Stupid questions people ask you when stopped

[bwalsh]

Originally Posted by der_saeufer

On a permanent magnet generator with an old-style shunt regulator (e.g. on a dirt bike or old UJM), does it even cause any extra engine load to run electrical accessories? I'm not an EE, but I thought the generator always ran full-bore and got rid of extra electricity as heat through the regulator vs. a car alternator where the magnetic field is actually stronger when the load is heavier.

To you and the other inmate who mentioned generators...I was talking about vehicles from the eighties and nineties with alternators, not generators...The battery isn't going to be drained sitting at a stop light...hence the original remark.