Anybody ever install a 12 volt terminal for accessories?

I want to get heated clothing (gloves and pants) which draw from the bike and not a portable battery pack. Have used my buddies jacket liner and glove liners and they #1 go through batteries too quickly, #2 take a lot of batteries to power, and #3 don't work very well. I used a heated jacket that plugged into the cigarette lighter in my old car during the winter when my top wouldn't go back up. (long story as to why it was down in the first place during the winter).
It's an xj550 maxim...

Here is my questions...
Would pants and gloves draw too much from the power supply?
Anybody ever make this mod on their bike?
Anybody use heated clothing?

 

I cant answer about the draw, however the mod itself would be EASY to do.

 

Quite a few have done the mod. I have one as well, 12v lighter adpater plug placed in the old Chain holder under left cover. The question is, how much draw are those items going to cause? If it's to much your going to start killing the electrical system.

 

ya- i have a cig lighter in that plastic box under the left side cover... though i use mine for a GPS

 

Well I can't imaging the gloves and pants having too much draw but maybe I'll just hold off. I am planning on getting a new bike and the xj will become more of a keep-sake.

 

I put a cigarette lighter on my bike. I plan to use it as.......a cigarette lighter. Don't think the clothing would draw that much.

 

The XJ-Series Bikes don't have Charging Systems that can handle too much of an Accessory Load.

I'd consider Re-Lamping with LED's
Installing a Headlight Switch to save Headlight AMPS when not needed.

 

I run a set of Gerbings heated gloves and occasionally socks on my '81 XJ550 Maxim. I usually only run them while on the interstate when my RPMs are high so that I know I am not draining the battery as much. I usually cut the gloves off when I am about 5 minutes from my destination so that I can put a little charge back on the battery. I haven't had an issue yet, but I do it anyways.

The Gerbings have a battery harness that can be left installed on the battery all year. I have mine under the left side cover...I just pull it out when I want to use it. The gloves/socks harness can plug directly into the battery harness (not recommended) or into the thermostat which then plugs into the battery harness (this is what I do). I just use a Y-splitter and run the socks and gloves off of the single thermostat, but you can get a dual thermostat if that is what you prefer...

I also have an all-weather cig lighter that is hanging in my saddle bag for phone charging while on long trips...

Hope this helps!

 

I also run the Gerbing heated gloves. I put them on once it's below about 45 since my blood flow isn't what it used to be.
I was too cheap to buy the thermostat that I didn't like it anyway. It's hard to adjust while you are riding
SO, I hooked a relay to my high beam switch. The wiring that comes with the gloves stays hooked to the relay and tucked away.
When I want heat, I just flip the high beams on....when fingers start sweating, back to low.
I guess that could be a problem when riding on a cold night in traffic, but I'll just have to annoy someone or have cold fingers I guess.

I have a digital battery monitor, and the voltage doesn't drop at all. Maybe a heated jacket, pants, socks and gloves would draw enough to cause a problem. OR if you spend a lot of time idling with everything on.

 

I installed a solar battery charger on the shed to keep the battery fresh. It hooks to a two prong connector that has an inline fuse on it. Connects straight to the battery. My electric vest has the same two prong connector so it plugs right in. No problems with the charging system keeping up.

 

what does the clothing say that it uses. if it originally ran on 9v batteries it can't be using that much power

 

Suggest you get one of these if you can leave it on your bike safely..

http://www.ngales.com/products_info.asp ... 1qIJh6iItw

The guy who owned my bike previously left the battery to go dry, lol, he couldn't understand why it kept going flat.. I topped it up with distilled water and a bit of acid and it's like new.. I fitted a socket for a gps, and keep this plugged in when I'm not using the bike.. So far battery is holding up quite nicely.. Even with heated gloves.

 

Just a thought, you might wanna consider sticking a relay in between the socket and battery, and setting the relay switch on something that's only live when the engine is running, that way you don't risk flattening your battery by forgetting to unplug whatever is plugged in when you park the bike up..

I'm gonna do this on my bike fairly soon, I'll post some photos step-by-step so you can all see.