcomed.

Oh, one more question. How long will I have to answer questions before I can post? I a sure you, I am not a spam bot or spammer. 

[Slack]

The regulator/rectifier doesn't care about your power draw, it's the stator your curious about. And yes, it can handle an extra 10 amps no trouble.
The best place to hook up is at the battery.
I would go with a 15 amp fuse, 10 is too close for a 9 amp draw.
I think you have to make 5 posts before the questions go away.

[ShowBizWolf]

Welcome to the forum Redclayrider and congrats on the gs! What kind of heated gear you got? I've always thought about investing in some but I still haven't....

[Atesz792]

At 225W peak output at 5k rpm, you'd be using half of it for your gear only.
I'd say it's a no-no without LED lights. Especially if you need it to start immediately (so it shouldn't suck much battery power while driving).
If your commute is short and you connect a (trickle) charger every night, then maybe.
Just my opinion.

[sledge]

The 110W your suit needs and the 9A it will pull is about half of what the system can deliver (225W and 18.75A).

There simply isn't the spare capacity.

Try it if you want  ................  but you wont get the full performance from the suit and it will lead to dim lights and the battery not charging fully.

[nathaniel2910]

I'd swap the tail/brake lights out for LED ones, either a whole unit or the stand alone replacement LED bulbs, my gs has a few charging problems(stator produces 55volts at 5k instead of 75volts) this resulted in my headlight and aftermarket strip running lights being dim/flashing below 3-4k rpm.
The Bulbs where 5w each for rear lights and 21w each for brake light so when braking it's using 52w.
That's a fair bit tbh, replaced with two LED bulbs that use 2.5w each when braking
Also fitted a Cree h4 headlight bulb but it's crap for projecting any light so need to swap back

Don't know if any of this info helps

[twocool]

Isn't there now some self contained heated clothing...with lithium rechargeable batteries...I know the auto store sells some jackets and sweat shirts from Milwaukee (the tool guys) which are heated and use the same Li Po batteries that you would use in your tools, rechargeable drills etc.  So on a job site...you'd always have a couple extra batteries on charge...to swap out for your tools, and your jacket!


Cookie

[Atesz792]

How long are your rides? Don't laugh, but those little heater pads that you activate by bending a little metal clip inside (often designed for kids) heat up to about 55°C, and placed in a pocket they sustain ample heat for about 10-20 minutes, gradually cooling down after that.
Maybe two of those in a pocket in front of your chest?

[HPP8140]

I bought a 2002 Gs with heated grips...not sure how the wattage is managed, but I do tricke charge just to be safe.

I also use the Milwaukee jacket and gerbing hybrid T5 gloves with batteries, but they can also be wired. My commute is an hour round trip and both can last on high setting for that time.

[Slack]

I've used my heated grips and GPS constantly for 12+ hour rides without having any trouble starting up after every stop. And certainly no trouble while riding. I never trickle charge. I've never had an issue. BUT, I do agree that upgrading to LED headlight, tail light, and gauge lights is a good idea, just to enlarge your safety net, although I have yet to do that myself.
YMMV

[Big Rich]

Some thoughts to ponder about: changing lights to led will help a little, but figure out the wattage savings beforehand. Led signals don't really help total load, and led taillights will only help a little. Unless you're the kind of person that drives with hazard lights on, while riding the brake..... then shame on you anyway. Haha....

The headlight is the largest (easily changed) draw on the electrical system. Stock bulb draws 55w all the time, but if you are the kind of person that ONLY rides during daylight hours, you can find H4 bulbs in 35w/35w. Much cheaper than an led headlight conversion, but also noticeably dimmer when riding in the dark.

Some important factors: make sure that your battery is healthy, since it acts as a buffer for the entire system. Same goes with the electrical connections - a new battery with corroded connections throughout the system won't do much good.

Anybody here tried a series type R/R instead of the shunt type (I'mpretty sure the stock GS500 is a shunt R/R)

[EdChen]

I believe we do have a shunt R/R, I've actually been waiting for my R/R to go out, I purchased a MOSFET R/R from another bike planning to swap it in. It might be just the ticket to get back another 50-60W on the electrical system. I already have LED tails and plan to get an LED headlamp in soon. I've got some grip heaters that I want to run this winter.


Edit:

I bought a mosfet regulator rectifier, but from what I read, those might still shunt current, just more efficiently than SCR shunts. I didn't know there was a difference, but maybe a series regulator is the way to go then??

[Redclayrider]

 Thanks for all the replies! I was afraid the draw on the electrical system would be to much. I am thinking just the gloves will be all right. I bought the bike as a commuter to work and back, 45 miles one way, and a Gymkhana bike.

Gymkhana practice;

http://vimeo.com/90412248

https://vimeo.com/72507820

How long do I ride depends on;
1. How many days do I have off. 
2. What bike I am riding.   
My other choices for riding include;

2010 Harley Davidson XR1200
On the track;



Back road burner;



My pimp ride, 2000 H-D Springer ;



The mud hog;



Trials;




If it has 2 wheels, I will ride it...........poorly  but I will ride it. 

Mountain bike;

[EdChen]

Nice video! And very nice stable of 2 wheeled vehicles!

I remember watching some old police motorcycle skills videos, very impressive handling on a much larger bike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wDBAU3kHZs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ-pTyQZJng

How does gymkhana work? Is it timed?

[Redclayrider]

Nice video! And very nice stable of 2 wheeled vehicles!

I remember watching some old police motorcycle skills videos, very impressive handling on a much larger bike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wDBAU3kHZs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ-pTyQZJng

How does gymkhana work? Is it timed?

Some courses are timed, the GP8 course is the most popular timed course in our group.  When we have an event we set up a GP8, one or two Circles of Trust(the diameter of the circle is the same as a standard 2 lane road with a cone in the middle. You do 5 complete circles clockwise, 5 counter clockwise. If it is your first time, you must complete this course before you are allowed to ride anything else. The reason is all courses are laid out with a turning radius based on the circle of trust. So if you can not turn in that radius, you will have trouble with everything else. We provide instruction and help to first time riders)  a tighter technical course and a looser technical course.
Gymkhana began in Japan as a competition riding event. We use it to teach low speed handling of a motorcycle. On most of our courses top speed will average about 20MPH. It may sound slow but on the course it is a quick pace.  It is also unbelievably fun.  There is no charge to ride any of our events.
So you pay nothing, have fun, and become a better rider. 
Those 2 videos are practice sessions where we set up 2-3 small courses to ride. They are also open to anyone on a motorcycle and free. 
No 4 or 3 wheeled vehicles are allowed do to the tight turning radius. 
They are several groups in the U.S. that do Gymkhana. Youtube and Vimeo have videos of our group and other groups doing Gymkhana.