GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

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rubbersdown550
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GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by rubbersdown550 »

Im looking at eliminating the battery on my GT550. Before you scold me lol... this is not my first rodeo, I know it wont work with the stock alternator and I need an aftermarket permanent magnet alternator/rotor setup along with a bat. cap setup blah blah blah. I am wondering who has done this on the site. I am looking at this kit, looks to have everything and has a built in electronic ignition capacitor all for $370 usd which seems fair.
http://www.jl-exhausts.com/powerdynamo- ... -951-p.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Jimroid
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by Jimroid »

No scolding here. Those are good ignitions.
rubbersdown550
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by rubbersdown550 »

Jimroid wrote:No scolding here. Those are good ignitions.
Sweet, that's what I was hoping for, looks like the exact same parts and setup most the American companies are selling for $600+
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jabcb
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by jabcb »

The ignition is good but the alternator output for lights is only 80W.
What are you doing for lights?

The Powerdynamo was discussed here:
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=4824&start=0
BAS (Bike Acquisition Syndrome) - too many bikes but have room for more

Suzuki:
GT750 2x75
GT550 72 & 75
GT380 72
T500 69 project & 73 project
T350 69 & 71
Honda 85 CB650SC & 86 CB700SC
09 Triumph Bonneville SE
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jabcb
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by jabcb »

Just checked & Powerdynamo has updated their website.
They now list the lighting output for the GT550 as 150W — that is an improvement but still less than stock.

http://www.powerdynamo.biz/deu/systems/lists/suzuki.php
BAS (Bike Acquisition Syndrome) - too many bikes but have room for more

Suzuki:
GT750 2x75
GT550 72 & 75
GT380 72
T500 69 project & 73 project
T350 69 & 71
Honda 85 CB650SC & 86 CB700SC
09 Triumph Bonneville SE
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Jimroid
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by Jimroid »

Lets say 60w for head light,40w ignition,20w misc. (stuff). Sans heated gear I'd see he is golden.
rubbersdown550
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by rubbersdown550 »

Ya that would def be enough for me. This is probably the way I will go then, seems like the best bang for the buck.
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Alan H
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by Alan H »

Use LED bulbs, even less draw.
I've gone the other way with a Motobatt battery and taken the kickstart off my 550A.
Image
Think of how stupid the average person is, then realise that half of them are more stupid than that.
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jabcb
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by jabcb »

The 150W output starts at 5.5k rpm. You get 80W at around 2k rpm. And around 40W at an idle speed of 1.5k rpm.
You have around just enough alternator output for LED lights when sitting at idle in an intersection, but you have NO HORN.

Horns use around 3 ~ 5A, so you need a battery if you want the horn to work at idle.
A small lithium battery would be enough. An Antigravity 4-cell battery is 110x32x95mm.

Output curve from Powerdynamo website:
Image

http://www.powerdynamo.biz/eng/kb/light_output.htm
BAS (Bike Acquisition Syndrome) - too many bikes but have room for more

Suzuki:
GT750 2x75
GT550 72 & 75
GT380 72
T500 69 project & 73 project
T350 69 & 71
Honda 85 CB650SC & 86 CB700SC
09 Triumph Bonneville SE
rubbersdown550
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by rubbersdown550 »

Thanks for the links, something to think about. Does anyone make a stator with a little more output?
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Alan H
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by Alan H »

That graph looks wrong. A '12v' battery needs at least 12.8vdc to charge and that only gives 12.6 at 8000rpm. The bottom line '14v' never actually gets to 12v, so best of luck with that system.
Suzuki make an alternator that does the trick - 2 types 15amp and 25amp. They're fitted as standard but do need a battery to run the regulator , which in turn runs the exitation coils in the rotor.
You do as you feel, but I can't see the point of spending lots of time and good beer money to do a job that Suzuki sorted out 40 odd years ago. Of course, I prefer riding the darn things than building them. (Says him that's just started yet another GT550 resto!)
Think of how stupid the average person is, then realise that half of them are more stupid than that.
rubbersdown550
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by rubbersdown550 »

Alan H wrote:That graph looks wrong. A '12v' battery needs at least 12.8vdc to charge and that only gives 12.6 at 8000rpm. The bottom line '14v' never actually gets to 12v, so best of luck with that system.
Suzuki make an alternator that does the trick - 2 types 15amp and 25amp. They're fitted as standard but do need a battery to run the regulator , which in turn runs the exitation coils in the rotor.
You do as you feel, but I can't see the point of spending lots of time and good beer money to do a job that Suzuki sorted out 40 odd years ago. Of course, I prefer riding the darn things than building them. (Says him that's just started yet another GT550 resto!)
I understand your point but I am not looking to restore this bike, I do that enough. I work at a motorcycle restoration shop and thats what I do is restore motorcycles to factory, day in and day out. If I want to ride I can simply ride the fully restored CBX sitting next to me or one of the restored cb750's, the cb500 the Z1 the harley or any of the other bikes in the stable lol. Restoration is my work and a passion for sure, but customs is a beloved hobby of mine also.
Is your GT resto your third gt550 or is the 2nd the resto? I am starting to fall in love with these bikes for sure!!!
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Alan H
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by Alan H »

My first GT550 was a new J in '72. 2nd was a K in 2011 (resto), 3rd an A (resto) in 2016, this one is a J (resto) and I have 2 'spares' - a K and a B/J to strip. Plus a GT750 currently 750 miles unto a 1500 mile tour of Ireland.
I'll post links when I get back home. I like standard (ish) and non standard, but where I like to resto, I love to ride.
Think of how stupid the average person is, then realise that half of them are more stupid than that.
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jabcb
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by jabcb »

Alan H wrote:That graph looks wrong. A '12v' battery needs at least 12.8vdc to charge and that only gives 12.6 at 8000rpm. The bottom line '14v' never actually gets to 12v, so best of luck with that system.
Suzuki make an alternator that does the trick - 2 types 15amp and 25amp. They're fitted as standard but do need a battery to run the regulator , which in turn runs the exitation coils in the rotor.
You do as you feel, but I can't see the point of spending lots of time and good beer money to do a job that Suzuki sorted out 40 odd years ago. Of course, I prefer riding the darn things than building them. (Says him that's just started yet another GT550 resto!)
The alternator voltage is a function of the load.
So for a given rpm, the no-load voltage (voltage at 0A) might be 40V, with 8A current it might be 14V, and with 10A current it might be 12.6V.
BAS (Bike Acquisition Syndrome) - too many bikes but have room for more

Suzuki:
GT750 2x75
GT550 72 & 75
GT380 72
T500 69 project & 73 project
T350 69 & 71
Honda 85 CB650SC & 86 CB700SC
09 Triumph Bonneville SE
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jabcb
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Re: GT550 battery elimination who has done it? kick only

Post by jabcb »

Another option would be to stick with the stock alternator, upgrade the voltage regulator + rectifier, and upgrade the ignition.

Several companies make electronic ignition kits for the GT550.
Kits by Newtronic & Accent are popular. Forum members have had good results with both.
The Accent kit provides the cleanest setup because it doesn’t use an external control box.

Several companies sell modern regulators & rectifiers. Some are separate components that are direct replacements and others are combo regulator/rectifiers that require a custom install.
BAS (Bike Acquisition Syndrome) - too many bikes but have room for more

Suzuki:
GT750 2x75
GT550 72 & 75
GT380 72
T500 69 project & 73 project
T350 69 & 71
Honda 85 CB650SC & 86 CB700SC
09 Triumph Bonneville SE
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