Does Anyone Or Has Anyone Ever Used A solar battery charger on their Motorcycle ??

[cashcrzzy]

Does Anyone Or Has Anyone Ever Used A solar battery charger on their Motorcycle ?? To maintain the charge !

I am planning on getting one for my boat and now I am thinking that I will get one for my bike too..

Greg A.

 

[Hellgate]

Nope but the Army uses them on HUMVEEs and tanks. They work great. They save the government a fortune on batteries.

 

[Fred]

I had one on my sailboat. It worked perfectly for the entire time I owned the boat. The battery was a POS and the charger still kept it topped up.

 

[Kilbane83]

Hmm the application is intriguing.. but is it really needed? How often does your battery go dead from being drained on a bike? Unless you do something silly like forget to unplug heated grips or gps or something like that.. not sure a solar panel would help with that or not. On a boat I can see it for sure for safety reasons.. you can always push start a bike, pretty hard to row fast enough to get the prop to start a boat up hah.

But.. the idea is interesting indeed. opcorn:

 

[grommit]

The pump on my pond uses solar power. :thumbup:

 

[cashcrzzy]

you can always push start a bike, QUOTE]

If the battery is dead the fuel pump wont run !! jump starting won't help you if you have no fuel.

The reason I am asking is when its 20 degrees or colder outside the bike turns over slow if the solar panel could give me just a little oomph it would be a comfort on those cold days . Yes I may be crazy but I ride all year long unless their is ice or snow on the ground. temp doesent matter to me it just wakes me up quicker.
Greg A.

 

[Discofrank]

[

The reason I am asking is when its 20 degrees or colder outside the bike turns over slow if the solar panel could give me just a little oomph it would be a comfort on those cold days . Yes I may be crazy but I ride all year long unless their is ice or snow on the ground. temp doesent matter to me it just wakes me up quicker.
Greg A.

a battery can only hold what it is rated to
if the battery is in good condition and fully charged a solar panel will not give u that extra "oomph" u are looking for, a decent solar charger will only trickle charge the battery
they cannot produce enough power ( so to speak ) to start a bike

if the engine is turning over slowly in winter i would be looking at the starting circuit , ie u may have some corrosion on the starter motor terminal not allowing enough current to come through

 

[Ashbone]

Can you bump start an fz 6 with a flat battery or any fuel injected bike for that fact...

Just wondering..... Don't worry crashcrzzy has just answered that one!!

 

[racerws]

I think, considering the cost, availability and needs, the Battery Tender is hard to beat.
You must have access to an electric plug of course. Get the small one that
only puts out less than an amp, and hook up the quick disconnect plug
permanently to your battery. Man you are good to go sun or no sun.

 

[Fred]

I can and have bump started fuel injected bikes, including my FZ6. It works.

Keep a couple of facts in mind.

1. The fuel system holds pressure for quite a long time after the bike is shut off. As in, months.

2. The fuel pump draws much less power than the starter, so even if the battery cannot run the starter, it can probably run the pump.

3. As soon as the engine begins turning, the alternator starts producing power.

I've never had a battery that was so flat that it could not run the fuel pump. But even if it was, for a bump start, all the battery has to power is the coils, the ECU, and the fuel injectors. And only for a second, as the alternator will start to produce power as soon as you start the engine turning.

I haven't tried it, but I bet that with a truly flat battery, and a depressurized fuel system, you could still bump start the bike given a small hill to keep the bike moving for a second or so.

Frederic

 

[Discofrank]

I can and have bump started fuel injected bikes, including my FZ6. It works.

yes it does but.. it would require enough voltage to run the bikes ecu,fuel pump,coils and injectors
many a time i have turned my bike off at the top of the drive
only to be able to disengage the clutch and allow it to start again when rolling

Keep a couple of facts in mind.

1. The fuel system holds pressure for quite a long time after the bike is shut off. As in, months.

no it does not, if it does there is a problem
hence why u hear the fuel pump "prime" may sound like a whirr when u turn the ign on this is the pump pressurising the fuel system

2. The fuel pump draws much less power than the starter, so even if the battery cannot run the starter, it can probably run the pump.

more than likely yes

3. As soon as the engine begins turning, the alternator starts producing power.

I've never had a battery that was so flat that it could not run the fuel pump. But even if it was, for a bump start, all the battery has to power is the coils, the ECU, and the fuel injectors. And only for a second, as the alternator will start to produce power as soon as you start the engine turning.

I haven't tried it, but I bet that with a truly flat battery, and a depressurized fuel system, you could still bump start the bike given a small hill to keep the bike moving for a second or so.

Frederic

i will disagree here
due to previous experience trying to start a FI bike with a flat battery
had the bike up to 20kmhr and it still would not start


yes the alternator will produce power when it starts turning but not enough to run the bikes electronics.
at the few rpm that it will be turning it would be lucky to produce 5v let alone the 12v needed and the current as well

 

[04fizzer]

I bought a solar charger while I lived in an apartment because my bike was parked too far from the apartment to run a tender. I never did use the charger though.

If I could remember how much I paid for it, I'd sell it to you for close to that price.

 

[cashcrzzy]

a battery can only hold what it is rated to
if the battery is in good condition and fully charged a solar panel will not give u that extra \"oomph\" u are looking for, a decent solar charger will only trickle charge the battery
they cannot produce enough power ( so to speak ) to start a bike

if the engine is turning over slowly in winter i would be looking at the starting circuit , ie u may have some corrosion on the starter motor terminal not allowing enough current to come through

Frank I did not want to comment to what you said above but what you said is killing me .If I had corrosion on any part of my starter circut I would have a problem all the time not just cold . The cold is not letting the current come through ,When a battery stays out in the cold its output decreases .The solar panel will just keep the electrons moving in the battery .

A quote from this web site Solar Energy Devices

4. At our facility, we use the smaller solar panels on our passenger vehicles, placed on the dashboard under the windshield, inside the car. One of these vehicles is a very old 4-wheel drive pickup we use mostly for hauling firewood or snow-plowing the driveway in winter. Before we put on the solar panel (one of the smaller ones below) the battery would rarely have enough "oompf" to turn over the engine for more than a few seconds, especially in the cold wintertime. After putting a solar panel on the battery, which is an older battery at that, we have no more problems getting "old blue" started.
thanks Greg A.

 

[cashcrzzy]

I bought a solar charger while I lived in an apartment because my bike was parked too far from the apartment to run a tender. I never did use the charger though.

If I could remember how much I paid for it, I'd sell it to you for close to that price.

Thank you For the offer I MAY consider it I Will let you know
Greg A.

 

[Discofrank]

Frank I did not want to comment to what you said above but what you said is killing me .If I had corrosion on any part of my starter circut I would have a problem all the time not just cold . The cold is not letting the current come through ,When a battery stays out in the cold its output decreases .The solar panel will just keep the electrons moving in the battery .

A quote from this web site Solar Energy Devices

4. At our facility, we use the smaller solar panels on our passenger vehicles, placed on the dashboard under the windshield, inside the car. One of these vehicles is a very old 4-wheel drive pickup we use mostly for hauling firewood or snow-plowing the driveway in winter. Before we put on the solar panel (one of the smaller ones below) the battery would rarely have enough \\"oompf\\" to turn over the engine for more than a few seconds, especially in the cold wintertime. After putting a solar panel on the battery, which is an older battery at that, we have no more problems getting \\"old blue\\" started.
thanks Greg A.

hahaha so u belive everythign u read from a company trying to sell you something?

in that example it sounds like the car has a charging problem
as in it can only porduce enough voltage to run the car not start it
and the solar panel charges the battery to allow it to start


ohh and if this small solar panel can produce 12v at at least 100amps then they have some awesoem technology and would be rich