wattage capabilities for heated clothing

[tmarshall]

Does anybody know what our R1150R's (2004) can handle? Can they handle enough for full heated suit, gloves and socks? Thom

[sjbmw]

I don't know the numbers, but mine does.

Gerbing jacket liner, pants, socks, glove liners, XM radio, and GPS.....

[awagnon]

Does anybody know what our R1150R's (2004) can handle? Can they handle enough for full heated suit, gloves and socks? Thom

The alternator on the R1150R will power a small town. Plenty of juice for a heated suit, gloves, and socks. Find out the total amps of the suit, gloves, and socks and multiply by 12 Volts to get the watts. The alternator puts out about 700 watts at cruising (less in town) and the bike probably only uses 200 - 250 counting the fuel pump, ABS, lights, heated grips, etc. That leaves ? 450 Watts for your gear.

[CycleRob]

The OilHead's alternator is actually a 50 Amp car alternator. It wasn't made for our bike, but after years of making pathetic AirHead alternators, it was cleverly adapted to it. It's one of the best things about my bike that, along with the shaft drive and EFI is why I'm not riding an SV-650 Suzuki today. It's well made, extremely durable, very powerful (compared to most bikes) and very efficient (waste heat). It also has the tight electronic voltage regulation that the EFI system needs. Here's the data I found out about it:

Output@rpm:
1,000rpm=252W
2500rpm=475W
4000rpm=700W

My 2002 R1150R at a 1,200 RPM winter idle breaks even (not discharging) while powering my (60 Watt) Widder vest, the heated grips on Hi and two 55 Watt driving lites - - - about 200 Watts total over and above the bike's normal operational draw.

If you do find yourself idling in traffic with all the heated gear turned on, you'll soon get too hot and need to turn the power off or down. You can raise the idle slightly, like 1,300 RPM, with the fast idle lever finger-held partially on to prevent partial discharging of the battery. The battery can take these temporary power draw hits as long as there's a several minute makeup ride to follow. Above idle at road speeds, anything goes!! Use all your stuff on "Hi".

[boxermania]

Have to keep my buddy honest. The output of the oilheads alternator is 700 watts, which translates into 58 amps of current load.

700 watts / 12 volts = 58.33 amps.....but what is 8 amps between friends......

[tmarshall]

How about the socket on the left side, can it handle all that capacity or do we need to distribute the wattage to other sockets or connections?

[awagnon]

How about the socket on the left side, can it handle all that capacity or do we need to distribute the wattage to other sockets or connections?

I would not exceed the amperage limit of the fuse for the accessory outlet. (Fuse number 3, I believe.) The fuse is there to protect the wiring and bike. If in doubt, add another outlet on its own fuse.

[CycleRob]

boxermania,

I did not choose the 50A or 700W numbers. BMW did and posted it in the specs. Maybe it's because 700/50=14.0 (the system voltage when the engine is running).
12 Volts would be trouble!!

Turns out it's only 2 volts between friends.

[boxermania]

CycleRob

Good logic, I think we both agree that the alternator capacity is 700 watts. Where we differ is if the rating is at 14 volts or 12 volts. My take is that any accessories on the electrical system are based on a 12 volt supply and so is their load.....

That being said I think is time for a brewsky, how about it......


tmarshall

Two questions, two answers

1) You can exceed the load of the accesory socket.....do carry plenty of fuses.......
2) Distribute the load