Don’t overload your electrics
Adding life-enhancing extras to bikes can create havoc, especially on older bikes with tired electrical systems. While it’s nice to fit some heated grips, an output for a heated waistcoat, a 12V charging point and a GPS unit, you have to consider the demands these can place on your bike’s charging system. Your battery is used to start the bike and also store power, but on the move it’s your alternator that does the hard work and provides power for all of your ancillaries (ignition, fuel pump, headlights, tail lights, indicators, dash) as well as keeping the battery topped up. When you consider all the work that the alternator has to do as standard, you can appreciate what overloading it with additional high-draw items such as like heated kit can do. Check your bike’s charging system and battery are working correctly prior to fitting your bits.