After my battery discharge I bought a charger and it went fine for a few days. Then this morning it's dead again. These problems started shortly after I installed heated grips - should I disconnect them? Or were they just the straw that broke the camel's back? Would you recommend replacing the battery, or are there other factors which affect its charging and storage?

Hi there,
There certainly could be a correlation between the heated grip installation anf your recent battery problems.
If you are not revving the engine enough, then the battery isn't being recharged by the bike's alternator. You can't lug around in sixth gear in the city and expect the charging system to function properly.
Are you riding in a gear where you can keep the revs above, say 6,000 RPM to keep the battery charged?
The GS500 charging system is NOT a super high-output system, so the current draw from the grips could just be too much all the time.
Are you disconnecting them when they're not needed?
I have Widder electric gloves but only use them infrequently, so I don't experience the same problem as you have with your bike.
Try keeping the revs up and being more aware as you ride and see if that helps.
You can also check to be sure you have good connections and grounds for the grip wires on the bike.
Keep us informed.
Best wishes,
Trwhouse

Oftentimes a battery is never the same once it has been fully discharged. I would suggest having it tested at a local shop. If it tests OK, start looking at the electrics you have added.

What is the power consumption of the grips you installed?

I don't have any suggestion... sorry
just want to know what it turns up into (I have similar problems with my battery - due to alarm probably, I got rid of that sucker(literally) recently)
good luck

+1 to everything said so far. have your shop test the battery for dead cells and voltage output. also with the ignition switch off. disconnect the negative terminal on the battery and test with a multimeter for a power drain. that procedure should be described in more detail in your clymber manual. the PO of my bike had installed some street lights and even though I had taken them off, I hadn't removed all of the wiring and they were pulling a ton of current off of the battery. I imagine heated grips could do a similar job.

good luck.

d

I don't ride above 6k ALL the time, but probably for at least half of a journey. I'll try keeping it above more of the time.

The heated grips claim to drain only 2 amps from the battery. There's no way they could drain it even when switched off? I have been careful not to leave them on.

I've recharged the battery, and will first attempt riding a bit harder, see if that helps. If that doesn't work I'll get the battery tested.

Thanks for the advice, chaps.

Some maths based on Ohms law.

The GS electrical system is fused at 20A. 20A @ 12vdc will in theory allow a maximum power demand of 240W before the fuse blows but there will be a safety factor built in and the fuse will be rated 10-20% higher to prevent it blowing under normal operating conditions, so knock 10-20% (call it 15%) off this maximum figure and you have a realistic figure of about 210-215W.......Your heated grips based on the fact they pull 2A will demand up to an additional 24W from the system.

Now consider this situation, you could at any given time have all these components turned on and requiring electrcial power....

Headlamp:60/55w
Tail light:5w (x2)
Brake light 21w (x2)
Indicator 21w (x2)
Instrument lights 3.4w (x6)
Ignition 10w approx.
Grips 24W.

About 208W is being taken from a system with a max capacity of about 215W....You can see it leaves next to nothing to actually charge the battery!!.........that extra 24W being taken by the grips has put the charging system right on its limit.

If your battery is in excellent condition and the bike gets plenty of use at high revs with spare electrical capacity ie. lights off it will charge. The first thing to do is get the battery load tested by an auto-electrician, measuring the voltage across the terminals is no indication of its condition, what matters is how it performs when its in use and a load test will replicate this situation and give a simple yes/no answer on its condition.

Where have you picked up a supply for the grips from? The Orange wire will be the most suitable as it is only live when the ignition is turned on and I strongly suggest the grips are fused on their own if you have not already done this.