If you’ve got any motorcycle-powered accessories acting a little wonky don’t automatically assume there’s a problem with the device. It might be something else entirely.
My Android Auto navigation screen started acting up during a long ride. It would go out sporadically or the touchscreen would stop working, so I mistakenly assumed something was wrong with the product.
Related: Link to the INIU portable charger featured in this post’s video
What was the real problem? It turned out the unit was occasionally trying to pull more power than the bike’s USB port could deliver.
These days we’re asking more of our bikes’ electrical systems than ever before with second screens, lighting kits, aftermarket heated grips, cameras and more.
For example, a heated vest alone can pull more than 6 amps. Now add in front and rear cameras along with whatever other aftermarket accessories you’re running off the 12v battery or an accessory port and you can see where problems might crop up.
In my case the navigation unit that seemed to be acting up was a review unit so I contacted the manufacturer, which quickly shipped another one. To my dismay, the second unit displayed the same symptoms. But here’s the thing, it wasn’t the manufacturer’s fault. A quick shoutout goes to Ottocast for sending the second unit to allow me to rule out any issues with the actual product.
After doing some testing with both units I soon discovered my Zero Motorcycles SR/F’s USB ports weren’t putting out enough consistent voltage to reliably run the Ottocast’s screen. My guess is when running multiple apps the screen’s processor probably wanted just a bit more power than the USB outlet could deliver, causing the unit to reboot, freeze or temporarily shutdown as a safety precaution.
That got me thinking; there’s probably quite a few motorcyclists out there pulling more power from their electrical systems than they were originally designed to handle.
So what’s the fix? In my case I decided on a cheap, easy solution: a small 10,000 mAh portable Power Bank that can put out 22.5 watts.
That’s enough power to run most navigation units while simultaneously charging a smartphone. In the case of my Zero SR/F it’s as simple as keeping the portable battery in the trunk, although placement is obviously going to vary depending on your motorcycle. For example, an ideal location for the small battery on my Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+ would be under the passenger seat.
My portable battery includes pass-through charging, which means I can still slow charge the portable battery off my bike’s USB while it’s delivering power to my other stuff. So on those long or multi-day road trips you don’t need to worry about something running out of a charge before reaching your destination.
Think of it more as a battery booster. This way you can save your 12v battery for the big stuff. For example, maybe you’ll want to use it to power some aftermarket heated grips, a heated vest and auxiliary lighting, but add the secondary battery in case your bike’s native electrical system is taxed trying to keep up with the demands of all those aftermarket accessories drawing power at the same time.
While most modern bikes can easily handle charging a smartphone, if you’ll be adding a lot of power hungry accessories, an auxiliary power supply might just be worth considering.