One time out of boredom I looked up the resistance to the wires and did some math for voltage drop.

You are not experience voltage drop on your bike from length of wire,

 

18 gauge wire is approx.. 6.5 ohms per 1000 feet.

 

So go and do the math. I did it once a while back. And as I said it was nothing.

Voltage drop is real, and you can do calculations. But you are wasting time here. Stick with your little stuff.

 

The big ones are the wire terminations: connectors, switches, fuse blocks etc.

 

Then why tell me the ohm value of wire? Cripes any schmuck can google that.

I am not disagreeing terminations can have an effect. But I would rather have it where I can see it, and worry about that, then where I can't see it.

How tight of connection the cig lighter makes is a question. Replacing stock one is probably best. This just seems fun to play with it.

 

Thought it might help.. I guess TMI.

How tight the cig light connections are is not the question, The input impedance of the voltmeter is likely 10Meg.. If the resistance is 1000 ohms , will make 0.01% difference on the meter. It's all the connections that the wire has to go through to the other loads that might bring the voltage down. Look at the wiring diagram.

 

I just think not worth it. Maybe it matters in the little stuff you deal. I also think you could adjust in your head if need be. If normally read 14.1 when riding, and all the sudden is 13.8, then you should take note.

Where it may come into play is at rest votlage which is valuable. But the cig lighter does not come on when bike is off. At rest batteries a 1/10 means something. But even in that case, if you normally read 12.5 every day, and it guys down, you can look into it.

But don't blow smoke about length of wire.

At work we make a great deal of crimped connections on CTs, and these are extremely sensitive. Good clean crimps. I think you are just making big deal to make a big deal. Again maybe in your little world it matters.

It is just a voltmeter on a harley

 

If that's the case, why not simply use the dash voltmeter? Not sure where you got all wound up in the wire?

Add: what does the red mean?

 

A battery at rest, 12.7 means something as 12.6 does. There are tables in most manuals telling you what percentage of battery life this equates too. I would like it in the dash I just don't feel like pulling dash apart.

 

So you like to sit on your bike and look at the voltage with the ignition off?