1200rt@drywhitetoast.org
New member
Why do alternators keep getting smaller? A few years back a 2007 K1200GT had 945 watts. From 2013 to 2014, the 1200RT lost 30% of the alternator output.
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hijack off>
Only bikes I worry about wattage -wise are the stock /5 and /6..Most of our other newer bikes have not been an issue to us...lights and heated gear on high have never been a big concern.
but you apparently CAN drain the battery on a new BMW with electrical doo-dads.
I think your premise, that they keep getting smaller, is wrong from the start. The fuel injected bikes went from about 35A to 50A to 60A; only the most recent models had a decrease and that is probably because they need less power with more efficient fuel pumps and lights.
Is there an actual output capacity problem that you are concerned about?
My buddy rides a 2012 F800ST like mine and he has run the battery down on his daily commute with full heated gear running. Turns out he was short-shifting (he prefers "smooth" riding--his words, not mine--to my higher rev shifts which he calls "whinning" the engine. Once he learned to ride in a lower gear at slightly higher rpm his problem went away. I am not sure what the magic rpm level is (somewhere around 3,000-3,500 rpm, I think) but you apparently CAN drain the battery on a new BMW with electrical doo-dads.
I am not sure what the magic rpm level is (somewhere around 3,000-3,500 rpm, I think) but you apparently CAN drain the battery on a new BMW with electrical doo-dads.
...Riding 2-up with full Gerbings costumes will consume 360 watts. Using a pair of 5100K 'keep you out of the hospital' conspicuity lights will use another 130 watts....
180W heat per rider? Holy force field, Batman. I run about half that in the coldest weather and I'm pretty skinny.
From another thread...
From another thread I noted that BMW is instituting some power-saving measures. Voltage to the high beams goes from 0 to 12V then back to zero, so there's about 10 milliseconds of full power then 10 milliseconds of nothing, etc. The filament doesn't have cool down enough to decrease its brightness, and it's too fast to flicker. But the result is that the average power consumption of the 2 55W high beam bulbs is decreased from 110W to 55W. Dash has low power needs, either LED or something like a cellphone display. LED corona, tail and fog lights require maybe 20% of the power of equivalent incandescent bulbs. Brake and turn signals aren't generally on all the time so they're not a constant drain, only intermittent, and they're LED too. ABS only needs power when it's actually working. OTOH all the computing power on the CANBUS probably likes juice. ISTR that I heard to allow 300W for the onboard electronics.
Even with all-incandescent bulbs I could never figure why my Goldwing needed a 1200W alternator. Maybe so I could do some roadside arc welding?
It was in connection with a thread about why the Flash To Pass often only needs to be triggered once to open the garage door instead of twice like it says in the directions:That's interesting. Where's the other thread?