1400 Voltmeter readings

[moto-uno]

  I'm curious if other 1400 users here could tell me what the voltmeter on their dash reads at highways speed ?
  I'll mention why later on :)  Peter

[BobtheBuilder]

14.1v

[et18]

Mine is just over 14, 14.1-2.  Usually 14 even with the Corbin heated seat on.  The heated grips take is down to mid 13's when I use them.

[moto-uno]

  Thanks folks , mine never exceeds 13.8V ,totally stock at road speed and with 2 heated vests ( total of 48watts) it's down to 13.6V. Which I think
is low for a 550W charging system . My Le Mans2 with both vests and heated grips would run 14 V on the highway and it only has a 280watt system !
It's getting cooler here in B.C and I want to install heated grips , but I don't want even lower voltage readings than I'm getting now :( . Peter

[Ncdan]

Mine was always 14.2 on my 2015 cal 1400 tourer

[Kiwi_Roy]

  Thanks folks , mine never exceeds 13.8V ,totally stock at road speed and with 2 heated vests ( total of 48watts) it's down to 13.6V. Which I think
is low for a 550W charging system . My Le Mans2 with both vests and heated grips would run 14 V on the highway and it only has a 280watt system !
It's getting cooler here in B.C and I want to install heated grips , but I don't want even lower voltage readings than I'm getting now :( . Peter

I suggest you plug in both vests on full and see what you get, if it holds 13 you should be good to go
I found the main thing is to have the vest turned off when you stop so you don't forget and drain the battery, I now have mine linked to the headlight relay.

[moto-uno]

  The heated vests are either on or off , no adjustments . I don't think I understand your remarks about turning off the vests when I stop
 'cuz it's hard to get off with them still plugged in. The thing that bothers me though , is why can't a supposed 550w charging system
not produce 14v at road speed with such a light draw ? The Japanese (mostly Yamaha and HD) with at the time 300w charging systems
had no problem maintaining 14v with similar accessories . I guess my concern is I don't believe this system is working correctly ( warranty)?
Peter

[Kiwi_Roy]

I believe the alternator on the 1400 is the same one the Griso and Norge uses, they are fairly high output compared to the V7, it should have lots of power.
I assume you are reading the Voltage from the dash, it might be worthwhile to try a Voltmeter direct across the battery in case there's some loss in the wiring to the ECU (I think that's what is measuring it)
What I meant was if you turn the motor off the heating load should be disconnected, I don't know how many times I ran the V7 battery flat when I had my heated gear wired direct, I would forget to turn it off so it's now powered down when the engine stops.
My Vest is 70 Watts, the controller turns it on and off like the simerstat on an electric range.
I doubt your drive belt is slipping but it wouldn't hurt to check the tension.

[Zoom Zoom]

Mine is just over 14, 14.1-2.  Usually 14 even with the Corbin heated seat on.  The heated grips take is down to mid 13's when I use them.

This was my experience as well although I did not have a heated seat.

John Henry

[OldMojo]

13.8 all day long. I always run the aux lights, but nothing else.

[moto-uno]

 Humm , the voltage has been checked with my Fluke multi-meter ( at the battery ) and it reads the same 13.8V .
"OldMojo" , curious how long and how many miles you've had yours for ? I hate having this nagging concern about
whether or not I have a problem . My understanding has been that a system is supposed to maintain the proper charging
voltage ( 14 - 14.4V) up until the load exceeds the alternator output (550w) assuming adequate engine rpm ( I don't recollect
any bikes requiring over 4000rpm to achieve this ) . This has been my observation with over 4 decades in the trade .
Has anyone seen many conflicting observations ? Curious as hell now !   Peter

[OldMojo]

Gosh, now you have me questioning myself! My 1400 is my "trip" bike and not my everyday bike, so she does sit for spells. As such, I'll typically only monitor the voltage briefly after startups to get a clue as to general electrical health. If running voltage is exceeding resting voltage I'm happy. I've had mine for four years and only put 10k miles on it, but 13.8 is typical.

[drbone641]

14.2 with daytime lights 13.8 night

[et18]

It's getting cooler here in B.C and I want to install heated grips , but I don't want even lower voltage readings than I'm getting now :( . Peter

I'll have to check again to be sure, but I remember checking my Warm & Safe jacket liner + heated Corbin seat last year and I believe the two together dropped the voltage less than the heated grips alone.  The grips really seem to take a lot of power, at least on my bike, and they are not really that effective. 

Another option to consider is hand guards to block the wind.  I have Nation Cycle ones on mine and I can make it through a 30 minute commute in the high 30s F w/o freezing my hands.  The mornings have been in the mid 40s all week here and I've been perfectly comfortable with just the seat on.

[OldMojo]

The grips really seem to take a lot of power, at least on my bike, and they are not really that effective. 

Another option to consider is hand guards to block the wind.  I have Nation Cycle ones on mine and I can make it through a 30 minute commute in the high 30s F w/o freezing my hands.  The mornings have been in the mid 40s all week here and I've been perfectly comfortable with just the seat on.

This. I have hand guards, and with "winter" riding gloves (winter in where, Indonesia?) I never feel the need to mess with the grips.

[tris]

Put a decent meter across the battery. 

My old B1100 display consistently showed 0.5v low compared to the meter

[roadventure]

13.8V with all lights on.

[moto-uno]

Put a decent meter across the battery. 
  I believe I mentioned that in reply #10 .
My old B1100 display consistently showed 0.5v low compared to the meter

However , just got back from a 900km round trip , with the vests on most of the time and it continued to read 13.7 volts . ( it was frequently 10 degrees celcius ,~50 F)
It runs and starts fine , but it still a nuisance to never see it above 13.8V . Going to take it up with the dealer (wish me luck) or get a bit deeper into it myself .  Peter
Again thanks for all the responses , it should give me some ammo ( so to speak ) when talking to the dealer .