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Electrical power supply from both outlets simultaneously.

cmillerinfl

New member
We have two new Gerbing heated jackets and when we plug both in at the same time the power is cut off to both. To reset I have to shut the bike off and restart, there is no way to recover even one of the jackets while we are ridng.

I called my dealer Eurocycles of Florida and they have never heard of such a problem. I can understand considering our weather here but we are planning on riding to Alaska and this posses a real problem.
 
I installed permanent temp controllers in the fairing with a relayed and fused connection direct to the battery thus completely by-passing the CANBUS. It works flawlessly and no worries about the microprocessor nannies in the bike shutting off my power or leaving it on if I forget to turn off the temp controller at a shutdown of the bike.

You didn't say how you're connecting your Gerbings but if you're connecting to a CANBUS outlet it's likely that it's shutting you down due to a current overload from two sets of heated gear.

I ran the female connectors for the gear to connect out under the left side canoe fairing. Easy access and no drilling of painted parts. They tuck away during the warm months and are easily accessible there for the cooler rides.
 
We have two new Gerbing heated jackets and when we plug both in at the same time the power is cut off to both. To reset I have to shut the bike off and restart, there is no way to recover even one of the jackets while we are ridng.

I called my dealer Eurocycles of Florida and they have never heard of such a problem. I can understand considering our weather here but we are planning on riding to Alaska and this posses a real problem.

I haven't seen a wiring diagram for the K1600, but on most modern BMWs the accessory sockets are wired in parallel. If the current limit is 10 amps, the limit applies to both sockets simultaneously. Installing an accessory fuze panel or simply wiring directly to the battery are your only options.
 
Those expensive new 6 cyl models STILL have this antique problem? This design screwup is so old and so well known in previous models that its very odd it still exists at all. Probably stems from the fact that BMW made or maybe even still makes low draw jackets where you can probably get by with the factory setup- but they're not used by any BMW rider I know- everyone uses one of the major brands with Gerbings probably the most common and 2 of those definitely exceed the 10A limit of the old design as does something well over 90% of haeted gear sold in this country. Don't know for sure what the current limit on the 1600 is but if its still 10A the problem is predictable and the solution is as given in the thread.
If this design goof still exists someone ought to buy the BMW engineers a wakeup pill....Bike needs separate 10A accessory circuits in stock form- long overdue.
 
Gerbing pants, jacket, and gloves are going to be well over 10A of draw - about 14A as I recall. That's probably at full temp which I don't think I'll ever use given how effective this stuff is.

I can't say that I fault the BMW engineers that much. Heck, if they made each socket 15A we'd all be trying to plug in more than that too. It's nice that they've designed a system that will reset after an overload shutdown instead of having to replace a fuse or worse. The only thing I currently use the CANBUS outlet on my bike for is the electric tank bag conversion which charges all my stuff (video cameras, iPhone, etc) while riding on long trips. I'll eventually convert all of it over to a PDM60 but for now it's working fine.
 
That's true but almost no one uses heated pants or boot liners compared to the number who run jackets with or without gloves. The jacket/gloves combo works well on existing 10A circuits.
I ride in temps down to low 20s and have never found a need for heated pants or boot soles- for me that would take temps down at 10 or so and it just doesn't get that cold where I live...

Like you I run an electrified tank bag plugged into the 10A accessory outlet and, unlike most, I have my jacket plugged into a connecotr on the tank bag sharing that same 10A- no poblems and keeps the cord setup short and conveniently placed.

I have trouble imaging what one would reasonably want on a bike that would exceed 15A- all the modern electronic goodies draw very little compared to the heater items...
 
I have trouble imaging what one would reasonably want on a bike that would exceed 15A- all the modern electronic goodies draw very little compared to the heater items...
Easy -- his and her heated gear.

I don't know about you, but if my wife is on board I don't want to have to say "Honey, I need to turn off your Gerbings so I can be warm"! (fortunately, she usually on one of her bikes, so this is not an issue for me :D)

To the OP: As a former K16 owner, I can verify direct-to-battery or direct-to-battery-via-a-fuseblock is the only way to get both sets of gear reliably powered.

One additional thing to consider: Use the existing power socket locations, but repalce the sockets and their wiring with Powerlet's higher capacity sockets and wiring.
 
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