[namsgt1946]

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I want to add some lights fro a little better night vision. I hear horror stories about too high of an amp draw and electrical goodies giving up the ghost. How many amps do I have to work with on a basic Gl1100? Can I rig an ammeter in main line somewhere to check current amp draw? Asking first saves money and mistakes. Thanks

 

[DaveO430]

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You can add a set of 35 watt lights and be OK. Too many amps won't actually hurt anything but the charging system can't keep up and the battery will go dead while running. The charging system only puts out about 25 amps max. An amp meter won't show you what you need to know, a volt meter will tell you if the charging system is keeping the battery charged.

 

[chris in va]

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You're better off tossing the factory lens and installing a Hella with the HID bulb kit. Only uses ~35w and from what I've read is a huge difference with less draw.



I have two 50w 'driving lights' that came with the bike. If I flip the switch on those suckers, my voltmeter shows the battery isn't getting charged below 2500rpm.

 

[sandcastcb750]

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Buy two 35W bulbs from K-C.

 

[GSMacLean]

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You can read this thread I wrote about adding driving lights to my 82 GL1100. I changed the 55-watt bulbs the lights came with to these 35-watt bulbs and it worked fine. I've had them in for over a year now with no problems - the charging system is able to handle them just fine.