Been on the forum for about a year; because of the incredible wealth of knowledge here I haven’t needed to post a question (until now) on my first restoration/modification of a motorcycle. What I’ve got is a 1981 XS650 with stock alternator and Boyer-bransden ignition set up for kick-only and all LED lighting. Pictures of the day I got it home in January, and today added. So here is my issue: I would like to clean up/minimize the battery and wiring on the bike for aesthetics and reliability.
Option 1: I can use a small sealed lead acid battery (12V 7AH) ~$40 with everything I have on the bike. My understanding from researching conflicting posts/threads is that the stock charging system should be able to handle the power draw when running above idle. And this should be enough to power the bike at idle and the stock charging system and reg/rec can safely charge the SLA Battery (but not Lithium battery).
Option 2: Install a PMA and small sealed lead acid battery (12V .08AH) or 4 cell antigravity battery. My understanding is the Moffset reg/rec can handle the low power draw of the LED lights but will be bleeding off a lot of energy the PMA puts out. And that a battery is much better than a capacitor for the Boyer bransden ignition.
I know there are a lot of pro-PMA and pro-stock viewpoints on the charging systems. I just want to be sure I understand these options correctly before making an uninformed purchase! Thanks!
Option 1: I can use a small sealed lead acid battery (12V 7AH) ~$40 with everything I have on the bike. My understanding from researching conflicting posts/threads is that the stock charging system should be able to handle the power draw when running above idle. And this should be enough to power the bike at idle and the stock charging system and reg/rec can safely charge the SLA Battery (but not Lithium battery).
Option 2: Install a PMA and small sealed lead acid battery (12V .08AH) or 4 cell antigravity battery. My understanding is the Moffset reg/rec can handle the low power draw of the LED lights but will be bleeding off a lot of energy the PMA puts out. And that a battery is much better than a capacitor for the Boyer bransden ignition.
I know there are a lot of pro-PMA and pro-stock viewpoints on the charging systems. I just want to be sure I understand these options correctly before making an uninformed purchase! Thanks!