If you don’t want to be hampered by the weather when riding a motorcycle in the winter (but are perhaps hindered by technology – or lack of technology – on your small bike), check this out discharge note features from “Moto Mouth” Moshe K. Levy originally appeared in horsemanFebruary number.
Small motorcycle sales are booming in the U.S. Low prices, great fuel economy, delightful aesthetics, and joy to ride make small motorcycles irresistible. My 2021 Honda Trail 125 is so addicting that I find myself hopping into its spartan single seater not only for local work but also for long weekend rides.
Related: 2021 Honda Trail 125 ABS | Review the first trip
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However, all that joy ends up colliding with the restrictions Mother Nature imposes on those of us who have to endure the cold winters. Normally, on my big bikes, I just plug in my gloves and line the 12-volt electric jacket and keep going. But on small bikes like the Trail, there simply isn’t enough electric power to run the entire heating system.
Since in-season parking has never been a serious problem for me, I developed a solution that is relatively low-cost, readily available, functionally effective, and applicable to almost every motorcycle has a minimum electric capacity.
First, you need some battery-powered heaters, there are many on the market today. I’ve had great luck with Warm & Safe’s Long Sleeve Thermal Sweatshirt, which is powered by a 7.4V, 7.8Ah lithium-ion battery. For gloves, I prefer Klim’s battery-powered Hardanger HTD, which operates on a 7.4V, 2Ah lithium-polymer battery. Both products have multiple heat levels allowing riders to adjust the temperature as needed, and they’ve performed well through seasons of abuse.
See all of Rider’s new and reviewed gear here.
Indeed, the heating device is the only thing that allows your loyal, winter-hating Mediterranean columnist to survive arctic riding – at least until the battery runs out! And here’s the problem: To stay out in the cold all day, we need a constant source of electricity. Here’s how to get it.
First, we need backup batteries for all the heaters we use. Manufacturers often offer spare parts, as does Amazon. Always try to get an Ah (amp-hour) rating at least as high as the original battery – preferably higher. The higher the Ah Rating, all else being equal, the more runtime you will get.
Next, we need to keep these spare parts charged continuously so that they can be replaced when the original battery runs out. We can do this with a basic square wave DC-AC inverter and a wire to connect the inverter to the bike’s battery.
My typical setup inside the top box of my Trail is shown in the photo below:
1. Sinloon waterproof lighter harness, available on Amazon for $9.99, connects directly to the motorcycle’s battery
2. The BMK 200W Square Wave DC-AC Inverter, available on Amazon for $25.99, plugs into a Sinloon harness and converts 12V DC from the bike’s battery to 120V AC
3. AC-DC battery charger, which comes with heater and plugs directly into the inverter, converts 120V AC power back to 8.4V DC for power bank
4. Backup lithium-ion battery for my W&S Thermos
5. Spare lithium-polymer battery used in my Klim heating gloves
Both the harness and the inverter are generic and it doesn’t really matter what brand you use. (Some riders may already have an extension cord, e.g. for Battery Tender.)
Everything is secured in my Trail’s top case so things don’t wobble too much. All I need to do is turn the inverter to “on” mode to continuously charge the backup battery while riding. Yes, it is inefficient to convert the power from 12V DC to 120V AC of the bike and then back to the 8.4V DC charging voltage of the heated device, but this setup gets the job done with parts are common, inexpensive, and do not require fancy wiring.
Total consumption on this setup is only about 32 watts, including inverter losses. That’s only about a third of the suction power of my 12V DC Warm & Safety jacket liner, so small bikes and even many older bikes with limited electrical capacity can handle this load at once. easy way. Mission completed!
Depending on the ambient temperature and the heater settings, I usually pull over every one to four hours to exchange the dead battery for a new one, allowing me to stay out in the cold all day – long after when most of the other racers have parked the season. For a true addict, there is no other choice!
For a video on this setup, watch Moto Mouth Moshe YouTube channel.
