Crawling out from the mess

[lonestarmedic]

Hi and Merry Christmas to all,

Things have been hectic the last few weeks. I tore into Mocha and got lots of parts. Just now getting around to the work. The base is on Exodus until Jan 4th so I can take some time and work (or play!). Finished the fuse holder replacement tonight. Took too many cold meds and couldn't sleep so I went to the garage and worked. The original holder clips for the fuses were so brittle that they cracked when I pulled them out. Replaced it with a small 6 gang ATC holder. Then I decided to get rid of the OEM main fuse. Put in a Maxifuse holder. Tomorrow is battery cables. I have a large supply of 4ga. welding cable and all of the terminals already. They have to make a difference. The OEM cables are WIMPY.

 

Quick question on the main fuse. It is about a 12ga. wire into the harness. Does that really carry the entire load of the electrical system? If so, before I put in a larger stator I think perhaps a new wire might be in order.

 

Hey Todd - found why neutral was hard to hit! The bellcrank is loose on the shift shaft splines. Hopefully it isn't worn to the point I can't get it tight. I did a bit of soldering this weekend so I will drop your connector in the mail right after the holidays. I picked up 6 of the sockets. They were less than 2 bucks apiece.

 

Safe and happy holidays to all.

 

J.B.

[Pilot]

Yes the main fuse is the MAIN fuse, it carries all the load for the electrical system. 12 ga wire with a 20 amp fuse is good for 240 watts, if you go with 10 ga wire and fuse it for 30 amps your up to 360 watts. I put an amp meter on my bike, turned every thing on and I was only pulling 15.8 amps. I have a few electrical extras on the bike so what you or others will pull depends on your load. would think if you went with a 10 ga wire and a 30 amp fuse you would be able to run a small carnival.

[Guest KitCarson]

The key thing to remember is the stator only has so much output, unfortunately for those who live in the snow land and have to use heated garments, and want to run running lights too, and maybe another gadget or two.........yes bigger wiring naturally eases the load, reduces heat and will prevent arcing, but still the stator only puts out what it will.........increase in wiring size will not be a magic cure.

[lonestarmedic]

Thanks all for the answers. I expected that main fuse meant all. I was thinking about the higher performance stator which is rated about 25% over stock. I think the 12 ga. wire is marginal for carrying the total bike output plus a set of driving lights and a couple of electronics. A pair of 55watt lights draws about 8-10 amps. In theory the 12ga should ok for about 40 amps depending on distance and resistance. I will inspect the ends and check connections. See if there is a resistance over the wire.

Can't wait to see how the starter works with real wiring.

 

J.B.

[86er]

Sounds like some good upgrades, JB. I need to do the fuseblock as well. Thanks for fixing my connector.

 

Have a Merry Christmas!

 

 

BTW, The girls in the house want to know what cologne/aftershave you were wearing the morning you were here. They said they could smell it in the hall after you left and really liked it.

I said it was probably High Karate! They didn't buy it!

 

[Pilot]

Your right on your calculation of 60 amps for 12 gag wire in a 12 volt Dc circuit. This chart is a simple "max capacity" chart for a short wire run. Increase the wire size for long runs - for example the wires running to the back of a vehicle to power the taillights may need to be one size larger to account for the length. However your talking about 15 to 20 feet to reach from the front of a car or truck to the rear depending on how you run the wire. I don't think running 10 feet of wire on a bike will amount to very much resistance it will be negligable. Hope this cart helps you out. See next post for chart.

[Pilot]

Sorry the chart would not upload in the post. Here it is in Word

[lonestarmedic]

Momma says that I should keep the aftershave a secet. But............... It is the same thing my father wore. Original Old Spice. It seems to suite me. Still comes in the white ceramic bottle with a stopper. All I can say is it trips Mamma's trigger:smile5:. Can't wait to get Mocha back together. Then we can find a good halfway point for biscuits and gravy and suicide breakfast sandwiches.

 

J.B.

[lonestarmedic]

Thanks for the chart on the amps. It's amazing how Ohms Laws work. I sure wouldn't put 60 amps on a 12 ga. run over more than about 5-6 feet. Leaves no room for any kind of inductive load rush. Of course, I worked on fire trucks for years so we always went far above minimum on everything.

 

J.B.