Can the starter motor power cable be too long?

[C-Los SD]

For my cafe build, I relocated the starter solenoid under my bum stop seat on the rear of the bike. Problem is, the power cable going to the starter motor is 40" long, twice as long as the original cable. I'm using 8 ga cable, is this length too long or am I asking a dumb question and shouldn't worry about it. I'm a network guy by trade, and you have attenuation issues with copper wire as it gets long. I was thinking the same theory.

 

[jamesgs4]

If the 8 ga gets hot when starting, just go up a size or two. You might want to relocate your reg/rec unit to open air though.

 

[retiredgentleman]

8 gauge should be fine for 40". The starter motor draws approximately 100 amps, but its for a short duration. If its double the stock length, then there will be double the voltage drop. The extra voltage drop would only be about 0.13 volts, which is not significant. If you cranked the engine for long periods then the cable may heat up, but for the short time to start the engine its not important.

 

[C-Los SD]

Cool....thanks!