Hi,am gonna be away for 4 days next year at the Moto GP and wondering about charging devices. Obviously I'll arrive at the campsite on Thursday with everything fully charged but I won't be using the bike again until the Monday morning when we leave. My question is how do I keep my iPhone charged over this period and maybe even charge a GoPro battery or 2,although I could buy a few extra of these to take with me. Has anyone used a decent mobile battery pack or was thinking solar charger on top of rucksack during the day. Any help appreciated
Just manufacture a cable that you can run from the bike in to the tent that will allow you to charge your phone & satnav overnight. The bike's battery should last the distance, although you could always test it one night before you go to be sure, otherwise a bump start may be in order
I use the optimate usb charger with a long enough lead and maybe adapters for phone and camera this will charge both.......it automatically cuts out if battery falls below certain level...... so no flat battery worries..... http://www.amazon.co.uk/OptiMATE-Charger-Adapters-O101-TM-101/dp/B00AFXQ97A
I've got the optimate usb charger and on testing it found that it very quickly shuts off if the bike is not running,which i suppose is what it's designed for. Thought about just direct connection to battery but would like to avoid bump starting it at a campsite if possible.
I looked at the Optimate thing but it only delivers 1A which is a bit low for a new smartphone/tablet. For going away I have had a 12000mAh battery for about a year and it has been great for me so far. Theoretically it will give me 3-4 full charges on the mobile but I have never tried past 2 charges. I also have a cigarette socket that I connect to my optimate connector so I can use a car charger for charging on the go. Just checked and they now do a 20000mAh one as well
Think a battery pack is the route i'm going to take. Just been puting the work computer to good use and checking out Amazon and seen a 15000mAh RavPower battery that seems to get good reviews and not too pricy,should last the 4 nights camping too. Solar power a no as reviews only say they work well in bright sunshine,plus having to carry them about during the day.
I use a 20,000 power brick and its dead handy - but may not last the full 4 days if you use your phone loads, so you'd want to top up the brick from the bike battery maybe one evening for a couple of hours - best way is via a hard wired cig socket under the rear seat - you want to be able to lock the brick and leave it charging without the ignition on.
Hi, I bought this from Ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-Black...pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item3ce7bab549 but the problem I had is I didn't want to connect it direct to the battery because it'd be on all the time, so i eventually worked out I could unplug the main beam connector (02 CBR954rr), poke the wires into that, then push the connector back onto the bulb. The main beam is a 12v feed, which is enough to power the USB charger and it only comes on when the lights are on. What I'd like to know, if i can ask for your expert opinions - is this safe to do? I don't want my main beam blowing half way down the road to Assen TT this year!! Please let me know if you think this is ok? Thanks very much in advance... and sorry if it's revisiting an old subject. Warren
Safest bet would be to put in a switched circuit that only comes on with the ignition. I fitted one of these and use a tap from the tail light to control the relay as it is ignition controlled. The main power leads are connected direct to the battery, and the one I fitted was the 3 circuit switched and so I can run 3 different 12v feeds with independent fuses.
Check out the optimate usb charge socket. It auto cuts off when voltage drops below 12.4,basically when ignition off.
Thanks for your replies - what I have done works, I'm just concerned it might blow the main beam? If someone can confirm if my connection to the main beam connector is ok I'd be very grateful, or do you think it might interfere with the headlight?
They'll charge slowly at 1 amp. If you don't want to wait all day and be able to do newer phones then you need a higher current output.
Not something I'd try, although I did run both sides off one headlight once, so I'm sure the wiring/fuse can handle it. I run mine via a fuse off the battery, but if you want it to go off with the ignition then you could tap into a supply from the fusebox with something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ADD-A-CIR...012?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item5660300c14
Warren,as long as you're using standard 55w bulbs you should get away with the extra amp but it is a bit of a botch job. It should be wired straight to the battery with a relay for ignition switching.
Hi - thanks for the advice which I will take on board and amend my wiring accordingly - last thing I want it to lose my dip beam on the way to/back from Assen!! cheers
