Slimed myself

[JamesW]

Bought the little portable pac with 300psi compressor and hookups to stash on the fjr. Upon reading the instructions here at home it states to NOT run engine while using compressor. I am sure I read here (or somewhere) it was a good idea to run engine while inflating to avoid depleting the battery?

 

[Fred W]

Seems like a good idea to me.

What was their concern? Over voltage to the pump? Or didn't they say?

 

[puppychow]

Have the same Slime pump. Have used it before with engine running. Didn't notice an issue. Tire inflated in short time, pump didn't go up in smoke.

YMMV?

 

[Ignacio]

Let's try some back of the napkin estimations. I think typical inflators are in the 5-12 amp range. A typical motorcycle battery is 350 amps. Let's assume high end and that suggest an inflator could run more than a day before being totally discharged. Of course, you'd never want to run it that low. It takes maybe 5 minutes to air up a flat rear tire to typical pressures.

I think it's safe to say you can air up a rear and front tire without jeopardizing starting your motorcycle.

Real world experience I aired up a flat rear, plug didn't hold, aired again....bike didn't hiccup at all starting up.

 

[Pterodactyl]

I thought this was a thread about a successful diet. Oh well.

 

[bradd]

The Yuasa battery stock in the FJR is rated 12Ah, you wouldn't want to go more than 50% discharge but that still means on a full battery you are probably good for half an hour to an hour of running, I think a rear totally flat only takes about 10-15 minutes to inflate. I last did it in the rain so maybe it seemed like it was taking longer.

 

[Fred W]

A typical motorcycle battery is 350 amps.

An amp (short for ampere) is a measure of instantaneous electrical current flow, not electrical capacity. The capacity of a battery is measured in amp-hours, and an FJR battery is rated at 12 amp-Hours. That means (basically) that it will deliver 12 amps of current for one hour and then it is totally dead. Or it could deliver 6 Amps of current for 2 hours. Or 24 amps for 1/2 an hour. You get the picture.

How seriously you discharge the battery depends on the current draw of the pump, the charge level and overall health of the battery, and how quickly you can get the job done. If you discharge your battery too far you had better hope you are at the top of a hill for a bump start.

Or you could just run the bike while you are using the pump.

edit - bradd beat me to the punch.

 

[Ignacio]

A typical motorcycle battery is 350 amps.

An amp (short for ampere) is a measure of instantaneous electrical current flow, not electrical capacity. The capacity of a battery is measured in amp-hours, and an FJR battery is rated at 12 amp-Hours.

Doh! Dang amps vs. amp-hours. Thank you...and my calculation was then WAY off.

 

[Fred W]

Not so bad, Matt. That battery very well may be able to deliver 350 amps. But it would be just for a very, very short time period, and just before the wires went up in flames. (350 amps is a lot)

 

[NMRoadRunner]

All well and good, but if you intend to use the 12volt socket in the glove box, better change out the fuse to a 15amp, it's only a 5amp I believe. Wire directly to the battery and leave the pig tail accessible to plug the compressor into. And before you journey out and need it on the road, test it at the house first. empty your rear tire, cause it takes more air and more time, and refill it to proper running pressure to make sure you have enough fuse. It should only take a 10amp, but why chance it.

 

[Fred W]

All well and good, but if you intend to use the 12volt socket in the glove box, better change out the fuse to a 15amp, it's only a 5amp I believe.

No. Don't do that. The wire gauge in the harness to the glove box is not big enough to support the higher amperage a pump will draw. And in my experience you'll be running that little sucker for a good long while, 'specially if it's the back tire.

Wire directly to the battery and leave the pig tail accessible to plug the compressor into. And before you journey out and need it on the road, test it at the house first. empty your rear tire, cause it takes more air and more time, and refill it to proper running pressure to make sure you have enough fuse. It should only take a 10amp, but why chance it.

Yes!! Instead, do this.

A battery tender pigtail is wicked cheap (right around $5) and, if you run it out from the battery and leave the end up near the front of the bike somewhere it has all sorts of great potential uses. Use it to charge the battery in the off months, run the pump when you need, and you can even wire a tank bag to run off of the same cable. The wire gauge is plenty big enough to support the higher loads of your tire pump.

 

[Ignacio]

better change out the fuse to a 15amp, it's only a 5amp I believe. Wire directly to the battery and leave the pig tail accessible to plug the compressor into.

Wrong. It's a 2 amp fuse as we have talked about this particular chestnut many, Many, MANY times as well as additiion to the Bin-O'-Fact.....as well as the occasional & potential wisdom-fail of suggesting swapping a 2 amp with 15 amp fuse..vainly hoping the 22 gauge'ish wires wouldn't melt. Smoke check. ZZZZ!. Yep, we have smoke!

The second part of your suggestion is the good one though.

 

[majicmaker]

So then, keeping the bike running during the tire inflation is OK. Thanks, Fred. From all of the electronically challenged folks among us.

 

[Bugnatr]

If you are doing a roadside repair keep that pump off the gravel, dust is real hard on them.

Bettery tender plug is the way to go and I would leave the bike running just because Murphy's always around the corner at the worst time/place.

 

[JamesW]

Great responses all. The directions gave no reason for not running the engine. I think the slime pump is 14.2 amps, direction states not to plug it in to anything less then a 15amp system. Instructions also state not to use pump continuously for more than 8 minutes and then cool for 25 minutes. I think what we have here is a lot of SYA stuff. Plugged it in to the car, ran fine, vibrates like the dickens. All the connecting power lines have an inline SAE type glass fuse rated at 15amps. Picked up spares at same time I got the slime kit as I do not think these are the most common fuses these days.

 

[PhilJet09]

I run everything right through my Powerlet. Battery tender -pull in the garage, plug it right in. Slime pump -plug it right in (I also leave the motor running. Why chance getting the dang tire fixed, then have problems starting?). Heated gear -yep, plugs right in. Don't know why you'd want an SAE pigtail "hanging out" when there's a more elegant solution available. I don't like stacking terminals up on my battery either.

 

[Fly Bye]

A typical motorcycle battery is 350 amps.

An amp (short for ampere) is a measure of instantaneous electrical current flow, not electrical capacity. The capacity of a battery is measured in amp-hours, and an FJR battery is rated at 12 amp-Hours. That means (basically) that it will deliver 12 amps of current for one hour and then it is totally dead. Or it could deliver 6 Amps of current for 2 hours. Or 24 amps for 1/2 an hour. You get the picture.

How seriously you discharge the battery depends on the current draw of the pump, the charge level and overall health of the battery, and how quickly you can get the job done. If you discharge your battery too far you had better hope you are at the top of a hill for a bump start.

Or you could just run the bike while you are using the pump.

edit - bradd beat me to the punch.

Great explanation, Thanks Fred.

 

[Panman]

I'm going to add a gunny on using around dirty and gravel. I had to take mine apart and clean out the the tiny little rocks that was floating around in mine after a roadside repair on the way home from La Pine this last Sept. Stupid thing is is that I keep it wrapped in a shop towel that would have made a nice filter.

 

[wheatonFJR]

...Or just ride with friends, like Highlander, who let you borrow theirs when you have a puncture in the Trinity Alps...