Speaking of Rectifiers...

[scott_araujo]

Jump starting your bike from a car (a running car) will fry your voltage rectifier/regulator too.

But hooking up to a car battery with jumper cables is just fine so long as the car isn't running.  There's usuall plenty enough juice in a car battery without the alternator running to jump start your bike.

The long held belief that this is totally impossible seems to stem from the fact that people had tried to jump 6V bikes off 12V cars resulting in frying all kinds of things like starters and voltage regulators.  But 12V is 12V and just hooking to the battery without the car running is just fine.

Scott

[duc_fan]

Okay, the auto-nut in me must come out to do some myth-busting...

What Scott said is correct, I just want to expand on it...

First: RTFM.  When jump-starting a car OR motorcycle, read the manual.  What it says should supercede something you see posted on the interwebz (including what I say below).

Second: For most European cars and modern American cars (and presumably also for Asian imports) you do NOT want the engine running in the car with the good battery!!!  Once the dead engine roars to life, you now have two charging systems interfering with each other... bad juju.  If the alternator wasn't already bad, it may very well be after making this mistake.

Unless the donor jumper has a really weak battery, the vast majority of car batteries have plenty of juice to start the dead car, and then themselves.  If the donor car's battery is really that weak, find another car.  Seriously... been here, done this.  Dunno how many times people looked on incredulously when I insisted on shutting my VW off before jumping their car... then lo and behold, it had plenty of juice left to start itself (the VW manual is also explicitly clear about having the car with the good battery turned off when jumping).

This is especially true for motorcycles: they don't require nearly as much juice to start, and hooking up to a running car is VERY likely to fry the more delicate electrics of the motorcycle.  There is no reason to have the car running when jumping a bike... that big ol' car battery has WAY more reserve capacity than you'll need to start the bike, and unless you sit there and crank for ten minutes, it'll have plenty of energy to restart the car after disconnecting, as well.

Oh... the above applies to 12v electrical systems.  Don't try jumping a 6v vintage bike from a 12v car battery.  Modern bikes are 12v, so they can be hooked up to a modern car battery without any problems, just don't jump off a running car.

Okay, that was it.  Sounds like most here are already aware of these facts, just making sure it's been stated for those who might not have known. 

[krolik]

How much is said TPO relocator?  Or dare I ask!?   

Damn electronics!!  *puts fist in the air, shaking angrily*

$44.99

http://www.tpoparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=61_70&products_id=53&osCsid=ac99d08a13f1ef362d3b2621fbeadbf3

[Bendy]

Also, while you might pull a cable off the battery on your running car to see if the lights dim, don't do it on your bike. At higher RPM, your alternator can spin out over 100v, which can destroy your now-isolated rectifier/regulator--it doesn't see a battery charge, so it ramps up charge voltage and unintentionally commits suicide.

It's best to just keep one of these in the back of your rig and jump start other vehicles across the starter terminals like a make the beast with two backsin' MAN.



Just make sure you buy a 12v one and not a 24v one, cause that would be hilarious.

Or if you're a lamer who can't start his rig to afford some extra amps for the dead vehicle, flag down another one and string out the jumper cables in parallel. Just make sure it's parallel, because the alternative is getting 36v if you hook them up in series. Which would also be hilarious. Three fried cars. Hahahahaha. People and their cars. Hahahaha. Cute. Hauling people, and groceries.

[NEIKOS]

Now can I say "Rectum?  Nearly killed 'im"? 

[MendoDave]

Also, while you might pull a cable off the battery on your running car to see if the lights dim, don't do it on your bike. At higher RPM, your alternator can spin out over 100v, which can destroy your now-isolated rectifier/regulator--it doesn't see a battery charge, so it ramps up charge voltage and unintentionally commits suicide.

It's best to just keep one of these in the back of your rig and jump start other vehicles across the starter terminals like a make the beast with two backsin' MAN.



Just make sure you buy a 12v one and not a 24v one, cause that would be hilarious.

Or if you're a lamer who can't start his rig to afford some extra amps for the dead vehicle, flag down another one and string out the jumper cables in parallel. Just make sure it's parallel, because the alternative is getting 36v if you hook them up in series. Which would also be hilarious. Three fried cars. Hahahahaha. People and their cars. Hahahaha. Cute. Hauling people, and groceries.

Those are cool looking. where did you get those at? Petco Pape Cat?

[Bendy]

While I greatly enjoy Petco, I've never been able to find these there. Halton Tractor, NC Machinery, Peterson Tractor, or Western States will all sell them to you, depending on where you are in the northwest. Pape is no longer a CAT dealer. They downgraded to Deere. But 12 volts of 2000 cranking amps will jumpstart a good deal of anything.

[MendoDave]

Cool The Petco was a lame joke. the batterys say Cat. Cat stuff...Petco...OK not very funny. 

[ryandalling]

Cool The Petco was a lame joke. the batterys say Cat. Cat stuff...Petco...OK not very funny. 

Consider the situation rectified... ha ha ha ha... I crack myself up. 

[NEIKOS]

Cooling fins, what?!  We don't need no sticking air flow to make those actually WORK do we?!    I hear ya guys!  Not sure I want to part with a bunch of money on my Duc for a 'relocation' kit, when I can buy 'cooler' things.   I'm thinking I'm going with Scott's idea for now. Hey Neikos, next time you ride or whatnot, can I check out your 'rectified' rectifier?

I'm not sure next time I'm gonna ride.  Having some "issues" and well the weather and all so . . .

Would pics work?

You coming out tomorrow?

[marvellous]

Always isolate your rectifier...  unless you're into that sorta thing...  Course now you have me all concerned about my rectifier and definitely don't want it singed...

[ryandalling]

After jump starting a bike with a car that was running... and seeing the smoke coming from the rectifier... I called my mechanic buddy.... and his response, "Yeah, it is never good to let the smoke out of the rectifier. The smoke is supposed to stay inside."

[duc_fan]

"Yeah, it is never good to let the smoke out of the rectifier. The smoke is supposed to stay inside."

 

[scott_araujo]

"Yeah, it is never good to let the smoke out of the rectifier. The smoke is supposed to stay inside."

This applies to all electronics.  Ask any electrical engineer.  Never let the magic blue smoke out!

Scott

[SR1K_Femme]

You coming out tomorrow?

What's going on tomorrow?  And where?