Kuryakyn battery charge indicator

[Sideoftheroad]

So I (re)installed by stebel horn today with a relay

relay post 85 to pink wire

relay post 86 to brown wire

relay post 30 to fuse block, which is connected to positive battery terminal

relay post 87 to positive horn terminal

negative horn terminal to negative battery terminal

 

I also installed the Kury battery charge indicator. Pretty straight forward install. Use a pen light to locate switched on power wire. Light lights up when the key is turned to on position. Does not light up when key is turned to off position. The wire I used is green w/ a white stripe. It is part of a 3 wire block that is not used which is located on the clutch side of the bike. What I did was crimp a terminal (don't know the actual term) that can be used to push inside the wire block like how the stock blocks are used. Just looks like a thin flat piece of metal. Negative wire to ground.

 

I had my battery tender hooked up and it is giving me a green light. Turned the bike on and the battery charge indicator is giving me 2 flashing red lights. I unhooked it and used my schumacher battery charger. It is also giving me a green light. Turned the bike on again and this time I get 2 red lights plus 1 yellow light which are flashing. So I am not sure why the battery indicator is telling me hardly any charge and the battery tender and charger are both telling me full charge.

 

Any ideas why I am getting completely opposite results?

[Midrsv]

I have the same meter. I tapped into the 12V outlet wiring so that it would be switched on with accessories and ignition. I get 2 green lights most of the time. Ocaisionally at idle it will drop to one green light. When riding with my heated liner it will sometimes drop to yellow.

 

DT

[Sideoftheroad]

so what you are saying is the issue might be location, location, location.

 

I figured as long as it is a switched on wire, it would read the battery power accurately.

[Cougar]

Umm. the instruction are pretty straight forward.

 

I myself think that maybe you have the meter

hooked up wrong? no light on the meter should go on with a battery

tender and it should not flash or blink. It might go

back and forth a couple green lights ever so often

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=488

Jeff

[RedRider]

You will find the LED readout will change depending on where you hook it into. I tapped into the accessory plug wiring and get 1 green LED at idle (and nothing much turned on). It goes up to 3 LEDs while riding.

 

I had it hooked up to somewhere else previously (don't remember where) and was playing around mostly in the yellow LEDs. Moved it and it performed better.

 

Please keep in mind this meter is not really for accuracy, but for relative charge. If you know your battery is fully charged, that reading is the setpoint of the meter. If it goes down from there, then you are discharging. If it goes up, you are good.

 

Move the connection around to different locations and see what happens.

 

RR

[Leland]

As a test, hook it right to the battery and see what it shows. Verify voltage at battery with a decent volt meter. This will tell you if Kuryakin is good or bad.

[Sideoftheroad]

Cougar,

I don't think I have it hooked up wrong. The Kury meter has always came on when I had the key turned to the accessory or on position. Like you said pretty straight forward install. Black goes to ground and red goes to switched on power wire. The no light thing I was referring to was my pen light that lights up when you touch it to an always on wire or switched on wire (if you have the key turned to the on position). On one end of the pen light is a really sharp point and the other is a light bulb. Sorry if I confused you.

 

For the flashing light that just tells you, your charge is dangerously low. But I agree, I should not be seeing this if the battery is fully charged. From what RedRider said, it might depend on where I had it hooked up to.

 

RedRider

Sounds like you hooked it into the same place Midrsv did. You answered a couple of my thoughts which are if the readout is different at different locations. I also wondered if the readout goes up while riding vs. sitting in the garage. Sounds like it does.

 

This is only my 2nd bike I have ever owned. I am not used to having just a few bars showing as the set point for the bike on a fully charged battery. On my 1st bike, when the battery was fully charged, the led bars on the kury meter was all the way over to the right. Of course it was a cruiser too and didn't have all the bells/whistles a Venture does.

 

Leland,

Well I did partially what you suggested just a few minutes ago before I saw this post. I touched the red wire directly to the positive battery post. When the bike was in the off position and also the accessory position, I got 2 red, 2 yellow and 1 green light. When I turned the key to the on position, I got 2 red and 2 yellow lights.

 

I have a digital volt meter (decent is debatable), but quite honestly no idea how to use it. Years ago I took a computer class and it was part of the cost of the class. I no longer have the manual and since I haven't used it in so long, I don't remember how to. Any suggestions for Volt meter manufacturer & model #'s? What symbol does the meter need to be set to? What does the red side touch and what does the black side touch? What #'s am I looking for when I do this?

 

Overall embarassed to post this, but I am going to anyway. Found out why I had an unused 3 wire block. It is the block that connects to the gas tank (which is off the bike)

[usnmustang]

I have a digital volt meter (decent is debatable), but quite honestly no idea how to use it. Years ago I took a computer class and it was part of the cost of the class. I no longer have the manual and since I haven't used it in so long, I don't remember how to. Any suggestions for Volt meter manufacturer & model #'s? What symbol does the meter need to be set to? What does the red side touch and what does the black side touch? What #'s am I looking for when I do this?

 

If you give me the model number, I may be able to give you more specifics, but, you need to be set on DC voltage. If it doesn't say that the symbol is a solid line under a dashed line. You are looking for a reading of 11-14 if you are directly on the battery. Red to positive, Black to negative.

[Sideoftheroad]

Digitek DS830B (there is a positive symbol after it, but it is really small so I am not sure if it is actually part of the model #).

 

I see the letter V on the top left hand corner. Next to it is a solid line w/ a dashed line under it. It gives me #'s 2000m, 20, 200, & 500. I set it to 20. Touched black probe to negative battery terminal. Touched red probe to positive battery terminal. Reading fluctuated between 13.32 & 13.33.

 

If you can't find anything out about it I can always take a picture of the front of it, if that would help.

 

Thanks.

[usnmustang]

Sounds like you have it set up right and based on your readings I am sure you do. Your indications are 13.3 volts DC, which means your battery is charged. With that, I am thinking your Kur should have at least one green light. You may want to try and put the meter on the wires you are hooking up. That will tell you what voltage is going to the Kur.