Generator excess/available power. Or how much can I draw from it?

mikegolf · 12-22-2021, 12:07 PM

How much power can I safely draw from the RX3 generator?
I recently installed quite powerful lightbar on my car and I'm amused with the effect.
I was thinking of installing some powerful aux lights on the rx3 too, I just wonder how much power can I safely draw from the machine, without overloading the generator / drawing from battery.

Working_ZS · 12-22-2021, 04:16 PM

It depends on whether or not you have the 300 watt charging system or the 220 watt version. Here in the US, CSC specc'ed their RX3's with the 300 watt stator, which leaves you with about 130 watts to use after the bike takes what it needs to run the ECU, fuel injector, fuel pump, and lights. Those take around 170 watts on fuel injected RX3's; carburated RX3's obviously need less, but I can't give you any figures since I'm only familiar with fuel injected RX3's.

One way to determine if you have enough power to run your accessories is to first hook them up to the bike, then check the voltage at the battery with the engine running and everything on. If it drops below 13.5 volts, especially with the engine running at 5000-6000 RPM, you are pulling too much power and need to remove something to reduce the amount of current you are pulling. Otherwise, you are liable to kill your battery, even as you ride the bike down the road.

pyoungbl · 12-22-2021, 04:26 PM

Assuming you have a FI RX3 with the 300 watt alternator...you have enough extra juice to run a pair of LED lights without any problem. I had a pair on my RX3, along with a volt meter. Running the lights had little or no effect once I got the revs over about 4,000 rpm, which was all the time since the torque was non existent below 4K.

mikegolf · 12-24-2021, 08:28 AM

thank you for the replies

It is the FI version, bought here in Europe, I have no idea what power the stator is and unfortunately the importer is not as helpful as CSC. But it is slightly face-lifted version, already coming with USB and cigarette lighter plug. So maybe, just maybe it's 300W

Anyway I'll plug the lightbar I have on the car into the circuit and measure the voltage on the running engine, as per @Working_ZS suggestion. It is drawing around 6.5A @ ~14V (measured on the car) so it'll give me an answer on what can I purchase for the bike

12-22-2021, 12:07 PM	#1
mikegolf Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 16	Generator excess/available power. Or how much can I draw from it? How much power can I safely draw from the RX3 generator? I recently installed quite powerful lightbar on my car and I'm amused with the effect. I was thinking of installing some powerful aux lights on the rx3 too, I just wonder how much power can I safely draw from the machine, without overloading the generator / drawing from battery.
	0

12-22-2021, 04:16 PM	#2
Working_ZS Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 365	It depends on whether or not you have the 300 watt charging system or the 220 watt version. Here in the US, CSC specc'ed their RX3's with the 300 watt stator, which leaves you with about 130 watts to use after the bike takes what it needs to run the ECU, fuel injector, fuel pump, and lights. Those take around 170 watts on fuel injected RX3's; carburated RX3's obviously need less, but I can't give you any figures since I'm only familiar with fuel injected RX3's. One way to determine if you have enough power to run your accessories is to first hook them up to the bike, then check the voltage at the battery with the engine running and everything on. If it drops below 13.5 volts, especially with the engine running at 5000-6000 RPM, you are pulling too much power and need to remove something to reduce the amount of current you are pulling. Otherwise, you are liable to kill your battery, even as you ride the bike down the road.
	0

12-22-2021, 04:26 PM	#3
pyoungbl Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA Posts: 632	Assuming you have a FI RX3 with the 300 watt alternator...you have enough extra juice to run a pair of LED lights without any problem. I had a pair on my RX3, along with a volt meter. Running the lights had little or no effect once I got the revs over about 4,000 rpm, which was all the time since the torque was non existent below 4K.
	0

12-24-2021, 08:28 AM	#4
mikegolf Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 16	thank you for the replies It is the FI version, bought here in Europe, I have no idea what power the stator is and unfortunately the importer is not as helpful as CSC. But it is slightly face-lifted version, already coming with USB and cigarette lighter plug. So maybe, just maybe it's 300W Anyway I'll plug the lightbar I have on the car into the circuit and measure the voltage on the running engine, as per @Working_ZS suggestion. It is drawing around 6.5A @ ~14V (measured on the car) so it'll give me an answer on what can I purchase for the bike
	0