Volt meter recommendations

[Dogma]

I'm wanting to install a volt meter on my bike, but I'm not liking the options I've been able to find so far. I'd like a digital readout to 0.1V precision, but I haven't seen one at a reasonable cost that doesn't look like a hobby project. This may be a pipe dream, but I'd like the digital display in something that could be mistaken for period correct, or is very small. (But not panel mount. I don't have a panel.)

I know about the Show Chrome unit, but it has more functions than I want, it's not waterproof for cryin' out loud, and I happen to think it's ugly. Other units with digital displays quickly jump up over $100. For that kind of money, I'll just get a Veypor and park it over the unused area of my tach.

Any suggestions? I didn't think I'd have this much trouble finding something.

 

[koolaid_kid]

I found some on eBay, you have to refine your seach to get what you want, but I found some that were acceptable for low bucks (no, I did not save the search or a pointer to the acceptable ones). Lots of the panel mounts, of course. Time for a Radio Shack hobby box?

 

[chuckycheese]

Advantage?

Advantage?

I don't understand the advantage in having one. What is it?

 

[koolaid_kid]

Our charging systems are prone to failure, unfortunately. A voltmeter would tell the owner when things were going awry, as opposed to stopping on the side of the road as I have seen on no fewer than 3 rallies.

 

[chuckycheese]

Our charging systems are prone to failure, unfortunately. A voltmeter would tell the owner when things were going awry, as opposed to stopping on the side of the road as I have seen on no fewer than 3 rallies.

It seems to me that the two things would happen at the same time!

 

[koolaid_kid]

No, what actually happens is one of two things:
It starts to fail. Voltage is too high or too low.
If too high, it will burn things up and then they are on the side of the road.
If too low, it runs on the battery until the battery is too low to run the bike, and then they are on the side of the road.
Either way, the side of the road is just a bad place to break down.

 

[almarconi]

I've got this one on my bike

http://www.argusanalyzers.com/batte...tery-bug-battery-monitor-argus-analyzers.html

I've got it attached to the top of the gauge cluster with velcro. Seems to stay put but I have a windshield on the bike.

 

[chuckycheese]

No, what actually happens is one of two things:
It starts to fail. Voltage is too high or too low.
If too high, it will burn things up and then they are on the side of the road.
If too low, it runs on the battery until the battery is too low to run the bike, and then they are on the side of the road.
Either way, the side of the road is just a bad place to break down.

I don't question the theory....only the practicality or true usefulness!

 

[koolaid_kid]

Sorry, but it is not theory, it is reality. Unfortunate, but true.

 

[bwringer]

Unless you develop some sort of supreme sensitivity to voltage or bulb brightness, charging system failure often isn't detected until you're stuck somewhere.

I'm a fairly accomplished GS mechanic, but I've been caught out a few times. In all cases, some sort of charging system monitoring would have prevented the inconvenience.

Once was when my VX800 was overcharging intermittently -- when the R/R got hot, it stopped regulating (I suspected something was up when I started blowing bulbs regularly, but the bike always passed tests), and I had to perform an emergency battery swap at a Walmart on the way to Kentucky. This led to about four hours of delay.

Another time, I had no idea my GS850 had stopped charging until I was stuck at a grocery store with a bike that wouldn't start (plus melting ice cream and a gallon of rapidly warming milk ). Basically, the bike always starts instantly, so I didn't get any warning from slow cranking. I was running errands during the daytime, so I didn't notice the lights getting dim.

I've been surprised by expired batteries a time or two as well in much the same way -- if a GS is tuned correctly, it will pretty much start instantly in about half a turn, so you never detect the warning signs of slow cranking.

On my fuel-injected V-Strom, I noticed the fuel pump noise was lacking enthusiasm, and the cranking was getting slow (most FI systems make the engine crank for about a second to build oil pressure before they allow starting). With this early warning, I was able to check the charging system and then buy a replacement battery later that day and install it at my convenience. (The battery was the original factory battery -- a Yuasa AGM at least 7 years old.)

So yeah, a voltage monitor is in fact a very practical and useful idea.

 

[Dogma]

I don't question the theory....only the practicality or true usefulness!

The idea is that you can see unusual voltage readings before complete failure. Like being able to do the first tests of the stator papers every time you get on the bike.

 

[tas850g]

i will not run my old GS without one. A "peace of mind" feeling when out on those 6 hr rides in the northeast.

 

[Dogma]

I've got this one on my bike

http://www.argusanalyzers.com/batte...tery-bug-battery-monitor-argus-analyzers.html

I've got it attached to the top of the gauge cluster with velcro. Seems to stay put but I have a windshield on the bike.

That is less awful in appearance than most. But it's not really a voltmeter. And sorta pricey. Not that a capacity estimator doesn't have its uses. I would definitely want one of those on a boat. I looked around the site a bit, and didn't see other types of meters.

 

[koolaid_kid]

If you had the room and the inclination, the best voltmeter would be one designed for an automobile: http://www.google.com/products/cata...log_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEoQ8wIwBA
I use Ultra-Lites in my TransAm and they are awesome. You would need to fashion a bracket, but it would look similar to pos's cluster, which looks quite professional.

 

[posplayr]

they are all over ebay



http://cgi.ebay.com/Blue-LCD-Digita...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20b253ce2c


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220596162387


For waht you get teh show chrome is actually kinda nice. I know in the short time I have had it it was nice to see the temperature variations from 60 degF to 110 degF (both inside and outside), time of day in addition to the battery voltage. All of this is in aout the same size package as just buying a volt meter.


This one is about the smallest I have seen. The LCD display is what takes up all the room. It is not the voltmeter.

http://www.digitalmeter.com/cgi-bin/webshop.cgi?config=ent-datel

 

[Dogma]

Pos, I saw all of those on eBay. I think the panel mount came the closest to what I was looking for, but I'd prefer it in a can like the one koolaid kid suggested. I suppose I could do some kit bashing with a cheap can-style gauge and the panel mount. yuck.

I guess I'm not going to find anything digital that fits visually with the G cluster. Perhaps I could find a place inside the cluster for a tiny LCD unit. Do you happen to know, is the Show Chrome unit a single board, or can I dismantle it and reconfigure it some way that suits me?

I'll save you all some time pointing out the irony of me being so picky about the visuals of a volt meter when the bike is covered in bed liner.

 

[posplayr]

I guess I'm not going to find anything digital that fits visually with the G cluster. Perhaps I could find a place inside the cluster for a tiny LCD unit. Do you happen to know, is the Show Chrome unit a single board, or can I dismantle it and reconfigure it some way that suits me?

I would but the cheap multi color LED version and give up on the 0.1V resolution.

I doubt you could cut the Showchrome in 1/2 and have it live. The display is quite wide for, time, temp and voltage all being shown at the same time.

 

[Dogma]

...
I doubt you could cut the Showchrome in 1/2 and have it live. The display is quite wide for, time, temp and voltage all being shown at the same time.

Oh, it's all one LCD. I failed to notice that.

 

[Steve]

This is Mrs. Steve posting,

I have a volt meter on my bike and enjoy the peace of mind that I have while riding knowing where my charging system is and any time. I have struggled with the well known charging gremlins that trouble the GSs and have caught more then one problem before it caused me to call for a ride.

Having gauges to report the health of my car or bike is a common thing as Mr. Steve has always enjoyed the infomation they provide from his earliest driving days.

I strongly support the use of a volt meter, but I do not have a real opinion on which ones are prettier than another.

.

 

[posplayr]

I strongly support the use of a volt meter, but I do not have a real opinion on which ones are prettier than another.

.

Maybe we should ask BigJake; he is an expert at "pretty-ness" especially on machine work :-#