When someone discusses Harley Davidson electric motorcycles, the first thing that springs to mind is how these motorcycles run. Unlike traditional motorcycles, these bikes usually do not run through engines with fuel systems. Harley Davidson bikes are operated by battery systems required to charge. Not only that, the charging system of this bike’s battery is completely different from regular batteries.
The reason is that Harley Davidson bike chargers feature an internal circuit that charges the battery at a desirable rate. It allows turning off charging the bike automatically to protect the battery from overcharging. Read the entire context if you know more about the Harley Davidson Charging System.
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How Does the Harley Davidson Charging System Actually Work?
The Harley Davidson bike’s motor is considered its heart and soul. To keep its metallic heart flowing, it is mainly reliant on batteries. Powerful batteries power everything from lighting to the ignition system. Typically, Harley Davidson comes with convenient DC fast charging capabilities to charge these batteries.
When the charge of these batteries is about to finish, you can easily charge your bike with this DC charger. In one full charge, you can travel 146 city miles with an electric Harley-Davidson bike. This number of miles can be reduced because of self-discharge in hot weather. It occurs mostly during the summer season.
Additionally, riding Harley Davidson on rough roads is also the cause of discharging the battery fast. In that case, using air rides for Harley touring bikes will help you to make your ride smooth, even on rough terrain. This way, you can ensure comfortable riding and better control over your Harley Davidson.
Where Can You Charge A Harley-Davidson?
You can charge your Harley Davidson conveniently at home, in the working area, and even from fuel pump stations. Some common places where you can charge your Harley Davidson are present below.
Charging Your Harley-Davidson At Home
Charging a Harley Davidson at home will allow you to ride your bike whenever you want. In that case, you can utilize a Level 1 charger to charge your bike at home. All you just have to do is plug in the charger to your wall outlet. It is also possible to upgrade your Level 1 charger to a Level 2 charge that provides the same speed. But it will let you track schedules, charging, and set reminders.
Charging Your Harley-Davidson At Work
Charging your Harley Davidson at your workplace or around town is not that difficult. In addition to charging your bike at home, charging at work helps your bike to always be fully charged and makes you always ready to ride home. Several workplaces offer EV charging facilities for their employees. So, if your workplace has an EV charging system, you can easily charge your bike.
Charging Your Harley-Davidson At Public Locations
Some cities have EV charging systems in public locations, including stores, restaurants, and fuel refilling stations. So, charging a Harley Davidson around town is also convenient. Another good thing is that you will find some applications to find out the nearest EV charging system. The app will show you refueling station maps in your zone to find the charging station easily.
What Are The Charger Complications On The Harley Davidson?
Level 1 charging plugs are included with all electric bikes, including Harley Davidson. These chargers are basically updated versions of laptop chargers and are often owned by a specific manufacturer. With this charger, you can only charge compatible bikes. For example, if you have a LiveWire plug, you can’t use a zero cable.
A Zero bike can be charged using the wire from another Zero bike. Besides, special plugs are required for Level 2 and Level 3 chargers. J1772 is the common name for Level 2 chargers, which have multiple tiny pins grouped into a circular socket. On the other hand, Level 3 chargers have two DC fast-charge pins underneath.
These are usually standard plugs for US markets, and other nations have distinct standards. Keep in mind that you can use Level 2 chargers if your motorcycle is compatible with Level 3 chargers. But it is not possible to use a Level 3 charger if the bike is only compatible with Level 2 chargers.
How Long Does It Take To Charge A Harley-Davidson Motorcycle?
Charging a Harley Davidson motorcycle usually takes around 2.5 to 6 hours, depending on the type of battery charger. You can easily figure out how long a charger will take to charge a bike battery completely following a simple calculation.
Consider you have a 48-volt battery with a 10 amp-hour capacity and a 2 amp charger. To calculate how long it will take to charge, divide the battery’s amps by the charger’s amps, such as 10 amp-hours / 2 amps = 5 hours. So, if you wish to charge your motorcycle faster, you’ll need a charger with a higher amp rating.
What Can Go Wrong With The Harley-Davidson Charging System?
Usually, when you see a motorcycle not charging, a component of your charging system may fail. The failure of a component in a motorcycle charging system is quite different, but all occur in a fairly common way:
- Regulator Overheats/Dies: The regulator plays a crucial role in running a motorcycle. It sucks current from the alternators and trims it to the required voltage. Although the regulator has a huge heatsink, excess heat can make it die.
- Battery Gets Old: Every battery has a shelf-life. So, once they get old or are not properly maintained, the batteries will die. Although modern batteries last longer, proper maintenance makes a good impact.
- Battery Gets Fired: If the regulator doesn’t trim voltage properly, it can send too much voltage into the battery. This can cause battery damage because motorcycle batteries typically operate at around 12 and 14.5 volts.
- Loose Wires: Sometimes, loose wires in the Harley Davidson bike charging system badly impact the battery. Such a malfunctioning charging system can damage your motorcycle battery.
Conclusion
Having an electric motorcycle, especially a Harley-Davidson, is the easiest way to explore the world. But most people are wondering about the charging system of this bike. For that, we have discussed all the information about the charging system for Harley Davidson. Since these bikes are battery-operated, you can charge them with their special DC chargers.
Besides, this bike allows you to charge at work and other public places, apart from charging at home. Additionally, you can use three different types of chargers to charge your bike’s batteries. All chargers offer fast charging facilities, but level 3 chargers provide some additional features. So, you can take advantage of riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle without worrying about the charging system.
From the article: “Battery Gets Fired: If the regulator doesn’t…”
Fairly certain that you meant “Fried” and not “Fired.”