Heads up Harbor freight Generator


Rix

Self proclaimed macho man extraordinaire
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449
Location
Fallon NV
Hey Fog, do you know if the Total Harmonic Distortion is below 6?
 

Fog 25

Well-known member
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628
Location
Castaic ca
Do not know we’re the Total Harmonic Distortion is at.Sorry. I know mine has worked very well for the price except at altitude.
The predator generator is a Chinese knock off a Honda.
 
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JefRo

Member
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5
Location
Colorado Springs
A higher harmonic distortion mains current should not affect the operation of the charger since it is a switch-mode power supply. I just purchased a Harbor Freight charger but chose the higher output one which is rated for 4350 watts or 3500 running watts, and it works fine with my '19 EXR charger. The price was a little higher than the 4000 version but the weight is only a few pounds greater and gives a little margin for operation at higher altitudes. I am in Colorado at 6300 feet and the riding areas are only up from here. I also purchased the high altitude jetting kit from Harbor Freight for $5 plus shipping.

I also constructed a number of plug adapters so I can use the Alta 3300 watt charger on any mains socket from a standard 120-volt household duplex outlet to campsite pedestals which provide up to 240 volts at 50 amp. I can also charge from ChargePoint J1772 EV chargers if needed but you will not find these chargers in the places you would normally ride the Alta offroad.

The Alta 3300 watt charger charges surprisingly fast on a standard 120 volt, 15 amp outlet. If you do not want to lug around the heavy 4000-watt charger, the small 2000 watt inverter chargers work quite well if you have 2-3 hours to wait for charging.

Now all that is needed is a portable charger that could be carried on the bike.
 

TCMB371

The Silent Assassin
Forum's Sponsor
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Charlotte, NC
This is always their sale price. I was actually expecting them to drop a little lower in price since the new 4350/3500 came out.
 

JefRo

Member
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Location
Colorado Springs

Philip

Administrator
Staff member
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4,252
Location
Lake Havasu City, AZ
You can use this adapter made for Zero motorcycles and change the 15 amp receptacle to a Hubbell Locking connector (NEMA L14-30R), available from Lowes, part # L1430CZ, so it can connect to the charger. SAE J1772 Charging Adapter [10-03267] - $300.00 : Zero Motorcycles, Electric Motorcycle Company.

Alternately there are other J1772 adapters available here as well J1772 Adapter | Home.
So with these we now can charge our Redshift SM bikes from public charging stations around town?

If so, why didn't Alta or our current/former Zero owners tell us about it?!! :mad:
 

JefRo

Member
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5
Location
Colorado Springs
I cannot answer your question as to why Alta did not make charging available from EVSE charge stations. They will most likely make this available in the future for the SM models since they would be most likely be in environments where EVSE charging is available. Zero made the adapter available after riders demanded it. But since a stock Zero will not charger any faster on 240 volts relative to 120, it was only sold for convenience.

The Alta charger doesn't care where the 120 or 240 volt comes from, your home, a generator, a campground, or an EVSE station. In the case of a J1722 plug on an EVSE, it does need a pilot signal from the plug to tell the station to turn the power on or off. This is what the adapters from TucsonEV and others provide. The pilot signal can be provided as easy as a resistor and diode on the small control pins of the J1772.
 

Speedkills

Well-known member
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163
Location
Nederland, CO
I have tried to deal with that TusconEv guy for months, he's super flaky. Finally got him on the phone after he just stopped responding to my emails, and he said, sorry, yeah, no problem, let me send you an invoice via paypal, then never sent it. So, nice to have another option that isn't through him even if it's way more money. Thanks for confirming it works, I was hesitant to pull the trigger on the Zero unit without knowing if it was compatible.
 

JefRo

Member
Likes
5
Location
Colorado Springs
Sorry you had a bad experience with TucsonEV. You can go to SAE J1772 - Wikipedia for an overview and check out ElectricMotorcycleForum.com - Index for a lot of info on J1772 charging. Just use search terms in that forum for J1772, pilot signal, and there is a drawing and discussion of the resistor installation on the pilot pin of the handle which signals to the charger that a vehicle is connected to commence charging.
 
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