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  1. #21 Re: Headlights & fuel consumption 
    Senior C-Moto Guru MJH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chinabiker View Post
    Wow. I never read that much nonsense
    Not really but it certainly would never get published by the IEEE .

    I did not think anything I posted was that off?

    If anyone is interested here are some relative links.
    Motorcycle Charging Systems

    Base load power systems

    I thought comparing a permanent magnetic generator to base load power was a good analogy...maybe not?
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  2. #22 Re: Headlights & fuel consumption 
    Senior C-Moto Guru ZMC888's Avatar
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    MJH, it's OK Chinabiker has been on a wind-up. What yoiu wrote is exactly correct.
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  3. #23 Re: Headlights & fuel consumption 
    Motorcycle Addict chinabiker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ZMC888 View Post
    MJH, it's OK Chinabiker has been on a wind-up. What yoiu wrote is exactly correct.
    Sorry folks, it's not correct, it is pure nonsense.
    Andy
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  4. #24 Re: Headlights & fuel consumption 
    Senior C-Moto Guru Zorge's Avatar
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    OK, let's talk about headlights and fuel conspumtion.

    I'm ready.

    Ask me nothing - I DO NOT speak english. Really...
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  5. #25 Re: Headlights & fuel consumption 
    Danger, Will Robinson! Lao Jia Hou's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zorge View Post
    I'm ready.

    Hahaha! But don't bring a knife to a gun fight ...

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  6. #26 Re: Headlights & fuel consumption 
    Life Is Good! ChinaV's Avatar
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    Let's talk about oil instead.

    Regardless of which side is correct, I do see merit in both arguments. The guru I talked to (35 year engine mechanic) claims the "load" does not result in a significant increase in fuel consumption. On a single cylinder 250cc bike, you're talking about a teaspoon of fuel in 1000 miles. Blipping your throttle at a stop light a few times would waste more than continuos headlight use.

    Cheers!
    ChinaV
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  7. #27 Re: Headlights & fuel consumption 
    Crazy Jon Jonsims's Avatar
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    Well.. actually First law of physics.."Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transferred from one form to the other, the lowest being heat"'
    Thus you ride with your headlight on you are burning energy, where does it come from? Yep, the fuel tank. The guy is correct.. however.. It uses half of sod all on a stormy night energy, there you go..Amount of energy used by the generator.. The "generator" works harder when it is putting juice into the battery. When the zener diode which, allows electrical flow into the battery until a certain voltage then allows the voltage from the battery to flow back. So when the voltage output of the zener diode and the battery are equal there is no POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE in energy of the two systems. The potential difference is called Voltage by the way. SOOOOOOOOOOOO with no current flow because of the Potential energy difference there is no net transfer of energy. So.. turn on the light and there is an increase in consumption of energy and blah blah blah blah blah..
    still stuff all on a stormy night though...
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  8. #28 Re: Headlights & fuel consumption 
    Crazy Jon Jonsims's Avatar
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    however.. spend the extra money on the thimbleful of gas every week. It may just save your life.. and by the way. .no law against driving with your lights on during the daytime in this country.
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  9. #29 Re: Headlights & fuel consumption 
    Danger, Will Robinson! Lao Jia Hou's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonsims View Post
    .. and by the way. .no law against driving with your lights on during the daytime in this country.
    Yeah, there is, somewhere hidden in the Traffic Code. Saw it once. It translates a bit strange, something like "lights must be turned on only between dusk & dawn", or something like that. In recent days, in Beijing, motorcycles are getting a shakedown ... we're experiencing tickets for anything and everything. It has reached the point of total absurdity - ever heard of a mouth swab being taken for foreign-plated (i.e., non Beijing plates) bike riders coming into the city? - some riders are reporting that, but who knows. Goes along with the no window handles, no pigeons, no toys, no pencil sharpeners, no balloons ... and a need to have any taxi driver read a cautionary script to you if you are going into the red zone.

    Still can't wrap my brain around how there can be any additional drag on the generator - it is spinning whether the lights or on, or not.

    But perhaps we should move to ChinaV's suggestion ... next question:

    Do I consume more fuel if I use a heavier grade of oil?

    Hahahaha ... JUST JOKING!!!!!!!! Do NOT take the bait!
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  10. #30 Re: Headlights & fuel consumption 
    Senior C-Moto Guru MJH's Avatar
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    At idle a bike can offer 17 vAC as the engine increases rpm you can get up into 45-60vAC, at the battery it is getting about a consistent 14.5vDC.


    So if your lights are on the reading at the battery could tell you slightly more? If you shut off the light you will see 14.5? The difference is the draw of the light? The battery is 12volts fully charged and the current going to it is 14.5 then what is the 2.5 variance is that the draw of the lights?


    Let consider that we have a 60watt bulb.
    .06 kilowatts for a 60 watt bulb


    Now lets convert the kilowatts to voltage.
    The voltage V in volts (V) is equal to 1000 times the power P in kilowatts (kW), divided by the current I in amps (A):


    V =1000 x .06/5


    V=12


    The twelve volt battery is getting 14.5 volts about and the lights take 12 volts?


    The battery looses some juice at starting, the trickle 2.5 offers that back to recharge it. The lights are also a constant draw at 12 volts while on, but the generation from the stator that is beyond 14.5 the constant voltage off the regulator rectifier.


    The output of the stator is linear it goes up way beyond the the 14.5 sent to the battery, the generation changes with rpm it is all linear.


    The 14.5 is always a drop down off the stator output, if you see really high values at connections to the battery from the regulator, it could be a bad ground at it letting too much electricity through.

    same thing I posted before except I added real values.
    Last edited by MJH; 11-08-2012 at 11:25 PM.
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