BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

wondering how many spare watts do I have to work with on my bike.  its a 2012 rt. I've got a full set of heated gear, gloves, pants, jacket liner.  Plus heated grips and seat.  my wife is getting to a point where she has more time to be able to ride with me now so I'm considering getting her some heated gear also.  I just need to know how much junk can I plug into this bike without causing an issue?

arkmark wrote:Wondering how many spare watts do I have to work with on my bike.

I just need to know how much junk can I plug into this bike without causing an issue?

What is the current (Amps) draw of all the heated gear?

The electrical rating of the on-board sockets is a max. of 10 A, for all sockets.

Interesting question.  I assume that if a socket is overloaded it will simply switch off, so effectively the system is foolproof as standard.

If a distribution box (e.g. a PDM60) is powered from the battery and enough add-ons are connected to draw a little more than the output of the alternator, what would happen when the battery voltage starts to drop ?  Is the modern bike's system smart enough to switch off "non-essential" circuits before vital safety circuits ?  Or does it just throw up a warning light to let you know you're heading for trouble and need to switch something off ?

Far easier solution in weather requiring all limbs to be electrically warmed.  Get in the car and turn on the heater.  To answer your question.  I would imagine only items connected directly through you accessory sockets would switch off.  Putting things directly to the battery bypasses your canbus system.

The grip & seat heating, are only operational with the engine running.

"The increase in power consumption caused by the grip & seat heating can drain the battery if you are riding at low engine speeds.
If the charge level is low, grip & seat heating is switched off to ensure the battery's starting capability."

Even the Oxford heated grips on my 35 year old XJ650 switch themselves off to protect the battery voltage.

If the bike's electrics can support 2 x 10A = 20A of auxiliary equipment plugged into the on-board sockets, then, does the same apply to anything bolted directly to the battery, providing it is protected by a 10A fuse.

arkmark wrote:Thank you, from the looks of it I need to go ahead and wire myself directly up to the battery. I've got jacket liner, pant liner and gloves so that puts me up to a 15 amp draw.

What make of heated gear have you got that pulls 15A.

I've got some Keis heated gear, from their operating instructions, the current draw is, jacket 7A, trousers 3.3A & gloves 1A, giving a total of 11.3A.

If the on-board sockets are protected at 10A, is it wise to put a 15A load on the bike.

Hang on a minute David.  You have heated jacket, trousers and gloves.  But you have just put your bike away until the Spring.  Or have you got a rat bike for the winter.

Sorry if my post was a bit misleading, I've quoted the Keis figures as examples of the kit which arkmark has, but don't know his make of heated gear.

Personally, I have a Keis X10 bodywarmer 18W 1.5A & X300 insoles 15W 1.3A.

Although my RT is tucked away, I have the XJ650 to use during the winter, I do feel the cold, therefore don't venture out too often at this time of the year.

gogs01 wrote:If a distribution box (e.g. a PDM60) is powered from the battery and enough add-ons are connected to draw a little more than the output of the alternator, what would happen when the battery voltage starts to drop?
Or does it just throw up a warning light to let you know you're heading for trouble and need to switch something off?

If the battery is being discharged, the general warning light shows red & the battery symbol appears on the display.

Although my RT is tucked away, I have the XJ650 to use during the winter, I do feel the cold, therefore don't venture out too often at this time of the year.


You are not alone there.

This may help you
http://www.powerlet.com/shop-by-vehicle ... 35#formtop

DaygloDavid wrote: If the battery is being discharged, the general warning light shows red & the battery symbol appears on the display.

Aaahhh - that makes sense, thanks ! Clever things BMW bikes :be happy:

the gear I have is gerbing, I don't have any for my wife yet just trying to figure out if the bike can handle another full set of gear or not.  I'm not using the powerlet sockets for my gear it is straight to the battery and if I get her set up, it will also be that way.  Just trying to figure out how much power is available before I start running into issues.  I don't like the thought of keep hooking stuff up until there is an issue.

From the Gerbing website, http://www.gerbing.eu/en, the current ratings are, jacket 6.5A, pants 3.5A & gloves 2.2A, a total of 12.2A.

Do you use all the heated gear on max. settings?

What size fuse have you got in the lead bolted to the battery?

IMO, best look at the current rating of the gear, stick a 10A fuse in a see how you get on.

The output from the alternator is 720W, I don't know what power (W) the bike consumes before you start adding extra kit.