TOPIC:

Hi all,
Do any of you know exactly how many amps the KZ440 starter draws on a cold engine? I don't wan to assume it's the battery CCA value (150ish?) which is a lot. I blew a 40 amp fuse after about 7 or 8 seconds of cranking. 40amps you say? Yes, I have a motogadget M-unit installed, with my own home-made 12V LiPo battery. I had installed a 40AMP fuse on the battery lead (to protect the battery) and poof went the fuse. I may need to re-think this set-up.
Thanks in advance
 

Bump?

The starter is seeking a certain  amount of watts (volts x amps). I think the stock starter was a Mitsuba-8203 which I think was rated a .6 kw, which is 600 watts.  The starter does not care how it gets what it is seeking, if it can not get enough volts it will attempt to pull more amps and the other way round if it can get enough amps. If everything is working correctly then every time you use the starter it is seeking somewhere between 42 and 50 amps
 

77 amps at 11.7 volts


 

A starter main lead is virtually never fused, a 30amp fuse in the line between the regulator/rectifier output to the battery (to prevent a "thermal runaway" due to overcharging) is a good idea

Here is some info on making and using a high current shunt to test starter and charging system.  It come from Mike Nixon at welcometothemotorcycleproject.