Alternator amperage?

[shesseltine86]

I have a 86 1200 Voyager XII I am cleaning up and replacing the starter clutch. It had a set of Driving lights on the engine guard. No other accessories, but I was thinking of wiring in a power out to charge little things like an IPod or cell phone. Any issues with the stock alternator?

[Tim in NC]

The manual says it puts out 35A at 7,500 RPM. Charging amperage is 19A at 4,000 rpm. So when the alternator was new, it was supplying about 19A when cruising. I don't know if alternator performance degrades over time, but after 30 years, you may not be getting 19A. I've never seen a list of the electrical components, and how much current they draw, but that would me useful. Then you could see how much of your current budget is left for add-ons.

[shesseltine86]

Thanks, also what octane rating fuel should I put in an 86?

[cushman eagle]

I get along great with 87 octane on my '99, should be the same on your '86.Now the GS1100GK that I had just before ,not so much.When it was hot,I had to be gentle on the throttle below 5000 rpms with 93 octane,or it would rattle.

[shesseltine86]

I get along great with 87 octane on my '99, should be the same on your '86.Now the GS1100GK that I had just before ,not so much.When it was hot,I had to be gentle on the throttle below 5000 rpms with 93 octane,or it would rattle.

Thanks again!

[krasmu]

you'll find a lot of us here have done a complete bike LED conversion. There are plenty of benefits to it, brighter, last longer, burn cooler but also they use much less energy and help with the limited amperage of the alternator output. I'ved added charge ports and several sets of accent lights plus running lights and not having an issue.

[Tim in NC]

I've been combing through some old posts on this forum; some good information on LED conversion. Some thoughtful people have listed the bulb numbers to make buying the LED replacements easy. I have no idea how much juice my bike draws when running. But reducing the electrical load with more efficient LEDs makes sense.