Is the power outlet switched?

[Dawson89]

I was curious if there is a way to make the front power outlet switched power? It's not a huge deal, but it would be nice to leave my charger plugged in while it's not running without the fear of draining the battery. I tried searching for it on the forum, but I could not find a discussion on it. Thanks for the help!

[Rougarou]

Install some USB's direct to batt'ry.  I've got something like this on mine.  Stoopid simple to run

 

  

[lkraus]

I assume the charger you have in mind is for a phone or similar? The stock outlet is switched, but there is a variable delay between turning off the ignition and the outlet shutting down.  It might be load dependent, but I've never been able to quantify the delay.  I power my GPS from the same circuit. My Zumo 590 would lose power within 30 seconds to a minute, the Zumo XT sometimes stays powered up for 10 minutes or more.

 

If you bought the bike used, a previous owner may have rewired the outlet straight to the battery for constant power.

 

Try plugging in your phone and see if/when it stops charging.

 

 

[Dawson89]

44 minutes ago, lkraus said:

I assume the charger you have in mind is for a phone or similar? The stock outlet is switched, but there is a variable delay between turning off the ignition and the outlet shutting down.  It might be load dependent, but I've never been able to quantify the delay.  I power my GPS from the same circuit. My Zumo 590 would lose power within 30 seconds to a minute, the Zumo XT sometimes stays powered up for 10 minutes or more.

 

If you bought the bike used, a previous owner may have rewired the outlet straight to the battery for constant power.

 

Try plugging in your phone and see if/when it stops charging.

 

 

Thanks for the input Ikraus! The charger I use is this one. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1N9KP9L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The light ring stays on all the time if I have it plugged in. I will try leaving my phone plugged in and see if there is any difference. I will also check to see if it was reroute direct to the battery.

[dirtrider]

21 minutes ago, Dawson89 said:

The light ring stays on all the time if I have it plugged in. 

Afternoon  Dawson89

 

The factory power outlets are computer controlled (ZFE module), that power outlet circuit is programmed to recognize a special battery charger then keep that circuit alive as long as the battery is charging through that power outlet. 

 

In some cases, if something plugged into the power outlet has just the right feedback (power usage) it can keep that circuit active as long as it is plugged into the power outlet. 

 

If the ring light stays on then then that power outlet circuit seems to be staying alive. 

 

So, as lkraus said above, that power socket could be wire battery direct, or the ZFE might just think that little charger is a BMW battery charger.

 

If your motorcycle has a rear power outlet see if it acts the same as it does on the front one,  (both front & rear are wired on the same circuit from the factory). If the rear outlet acts differently than the front then the front is probably wired battery direct by the last owner. 

[Dawson89]

44 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

Afternoon  Dawson89

 

The factory power outlets are computer controlled (ZFE module), that power outlet circuit is programmed to recognize a special battery charger then keep that circuit alive as long as the battery is charging through that power outlet. 

 

In some cases, if something plugged into the power outlet has just the right feedback (power usage) it can keep that circuit active as long as it is plugged into the power outlet. 

 

If the ring light stays on then then that power outlet circuit seems to be staying alive. 

 

So, as lkraus said above, that power socket could be wire battery direct, or the ZFE might just think that little charger is a BMW battery charger.

 

If your motorcycle has a rear power outlet see if it acts the same as it does on the front one,  (both front & rear are wired on the same circuit from the factory). If the rear outlet acts differently than the front then the front is probably wired battery direct by the last owner. 

Thanks for the info! I did notice that the back outlet acts differently. When I plugged the charger into it, the ring light did not come on until I switch the key on. It stayed on after I switched the key off. I am assuming it would have gone off had I given it more time. I will definitely check for modifications on the front. 

 

Thanks a ton! 

[Hogges]

On 6/20/2024 at 11:25 AM, Rougarou said:

Install some USB's direct to batt'ry.  I've got something like this on mine.  Stoopid simple to run

 

  

I’d be careful with that. Measure the parasitic draw before adding anything directly to the battery. The current draw of a USB charger like this will not be zero in standby. It may be small enough to be acceptable, or it could draw several mA which would drain your battery unnecessarily. 

[Rougarou]

18 minutes ago, Hogges said:

I’d be careful with that. Measure the parasitic draw before adding anything directly to the battery. The current draw of a USB charger like this will not be zero in standby. It may be small enough to be acceptable, or it could draw several mA which would drain your battery unnecessarily. 

 

It's been on the bike since about 2011ish.  Anything over two weeks down time, the bike gets plugged into a tender.....but for the most part, the bikes I have are ridden in rotation weekly (RT one week, GSA one week)

[Dawson89]

On 6/20/2024 at 11:45 AM, dirtrider said:

Afternoon  Dawson89

 

The factory power outlets are computer controlled (ZFE module), that power outlet circuit is programmed to recognize a special battery charger then keep that circuit alive as long as the battery is charging through that power outlet. 

 

In some cases, if something plugged into the power outlet has just the right feedback (power usage) it can keep that circuit active as long as it is plugged into the power outlet. 

 

If the ring light stays on then then that power outlet circuit seems to be staying alive. 

 

So, as lkraus said above, that power socket could be wire battery direct, or the ZFE might just think that little charger is a BMW battery charger.

 

If your motorcycle has a rear power outlet see if it acts the same as it does on the front one,  (both front & rear are wired on the same circuit from the factory). If the rear outlet acts differently than the front then the front is probably wired battery direct by the last owner. 

So, the back outlet works as you suggested. It only stays on for a short time after the key is switched off. I am assuming that there has been some sort of modification done to the front. The next time that I get a chance, I will try to follow the wire back the battery and see if I can reverse it back to the factory set up. 

 

Thanks!