Installing a voltmeter in the battery box by Richard Cook
	Many folks would rather have a volt or amp meter out where they can see them all the time. I like voltmeters because of the ease of installation and I have never seen one break and stop a vehicle. Amp meters are known for failing and stopping you. The next question was where to put it, there are small ones available that you could install in the headlight shell but they don’t quite fit for a vintage look. On busses and trains meters are often available in the engine room for mechanics. That would be fine by me as I have the light to tell me when I may have a failure. I have quite a bit of extra room in the battery box so that will do fine. I bought a voltmeter on Ebay for seven bucks. On my way home I picked up a commercial on off switch with a cover to keep it from being turned on by something I toss in the boot. It would very slowly flatten your battery if left on. It would also have been possible to run a hot wire from the key to the meter and not need a switch, but I don’t want any more long chassis wires than absolutely needed. 1)   Remove the battery. 2)   This is a good time to install grommets on your battery cables. 3)   Cut a hole for the gauge and install it. 4)   Drill the hole for the switch and install. 5)   Now decide how you want to wire it. I wanted to pick up the power and ground from the battery and run the hot lead through the switch. The guage will have a plus and minus on it. If you get it backwards it just reads reverse so no problem with errors. 6)   Put enough whip in your cables so you can tuck them out of the way to remove and reinstall your battery. 7)   This is a good time to clean the battery terminals and check the water before installing it. 8)   I wired the gauge light to come on whenever the switch is on by hooking it into the side of the switch that is hot when on. You could also run a wire from the light or taillight but then the bulb would burn whenever the lights were on. 9)   After tidying the wires I put a piece of Velcro over the hot leads just as a precaution. The last picture shows all the tools back in the boot with my other gear, the engine running and just picking up the charging system. The important thing is to pop the boot and turn on the gauge now and then. You should have 12 volts with the engine off and as soon as the engine puts out the charging light you should have 13-14 volts. Gauges tend to be a bit different so knowing where yours runs when it is healthy is good. Write it down or mark the gauge with a bit of tape. If you begin having your battery read 11 volts before starting it is on its way out or low on water. If you have been charging at 14 volts and now you have 13 investigate why. For example when my battery recently failed if I had a voltmeter on the bike I could have checked my voltage as soon as I heard my engine turn a bit slower. This would have prevented complete failure as I might have been smart enough to check my system. If your charging light does not go out you just have to pop the boot and see your charging rate to know that you are screwed. It is so nice to have certainty as you walk home.