Battery cables

Use standard size auto battery cables...I think they are 4 guage.
get quick disconnects at the bike side to unhook them.
I installed a car battery in my right saddlebag,,short cables to there work fine.
also, no need to disconnect them if the bike has to be removed. I can still run the bike r electrics on it with the battery still hooked up.

I did the battery in the sidecar thing and ended up going to my local welding supply. They sell appropriately heavy (AWG 6 in my case)cable by the foot. They were also able to put easy to fasten ends on the battery end of the cable using a small purpose built press (cost a dollar a piece but made things really easy so they were certainly worth it. I used Anderson Power Products http://www.andersonpower.com/products/mp/mp.html two pole connectors on the bike end to make connections quick and positive. I've been running like this for the last four years with no issues.

Al, thanks for the info. I was wondering if 6 ga would be sufficient and was also wondering how I might go about connecting the leads.

Rich

you can buy the cables at various lenghts at your local auto parts store. one end clamps right on the car battery, and the other end has a ring..just slip a bolt thru this ring and connect it to your existing battery cables . usually under the seat..a 5 minute job. of course, you will need the quick disconnects Al mentioned to unhook it from the SC.

I've seen tow-motor type quick disconnect cable setups being used, seems a good idea for when the need to separate the chair from the motorcycle, when maintenance becomes necessary.

http://www.quickcar.net/electric/57704.html

Can a second battery be wired in? If so, can you show a wiring diagram?

Bill, The connectors shown on your link are VERY similar to the ones I used. It seems to be the same product from two different sources (and maybe different manufacturers). In fact, the first set I got came from the local Clarke Lift dealer. We're on the same wave length here.

Mark,

Yes, it can be done but I really don't suggest it. There are a lot of folks who can do a better job with the explanation than I can but it appears that unless you put some electronics in the circuit, if one battery goes down it will just draw from the other until they are both dead. Also, there is the potential to overcharge one of the batteries if the voltage regulator sees that the other battery is low. Please, someone who really knows the reasons, step in here. All I can say is that I tried it in my rig for a few months with the batteries wired in simple parallel and it wasn't all that satisfactory.

I understand that IF you use a circuit that is properly set up for two batteries, it works fine. The circuits are widely used in RVs and your local RV supply is the place to go for one. Good luck.

I've used an auto battery alone connected into the bike (Harley) circuit with #2 cables without the motorcycle battery. Worked well with no problems.
Battery mounted in the sidecar boot for ballast andt the connections were well insulated to avoid shorting.

Lonnie

Will the bike sufficiently charge the auto battery or are you still needing recharging overnight?

I'd suggest using a battery tender when the rig isn't in use regardless of what battery you are using. They make any battery last longer.
I don't believe I had one at the time but didn't use a charger or have any charging problems with the bike electrics.

Lonnie

If the battery was fully charged when you placed it in your bike and the electric system of your bike is in a good condition charging overnight won,t be nessesary.

Greetings, Ingmar

Used red and black lengths of 6 ga. cu cable and 6 ga. cu screw-type terminal lugs[all from Home Depot]to eliminate battery from GL1500's battery compartment and splice in 1000 cca pickup truck battery in r.h. side of my CSC FS III trunk and have used this setup for 3 years, to-date with no problems whatsoever. And, BOY, does this baby start Fast, even in cold weather! .....Tom aka papasmurf in NH[NE 3-Wheelers Club}

Many get th ewrong idea that a large battery needs alarge charging system. This is not true but make sure th ebattery is charged to beghin with. The idea is that you are only chrarging what you use so there is no problem. Don't expect a motorcycle to recharge a dead car battery though as that is asking alittle toomuch. Large batries are great as you do have alot of reseve there. Not abad idea to take along a battery tender on trips to plug in at noight after you have used th ebattery to run camp lights etc etc.
One of th efirst thigs I do on an out fit of our own is to replace th emotorcycle battery. Car battries cost less and will last forever. You can also chrcge themn quickly if needed. Good ballast too.
Have done this for years.