Electrical questions

[Water Warrior 2]

Hi Guys an Gals. Just signed up today and have a couple questions. First off, has anyone installed a Kisan headlight modulator in a GZ250 ?? I am wondering if there is enough room in the headlight bucket to plug in the modulator to the rear of the bulb. The SO would like one just to add a little more safety to her ride. Also, is there any excess power in the charging system for add-ons. I am thinking of heated grips with a max. draw of 20 watts. Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.

[Badbob]

I've been told that you have about forty watts to play with on a stock GZ250.

Not being the kind of person who likes to push the envelope I would keep it well below this.

I'd like to know about the headlight modulator myself. There is an unused wire in there that you might be able to use for this.

[Water Warrior 2]

Badbob, thanks for the reply. Sounds like the grips will be a go eventually. As for the Kisan modulator, it is a plug an play item, no extra wiring needed. I have the dual set up on the Strom and really like the simplicity of installation. The modulator just plugs onto the rear of the bulb and then just put on the regular wiring socket to that. I do believe I will need almost a half inch of extra room(front to rear) to do the install. Maybe when things warm up and I get ambitious I will try one from the Strom to check for clearance. The Kisan units are pricey but are slick as can be. They work on hi-beam and have a lite sensor to stop the modulation at low light levels. Check out Kisan Technologies.com for further info. Also legal throughout U.S. and the GWN. Later.

[Badbob]

Looks like real nice stuff if you can afford it.

[Water Warrior 2]

Yup, it is nice. And yup I could afford it, but that didn't last too long. Spent it all on bikes and riding gear. Now I get to live on my pension and really plan ahead for any serious riding. The good part is the rent is reasonable and I only have a car payment to be concerned about. Life is good.

[Badbob]

Sounds like every day is Sunday.

[Water Warrior 2]

That's one way to look at it. Also being retired means no days off. I did work about 9 or 10 weeks over the summer and picked up enough for my first long distance(for me anyway)on the Strom and later getting the 250 before winter hit. Lynda had a few lessons from me but a proper course will happen in April for both of us. Back to the budget.

[CANDY]

i was reading about the heated grips. i'm confused about how much load you can put on the 250's alternator. i just mounted a set of motorcycle speakers and a 100w amplifier to my gz250, i play my mp3 player on them. i'm not sure how many amps or watts the amplifier pulls or the speakers,but the mp3 player is 5v @ 3a. how much more load can i place on it ? i'm thinking of trading the mp3 for a sattelite radio.

[Water Warrior 2]

Does the amp draw 100 watts ?? If it does I think you will be push starting your bike a lot. The heated grips draw less than 50 watts and no problems. 100 watts is a lot for the 250 to supply considering Suzuki has never had a thought of accessories and add-ons.

[CANDY]

yes it draws 100w, but i neglected to say it has a switch,so when the engine is not running i can turn it off. i rode about 500 miles this weekend and the bike seems to be doing great. i'm worried about the wear on the battery mainly. it starts great for now.

[Water Warrior 2]

Not being too smart with electronics I have to ask. Does the amp draw a continous 100 watts or is it dependant on volume etc ?? Maybe you have not exceeded the 250's charging capacity yet with a lower volume setting.

[Easy Rider]

Not being too smart with electronics I have to ask.

Yep. Dumb like a fox !! :cool:

[CANDY]

ok, that makes sense. i have the volume on the amp at about 50 % and adjust the volume at the mp3 player. so,going on that note, i should be ok with the serrius radio as long as i don't increase my volume on my amplifier right ? thanks for the help.