[shancz]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Hope that clarifies things, and I'm sorry if I'd added to the confusion. If so please let me know and I'd be more than glad to simplify.

Yes and Thanks a lot for the detailed reply and simplifying it.
Makes things clear, remaining doubts mentioned below

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

the indicator stays ON for longer.

I am unable to visualize how this happens mainly because I don't know how this system works.
Please correct me where I am wrong.
If I activate the left indicator, the relay would get a signal and complete the circuit for the left side and the indicators start flashing.
- does the relay control the blinking ?
- if it does then would it be sending the electrical pulses at predetermined intervals which end up lighting the LEDs for a longer duration before the next pulse arrives ?

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Not a fan of RE per say, but I have to say electrical issues are the norm these days, especially when new riders get a buck load of accessories strapped into a motorcycle. I've seen some of wiring and trust me when I'd say I'd not ride said motorcycle for more than 10 kms without my OCD kicking in hard.

Understood and I would second that too.
Since I don't understand the subject I just trust the manufacturer on this and don't add anything extra to what has been provided from factory.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Your Charging Unit is the Tap, Your Battery is the Bucket, your Electrical Load is the Mug.
You may feel free to ignore the Charging Unit as supply is not constant i.e you get optimum output around 3k RPM at the very least.

Thanks, this makes the concept absolutely clear.
Assuming that the charging unit contains the alternator along with the other components.
Is the change in the intensity of headlight beam with engine rpm caused by the charging unit's voltage variations ?

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

even though the motorcycle has a good charging unit it is almost maxed out from factory, meaning every extra load you add puts direct load on charging unit, speaking of which on a different note the CBR250R is notorious for Stator issues. Hmmm... I wonder why?

So as the load increases on the charging unit the stator coils will eventually fail, is this the issue with the Himalayans ending up with "busted coils" ?

I did a small comparison/calculation :


Max load possible : (head + tail + brake + position + license plate lamps + 2 x indicators + instrument lighting + horn)/12 = X Ah
Since I couldn’t get exact wattage of tail/brake lamps, taking rough estimates for constant load, excluding horn:

• Himalayan: (60+4+4+1+1+20+2)/12 = 7.67Ah with a battery of 8Ah
• RTR 180: (35+4+4+8+4+20+2)/12 = 6.42Ah with a battery of 9Ah

What I deduce is that the Himalayan has no Ah left to add anything practically, not even a phone charger. All additions will load up the charging unit which will cause electrical issues. While the RTR180 has about 2Ah left to spare, so a 18W phone charger(1.5Ah) won't hurt that much.
Am I right in my calculations and deduction or have I missed/messed-up something here ?

Sorry for taking up your time and Thanks again

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by shancz

I am unable to visualize how this happens mainly because I don't know how this system works.
Please correct me where I am wrong.
If I activate the left indicator, the relay would get a signal and complete the circuit for the left side and the indicators start flashing.
- does the relay control the blinking ?
- if it does then would it be sending the electrical pulses at predetermined intervals which end up lighting the LEDs for a longer duration before the next pulse arrives ?

The electronic flasher is a timer circuit with fixed ON/OFF timing. This is achieved using a charging capacitor-resistor combination with a transistor. As the volts goes up or down (from12V) there will be slight variations of the timing. Hyper / Under flashing means the flasher is Kaput.

Lots of resources on the net for further study.

Max load possible : (head + tail + brake + position + license plate lamps + 2 x indicators + instrument lighting + horn)/12 = X Ah
Since I couldn’t get exact wattage of tail/brake lamps, taking rough estimates for constant load, excluding horn:

• Himalayan: (60+4+4+1+1+20+2)/12 = 7.67Ah with a battery of 8Ah
• RTR 180: (35+4+4+8+4+20+2)/12 = 6.42Ah with a battery of 9Ah

Two more component to be added, the Ignition circuit and the starter motor. Of these only the Ignition circuit is a continuous load on the battery. The starter is a load only during start up but Ah value does not represent that load, its the CCA (Cold cranking amps) that takes care of this factor. So don't worry about it.

Generally while designing an electrical scheme, circuit designers usually leave an additional 15-20% capacity for extra loading. Anything more, your terminal voltage drops and that's a recipe for disaster.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by srini1785

The electronic flasher is a timer circuit with fixed ON/OFF timing. This is achieved using a charging capacitor-resistor combination with a transistor.
Lots of resources on the net for further study.

Thanks, makes sense, will study on it further

Originally Posted by srini1785

- Of these only the Ignition circuit is a continuous load on the battery.
- Anything more, your terminal voltage drops and that's a recipe for disaster.

- Thanks, I had missed the ignition circuit.
- Understood, that seems like the cause in most cases we encounter.

Will wait to see how the OPs issue pans out.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by shancz

So as the load increases on the charging unit the stator coils will eventually fail, is this the issue with the Himalayans ending up with "busted coils" ?

When there is electrical load there is a counter magnetic pull* on the alternator and this in turn causes it to heat up, this results in shortening its life, eventually the stator burns out.

*Excuse the use of layman terms as I do not know what is the right term to be used.

Am I right in my calculations and deduction or have I missed/messed-up something here ?[/b][/i]

Ballpark calculation is good enough to get a rough idea as that would be enough when it comes to contemplation of adding accessories.

If you don't mind spending about 300 bucks then you can get a RE OE Amp Meter from the Pushrods, connecting it in series to your ignition key line would give you a real-time idea of load on electricals.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

- *Excuse the use of layman terms as I do not know what is the right term to be used.
- If you don't mind spending about 300 bucks then you can get a RE OE Amp Meter from the Pushrods, connecting it in series to your ignition key line would give you a real-time idea of load on electricals.

- Thanks for the explanation and layman is good since you're dealing with one here
- What a brilliant piece of advice
Since I never owned an RE with the amp-meter I never realized how important it was.
IMO with the present day loads affecting motorcycles and cars alike the amp-meter should make a comeback. I see it as a part of essential kit especially if you're out touring and even more so on the Himalayan with its legacy. I would junk the Trippr console any day for this.

For anyone (like me) who wants to know why an amp-meter is useful, check out this video : Credits to Providers

Amp Meter Uses

[SidTellsStories]

Final update!
Apologies on the delayed posting. There were few personal changes happening in my life and was busy with certain chores.

As I explained in my previous post, my bike delivery from the service center was scheduled for 23rd Oct, Saturday. Couple days prior to the said date, I received call from the SVC and was told that I will be receiving the full warranty on the parts that were changed. A big thanks to all you Team BHPians out here! You guys really did make an impact and I couldn't have hoped for a better climax for the whole turn of events.

I reach the SVC at Hospete on 23rd morning and was welcomed by the SVC manager, who recognized me as soon as he saw me or should I say, as soon as he saw my messy hair! He guided me to my bike and I see my babe after almost 2 months and boy oh boy, did it feel good!

Soon enough, I was given the keys and told me to take her for a spin. I was also warned that the engine valves are replaced and hence don't hit more than 60 kmph until I do the engine oil change again! The same old run in period! Well, better than not having a bike!
I took the bike for a short ride and I could instantly feel the difference in the linearity at which the engine was revving and accelerating, which wasn't case for very long. Apart from an even tighter gear box and not so cleaned (how the RE SVC's wash and clean to give a shine to prove they did something on the bike), everything else felt proper. I reach the SVC back and asked the manager to show me the parts that were replaced.

The list goes like this:

1. Main wiring Harness:

I was told that the part was defective and hence was replaced.


2. Engine valve

The engine valves were replaced as there was a bend in the valves and that was the reason for the choking or loss of power from the beginning.


3. Timing Chain & Auto Tensioner

Possibly due to wear and tear, the timing chain had to be changed as well.

4. Spark Plug

Other than these parts, the clutch lever was replaced at my own expense.

All the part changes were covered under the warranty and I paid for the labor charge which accumulated to a total of 1.9k, including the clutch lever.

Took my bike and as was told, kept my bike speed within 60 kmph for the whole day roaming around hampi and near by places.
Very next day, I set off back to Mysore. The mechanics at Hospete SVC had guaranteed me that the valves are set for a longer ride and I may hit 70 or 80 kmph occasionally. So, I maintained a steady pace of 60 65ish kmph fo the whole ride and reached back mysore.
Very next day, as I completed almost 500 Kilometers since the change of parts, I changed the oil and did a basic service as well from Mysore RE SVC.
Next day, I started from Mysore to Kottayam. Finally, both me and the bike are Home!

10 days since that day and the bike is not displaying anything alarming yet, other than for the small knocking sound which is coming from the engine side, which as the RE SVC mechanics said, is because of the way they set the valves to adjust for longer rides. I might have been naïve to believe that, but my lack of technical know-how on the same forced me to believe them and hope the same don't cause anymore trouble. Honestly speaking, the knocking sound is still prevailing, though a bit less louder than the day I took the bike from Hospete.

This is not a well thought out writing as I literally squeezed some time from my current busy schedule, which surprisingly is new to me, to let you guys know about the final status.

In a nutshell,
RE customer care did what I wanted but could have done the same without having me get into a public platform to rant about the same to get their attention. (2/5)
The RE SVC at Hospete were hands down one of the better RE SVC I visited, but would any day be ranked after Udaipur SVC and Margao SVC (subtly flexing that I travel a bit :P). (4/5)
Team BHPians (10/5)