Al, that's what I was thinking!! Extra tools!! With an old shovelhead like I am putting the car on you can never have too many tools!! What size welding wire did you use? About 4awg is what I am thinking.
Bob
4awg is fine. I've seen folks use 8awg and it worked fine. As you know the length of the run is a factor as well. In fact, one guy used a set of old jumper cables he had laying around the garage with no issues.
note,..I have a quick release chair,..and in 5 minutes, I remove the sidecar and ride solo,..so the two battery system is required ,..the trailer plug on the mount bars,..allow me to plug my chair and extra battery into the system,..without delay or trouble,...if you have a dedicated rig,..one large battery you can trust is all you need,as wire size is needed to cover amperage draw,..I have only used 8 gauge braided wire.with a 30 amp fuse......good luck,...crawf.
Al Olme - 2/10/2015 5:21 PM
Wiring two batteries in parallel does work. There is a gotcha. If the batteries of different sizes [cold cranking amps is a good gauge] it is possible to vastly over charge the smaller battery, causing it to fail. If it fails by destroying a cell or shorting a plate it will bring down the other battery. DAMHIK!
If you want a big battery in the hack for ballast, just remove the bike battery and use some BIG wire to the battery in the hack. I used welding cable and it worked a treat. The alternative is to use an RV charging set-up for multiple batteries. they work fine but you may consider it unnecessarily complex.
AGREE! We do a lot of car battery conversions. Why keep a bike battery if it is a dedicate sidecar outfit? If one want to as a backup that is fine I suppose but keeping them segregated is the better way to go.
Al Olme - 2/11/2015 12:15 AM
4awg is fine. I've seen folks use 8awg and it worked fine. As you know the length of the run is a factor as well. In fact, one guy used a set of old jumper cables he had laying around the garage with no issues.
We have used 6 and 4. Going too big? Not possible. Going too small can be an issue.
This is a dedicated rig, I have an Ultra Classic that is my daily driver. The sidecar rig is going to be for shows and rallies and taking my dog for rides out here in the country!! The length of the run should only be about 6-8 feet. I want to leave a little extra to slide the battery forward to remove. The amperage draw wont be much more than the stock bike, just the lights on the car. Claude I agree I would rather have too big than not big enough!! Thanks for all y'alls help!!
Bob
Owned '95 GL1500/ CSC FSIII rig 14 years. Have run a pickup truck battery in s/c trunk [ inside covered box, available at camper supply dealers ]
for 12 years. Battery is connected to OEM battery leads, via twin 6 gauge plastic covered copper cables; one red/ one black [ obtained from local
Home Depot or Lowes in any desired length ]. Present battery is 700 CCA unit. Is kept on battery tender through Winter storage. Will start my
Wing fine in Spring; has plenty of reserve power for accessories. You can also obtain necessary copper lugs for connecting 6 gauge leads to OEM
battery + / - terminals @ above stores & side terminal screws at any auto supply store. NEVER had a bit of trouble with my setup and added
battery weight holds hack down a bit better on right-handers. Forgot to mention: SIDE TERMINAL batteries are much easier to connect than top
terminal type. TTFN. .....Old Tom aka papasmurf in New Hampshire.
P.S. Have used a CompuFire alternator in Wing for over 10 years, without any problems. Always keeps my p/u truck battery well charged.
Why would you want to get rid of the stock battery of the motorcycle? You don't gain any reasonable space, and loose the perfect factory designed seat for a battery. Preferably, put a secondary, independent battery in the boat. Depending on need and space, the 2nd battery can be another stock mc battery, or a larger car battery. Optional hookups. With a light mc jumper cable, and a small charging system to the side, you're prepared for all eventualities. Maintain and tend both batteries. Keep in mind battery problems are nr one or two for vehicle breakdowns. Take advantage of the added space of a rig.
With just an auto battery in the boot, you can even run for a day without a working alternator. And most are much cheaper and last longer than a motorcycle battery.
Just put it on a tender overnight and you are good for another days running.
Lonnie
