Cpap machine and the Harley

AltPwrPuffer · Post by **AltPwrPuffer** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 11:01 am

Sold my old Harley 4 years ago and I just couldn't take it no more! So I went and bought a brand spankin big ol' hog new one! Now that I'm the type that likes to go out on weekend camping runs, it brings a question to mind, has anybody hauled their machine around in the tour pack of an Electra Glide?

I should be able to power the Remstar Pro with the battery in the motorcycle and not run it down and still be able to start it in the morning. This of course running it on 12volts and using a pass over humidifier.

But, due to the amount of vibration these motorcycles create, can I expect the cpap machine to survive the ride in the hard bags? Has anybody here put them to the test on this forum? Got to be some other riders here.

Enjoying the 07 Ultra Classic! Thanks Charlie

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 11:16 am

Never put one ot the test but have you conisdered wrapping it in some 2 or 3 inch memory foam? I would think that memory foam would protect it from such vibration ... just not wrap it too tight in order to allow the foam to absorb the shock energy.

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 11:23 am

Sounds like a movie they made......"Harley Davidson and the CPAP Man".
Weren't Don Johnson and Mickey Rourke in it?

Charlie, I can't tell you from personal experience, but I've read of people that have done that. I know that some friends/relatives who came through on their way to Sturgis last summer had their CPAP machines, but (I think) had them in the pickup truck and enclosed trailer that they also brought along.

Best wishes,

Den

JeffH · Post by **JeffH** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 11:51 am

Don't know that I'd count on the bike starting in the morning. I use a heavy duty deep cycle marine battery for when the power goes out and it is a much stronger battery than a bike battery.

I also ride, but got tired of working on what I ride so I went to a Jap bike. I've hauled my old Sullivan machine many thousands of miles with no trouble. Wrapping the machine in foam sounds like a good idea to me....unless your motor is rubber mounted (and I think electra-glides are).

FWIW

JeffH

AltPwrPuffer · Post by **AltPwrPuffer** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:18 pm

Good one Wulfman! Buddy at work, he rides a Dyna, just bought the old movie and has been watching it, he can't get enough of the old biker movies. Gave him a copy of Danger Zone III, The Steel Horse Wars where I got to play a bad guy and shoot at the star and his cohort and then I get blown up!

Foam could be a great help, may be the only way to go if the Respironics bag won't fit the saddle bag, will be finding out.

Jeff, the Remstar Pro that I will use on the road says max of 1Amp at 12volts so 8amp/hrs for a night, got to find the amp/hr rating of the battery. It would be nicer to not have to haul an extra battery, but if it comes down to that, I guess a small trailer will be needed.

The engine is rubber mounted, all the touring model are, its amazing to be able to actually use the mirrors. But I left a pair of clip on sunglasses in their plastic case in the trunk and the vibration rattled them in their case scratching the lenses, drat! So that has led to some guestions, hopefully the cpap will survive it. Charlie

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:35 pm

I'd suggest a PB-420e and a aussie heated hose. It will run directly off of 12VDC and at full pressure only consumes 1.5AMPs. At 10cm about half that.

Depending on the length of your trips, you can probably get by a night or two without the heated humidifier, know I can.

The 420E is the smallest cpap on the market, it will easily fit inside your helmet or skid lid

JeffH · Post by **JeffH** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 8:37 pm

Back when I owned an '87 FLT I was riding down to my GF's house one nice summer evening and I decided I would be a nice guy and stop at a restaurant we both liked and get her a fried chicken salad. She and I both liked that meal so I bought her one.

I went out and put it in the tour-pak and rode on down to her house (about a 14 mile trip). When I got to her house I opened the tour-pak and there was fried chicken salad EVERYWHERE.

I went in the house, told her to bring a fork, I had dinner for her......

AltPwrPuffer · Post by **AltPwrPuffer** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:06 pm

ROTFFLOL!!!!! Fried chicken salad cpap machine

Alas the reason for my question..........

sleepinginseattle · Post by **sleepinginseattle** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:24 pm

AltPwrPuffer,

I've done a bit of motorcycle camping with CPAP.

What worked for me?

A dedicated motorcycle battery to power the cpap. Odyssey PC680 17 amp deep discharge capable. 14.4 lbs.

A small waterproof protector case to hold the battery. Pelican 1200.

A travel CPAP so if I damaged it, I'd have my primary CPAP still working. I don't bother with water humidifier (not possible to power a heated humidifier on 12 volts). Puritan Bennett GoodNight 420G. Very low power draw (at pressure 11) means I can get two nights sleep from the 17 amp battery.

I have an auxiliary charging system to charge the Odyssey on the bike while I ride. This is more complicated but involves a waterproof (sealed) voltage sensitive relay to adapt the motorcycle charging system to charge primary (starting) and auxiliary batteries even if they are of different size or in different states of charge.

Everything is either waterproof or in a waterproof bag (cpap), all my luggage is soft-sided. The 420G hasn't skipped a beat in over 5,000 miles of travel.

Good luck.

Lepeu63 · Post by **Lepeu63** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 8:15 am

[quote="AltPwrPuffer"]Sold my old Harley 4 years ago and I just couldn't take it no more! So I went and bought a brand spankin big ol' hog new one! Now that I'm the type that likes to go out on weekend camping runs, it brings a question to mind, has anybody hauled their machine around in the tour pack of an Electra Glide?

I should be able to power the Remstar Pro with the battery in the motorcycle and not run it down and still be able to start it in the morning. This of course running it on 12volts and using a pass over humidifier.

But, due to the amount of vibration these motorcycles create, can I expect the cpap machine to survive the ride in the hard bags? Has anybody here put them to the test on this forum? Got to be some other riders here.

Enjoying the 07 Ultra Classic! Thanks Charlie

TLD · Post by **TLD** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 10:43 am

I think your plan is a good one since the only thing that usually works on a Harley is the battery

As a fellow rider, good luck to you. I would definately operate without the humidifier since the heating element draws most the current.

AltPwrPuffer · Post by **AltPwrPuffer** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 7:09 pm

Lepeu63, sleep apnea isn't a death sentence, not treating it could be, it has become just another hobby that I partake in. I have been able to stay awake and live again! It's just something else that I do in my life, I have no hangups about it, an attitude that everybody should have. So if ya see a long haired bearded large guy on a Big Ol' Harley with a hose trailin outa the back, wave and say high!

I have been contemplating a pass over humidifier, hauling a battery large enough to run an inverter for the humidifier on a skate board pulled by a rope trailin behind me isn't the picture I have in my mind!

The smaller unit is probably the way to go, the Remstar Pro I have is rather large.

A small single night gel cell battery with a aux charging circuit probably makes the most sense since the motorcycle will be run everyday while out enabling the recharge for the next night.

Thanks for sharing the info, all input helps us all............

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 10:28 pm

Think this is a C&C theme bike built for Paul Bunyan, looks like some of Pauly's finest work in my opinion, check out the springer front end:

girlsaylor · Post by **girlsaylor** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 7:37 am

Congrats on keeping on with life, and making your treatment as portable and exciting as you are!

Although we do not ride, we are sailboat cruisers/liveaboards. So, we are aware of the pounding today's techno wonders have to take. I'm with SleepinginSeattle on the dedicated battery and a backup CPAP machine. On a boat, or anywhere you want to get away from home, you'll always run into different power setups and sometimes none at all. The rule on a boat is everything has a backup, and always a manual backup for the backup. Tho I cannot imagine a fellow biker hand-cranking any gizmo to give you power whilst he stays awake, lol.

At this time, we lust for one of those Panasonic toughbook computers, but the cost is still prohibitive. So for the marine environment, we have to settle on a laptop that will be toast in the salt air in about 2 years. Boaters buy accordingly. Many purchase two of the same machine to use one for parts.

That said, I think a travel CPAP is a great idea. I know when we finally go offshore, I'm gonna need all the waterproofing and shock protection too.

girlsaylor

Ergin · Post by **Ergin** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 2:38 pm

According to remstar manual you should not power your xpap while the engine is running.

Cpap machine and the Harley

Cpap machine and the Harley

Re: Cpap machine and the Harley

I love this thread!

Mask

Additional Comments: Equipment isn't correct, S9 ASV w/H5i