Kulkyne Generator

Anyone got one of these yet.? if so what do you think of it.?
http://www.kulkyne.com/au/Kulkyne-Inverter-Generator-KG2000is.html#technical

We’ve finally produced a quality inverter generator to match the quality of the Japanese brand generators, but without the price tag!

Yamaha is Japanese...so im a little bit lost with this...We’ve finally produced a quality inverter generator hmmm? i thought Yamaha already produced a quality generator to start with.?

Kulkyne 2.0kVA - Inverter Generator
Warranty Policy

Do you want to wait 3-6 weeks or drive 1,000kms to get your generator fixed in the middle of your trip around Australia??

No Way!

We’re that confident in our Kulkyne KG2000is Yamaha Powered Inverter Generator that if you have a major break down in the first 3 years (5 year option) from purchase we’ll priority freight you a new replacement Kulkyne Inverter Generator anywhere in Australia, to get you back on the road as soon as possible!!

And, if it’s only a minor repair you can go directly to the closest small engine service centre to get it fixed quickly and we’ll pick up the bill.Yep, all small engine repairers are going to drop tools and fix your problem while you wait!!

Whatever the case, it sounds good being of the same performance details as the EF2000iS ... yet at a much lower cost.??

And I like this bit as well. Pure Sine Wave Inverter.

"High Quality MZ80 Yamaha Engine

This serious generator with its Yamaha Engine and high quality Pure Sine Wave Inverter will run your caravan air conditioner or a large campsite without any worries and will also handle sensitive equipment such as mobile phone chargers, battery chargers, TVs and computers."

Hmm, is it a rebranded Yamaha generator, really hard to follow. Very good price for a 2KVA generator, bit hard to believe. A Honda EU10 (1KVA) costs about $1,200 from memory, bit less with the cash back after purchase.

Somewhat poorly worded ad and myself would be a bit wary.

Yes its worded poorly, yet it will certainly grab the attention of those looking for a cheapish 1600Watt geny. Best thing to do is take the add to your local small engine repairman and get his comments on it. You can guarantee he is going tell give you an ear bash on parts. Most probably he would have to ring it in to the importer for the go ahead with the repair and wait for parts.......or you will have to send it back to Kulkyne and wait for your replacement......either way...its not going to be fixed that day. Thats the clincher when your out bush ay.?? Yet It can happen to any genset while your out bush, which boils down to the old saying.....you get what you pay for.
I think Kipor also uses either a Yamaha or Honda engine from memory and are not as expensive as the other two.?
For the weekender who may only use them occasionally its makes sense to buy a budget geny....but than you always have that emergency situation when the b@stard wont start. It certainly makes you think about your choice when you look ahead and picture that rainy night, bogged out bush in the middle of nowhere and your battery goes flat in your Auto.

Dave, i love the Pure sign wave hype......i think a lot of folks forget that the old gensets are still sign wave....just not as stable which is more so to do with the engine..not the inverter.
It also says that its rated voltage is 230v..might not mean much as most appliances are pretty relaxed on the input side of things.

Still its not an elcheapo, but its not a Honda either, and time will tell if its worth the $$...i'll be keeping an eye on a few of the camping forums for a write up on it.

Think that is the way it is, you get what you pay for. I have seen more than one el cheapo fail at campsites and would not like to be stuck on say a three week campout with a fridge dead battery and no way of recharging except to run the car engine.

I'm very happy with the Honda EU10 which although not cheap is very reliable.

Cheers

Looks good to me.

Some of these rebadged items have warranty issues that need to be sorted.... Yamaha may not offer service direct, you may have to go back through the dealer.....
It may also be made under license using a yamaha designed engine.... not sure

To be honest, if I wanted to buy a Yamaha, it would be Blue and come directly from the Yamaha shop...... these rebadged items very rarely work out well.

I have both Genuine Yamaha and honda generators, and have never needed warranty on either.......
The sister in law brought a brand new EU20i with a heap of extra's a couple of weeks back for $1600....

Harb, iv still got my old Yamaha EF600 also, its working but its been retired now iv got the EU20i. Yet it never went back for any warranty issues during its warranty period either. Hmmm? the days before plastic...do you remember them.?

Time will tell if Yamaha are producing a cheapy aimed at cleaning up on the lower end of the gen market.

Interesting thread on a cheap genset, did anyone ever follow up on this machine to see how it really rolls?

Wayne.

Sorry cant help with the lasting or performance of the genny , dont have one ,dont know anyone that does ,havent heard a bad or good word about item so am not quailyfied to comment . Have a HONDA 20 and have never needed service or repair and starts first time everytime.for the last 4 years .

The hype will have ya running, but most newish electronic equipment would run a switch mode power supply, so therefore, feed it with a dying dog petrol generator and it would be ok!
Clock speed etc may be an issue, but hell, My kids dont play Halo out bush!
Truthfully, Ive had the Yam and Hon out bush.
The Yam was crap! It kept hunting.
Two side by side, I was sure the Yam was faulty?
I told the owner of the Yam to take it back, which he did.... and their only response was 'not enough load'........

bullshit......

same load, the Honda just purred...

I believe, that if you wish to buy an inverter generator, then go the Honda!
HOWEVER, work out your load, you may not need the 2, when a 1 will do?? Seek professional advice!!

Ok nice read

Here's a little note I've been made aware of with small engines & Ethanol based fuel.
Steer clear of cheap fuel always use premium or better grade as the ethanol eats the paint off the inside of painted metal fuel tanks over time & ends up in your filters & carbies. Also unless it is ethanol rated fuel lines it also eats the inside of these hoses especially the grey fuel lines I've seen the results with peoples boats & small motors.

As a test a bloke told me once pour some on a car panel once a day for 2 weeks & see the results also pour beside that some metholayted spirits. see the results & think what itd be doing inside your gear.

So unless the engine is made for E10 based fuel avoid it. A lot of servo's up this way arestarting to get rid of E10 fuels as people are realising there cars don't get as good economy on it so now its lack of sales is a waste of time keeping it in the tanks & also the government rebates have stopped.

just reading this post,   has anybody used one of these kulkyne gen sets for motorhome airconditioning?  I have read that honda gives up to 120% kva for up to 5 seconds  extra for when you turn on airconditioner.  That is probably why honda is so good as well.  Other units cannot cope with extra for startup.
Thanks travelergold

The Honda 2 kva is actually 1.6 kva continuous !!! And the 1 kva  is 900 watts continuous running .Many people find out they need the Honda 3 kva or the Yamaha 2.4 kva for the big vans with big roof top A/C ! The Kulkine is no different but a 2 kva for  under $1300 is good buying

My Honda 2Kva runs both my Coleman Roof Air Con and the Microwave in my Jayco Heritage but not at the same time obviously. No problems with the Honda whatsoever and reasonably quiet.. I carried a blue 2Kva Kipor Inverter type Genny, Chinese crapp, which originally cost about $1400, for bit over two years in the front of my Jayco and never used it apart from initial start..first time I needed it, it dropped its piston immediately..took it to the Heathcote repairer and he returned it in a large box in many pieces...said it was not economically repairable..traded in the box full of crapp when I bought the Honda and the dealer was going to show buyers what a piece of Chinese crapp they are....just over the two years so no warranty, so has built in obsolescence as well....false economy to carry any less than a quality built genny such as a genuine Jap Honda or Yamaha IMO....when you need them to run...you need them to run when you're travelling...Hoo Roo.

I run our Honda 9 out of10 nights for 6 months this season in WA......not one problem. The electric kettle was used on occasions which is 1800-2200W, it operates for just over minute to boil the water and the generator never tripped out, thats with low Wattage lights and other small power consuming chargers for PCs and radio chargers running and two electric blankets on toast mode.  

The cost of running the generator at night is far cheaper than the cost of a major solar system. Less weight to lug round for one, and the beauty of being able to run what we like, when we like without the worry of killing the batteries. The electric blankets on those nights the wind blows right through you is certainty a luxury im not willing to trade after having them for the last two seasons in WA.
The geny on those cold nights was left to run till someone got up for a p!ss and turned it off...or it was left running till it run out of juice at around 4-5am.  
On average it ran for about ten hrs on a full tank, a little less if i used the electric heater while using the PC plotting the next move or areas of interest. (heater = 2x 500W halogen heat lamps..1x 500W is sufficient with fan)
During the day we fall back on the solar equipment to run fridges and other charging equipment for various devices. The inverter maybe used to power some of these devices depending on its charging options, but mostly small battery chargers for headlights, radios, GPSs ect ect.


Rainy nights the gen set was covered in one of those plastic for sale signs used to sell your house....it folds perfectly over the top of the geny and is pegged to the ground using large tent pegs and bungy cords.  

Never did see or speak to anyone using/owning/knowing anyone using owning or hearing of those kulkyne gen sets. Its Honda or Yamaha, but mostly Honda, not Yamaha. 

Looking back in old posts about generators,                                
We purchased a honda eu20i generator to power a new aircommand sparrow mk4 what we have put in roof of our motorhome.
Really dissapointed that honda will not run aircond unit.  Is a small unit for small caravans.
Specs are as follows,   Rated capacity;  cooling    2000w
                                                         heating   2150w
                                Power input;      cooling    920w
                                                         heating   930w
                                Rated current;    cooling    3.9A
                                                         heating    4.0A
                                Max input;          1020W
Honda would run fan then when compressor cut in gen set would die and cut power.
Rang Kulkyne about there gen sets 2kva and they said there gen set will run larger ibus air conditioner so have ordered on and is on way.
Guy from kulkyne really heaplful on ph and has guaranteed will run air cond unit or refund money and freight no problems, couldnt be fairer than that.
Will wait and see as many people told us that honda eu20i gen set should run our small aircond unit.
travelergold

Kulkyne specs

Maximum Output - 2000W
Rated Output - 1600W
Rated Voltage - 230V
Frequency - 50Hz
Rated Amperage - 8.3A
DC Output - 12V

Honda  specs

Maximum Watts 2000
Rated Watts 240v/50Hz 1600
12 Volt DC/Amps 8 @ 12v

For Aircon: "The EU20i can run air conditioner that have ratings above the generators themselves. The EU20i can produce 1600 watts day and night. When starting the generator they’ll usually draw 2400W. They manage to start and run units in this spec range quite happily. The running load of most aircons is only 1300 watts, so the Honda will start and run the unit. They’re also good for laptops and portable TV’s. All the Honda EU series will run at 120% rated load for up to 4 seconds before cutting power.”
http://generatorhouse.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=52

Rang Kulkyne about there gen sets 2kva and they said there gen set will run larger ibus air conditioner so have ordered on and is on way.

The Ibus Air Command has whats called a soft start system which allows the Honda to start and run it, the Kulkyne will do the same. No soft start, neither will run it i was told. That 4 sec rule is give or take a few sec/ and give or take on the aircon unit itself when kicking in the pump. Short  power lead to the van vs long power lead.? Some get away with it, some dont.??

Narrawa, you seem to be in tune with generators so here's a question.
Have a 3KVA Honda which has the "eco" switch. During the first trip with this machine and a new caravan fitted with the Ibis Commando aircon we had a need to run it.
The generator & aircon were running fine in the "eco" position.
However, when the aircon got the temperature down to the low setting it obviously then cycled.
The problem now was it wouldn't cut back in until the temperature had returned to almost ambient temperature.
On our return the Ibis tech came out to have a look and found nothing wrong with the unit. (Running on grid power, in hind sight should have hooked up the genny  )
The next trip same problem, in desperation I switched off the Eco and problem solved.
The aircon ran faultlessly with the generator running at continuous full revs.
Do you or anyone else have any explanation for this?

Peter

G'day Narrawa and Travellergold,

We had to replace our old Honda EU20i about 2years ago now (had it for 8 years as it is our only power) and we have found that the new one won't run our aircon in the van. It runs for about 5-8 mins and just cuts out on the o/L in the Genny. The old one used to run it no problem, I am wondering if the ratings have dropped in the new one.    Also if we want to run the microwave (1000w) we have to turn off the smart charger in the van otherwise the Genny cuts out as well. Lucky we have the EU30i at home otherwise we would have cooked during these last lot of hot days we have been getting. We have tried different power leads but made no difference.   

Cheers. Mike.

G'day Peter,

We have no problem running ours which is the Dometic roof mount one. I would say that because the unit is trying to restart and it would be under more load due to it has been running is why you would need the Eco switch off. When you first start the unit the gases are more equalised and not as much load when it starts up.
Hope this helps.

Cheers. Mike.

PS when we bought our caravan the guy said the EU20i would run everything in our van.   

Nightjar ,I switched off the Eco and problem solved.

The Eco throttle on these things is to slow to react when the load wants the power and wants it now. Long power leads can/do have an effect. My mate use to get away with it most of the time, but every now and than it would trip the geny....when he got sick of it.. he sought advice..power lead was the problem...too long. (Domatic unit)

Ibus put out a soft start system for use with the Honda generators, and was also sold for the DIY. This was what i was told at the local caravan and camping show a couple of years ago when talking to aircon guys. I got a window shaker instead.  
Large battery chargers like the xantrex will do the same, dont use eco throttle for the first hr or so if running a lot of batt with big Amps. Once the charger has put back a few Amps, the charger will kick back to a lower Amp input...all should be ok for eco throttle then.

PS, what Mike said as well, thats why they work to start with, but when the thermostat kicks in the load wants it now....the eco throttle is saying to the aircon...hold ya horses...its coming.
The aircon has a dummy spit while its waiting and gives the finger to the geny...the geny than says well stuff ya!! 

I bought this little generator a while back, and I must admit, I'm really happy with it so far. $365.00 including delivery!

Fuji Micro 3.4kVA Pure Sine Inverter Generator Silent Por...

I haven't used it with an air conditioner running as yet, but it works just fine for charging batteries, using lights, running the microwave etc ... all at the same time! When I can find a nice little air conditioner to fit in the window of the caravan, I'll add that to the list of "running items" and see what happens!!   

Thanks for info guys, Now we are worried that new kulkyne unit will not run air cond unit as well.
When we purchased the sparrow air cond. we were told that honda eu20i would run it with ease.
Only wnet 2kva as only need gen set for air cond for hot nights. It will run no other appliances.
Have solar for everything else and 4 x gel batteries.
Looking on net the ibis has soft start, nothing in paperwork about that for sparrow unit.
And we were not trying to run air on eco.
Delema!!!!

This is the next genny I would like to have, thanks Mariner3800 for the link   

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4-4KVA-SILENT-GENERATOR-INVERTER-PURE-SINE-caravan-camping-tent-fishing-hiking-/160861456562?pt=AU_Hardware&hash=item25741708b2

I like the idea of the key start as well, figure even if I only get two years from one of these, ( running five hours each night ) it's done it's job for the money.

Travelergold,
Im thinking you may need the a 2400/2800 or a 3kv gen set for your aircon, given its specs.

Jen58, You have Mike to start it every night, and to shut it down....i'll give you two other ideas.
1.Let it run out. <--- I like this one best.   
Or...
2. Pull the guts out of a cheap RC car from Ebay, and fit the servo up to the spark plug to shut it down remotely from the comfort of your van.. 

Yeah ok    good points..
If only it worked that way too.   

1) it doesn't get turned on all the time, when I want it turned on!!   
And before you say turn it on yourself, well I use to do that, but have a troubled arm/shoulder.

2) I like your idea on running it all night, but get complaints!

3) I love the idea you have Narrawa, with the rc car..  but I will be waiting till the cows come home for that idea to be done.  

Mike said I am not allowed to get a new genny until our 20i stops working.    meany!

Oh well not everything last's forever  

[quote="Narrawa"]

Large battery chargers like the xantrex will do the same, dont use eco throttle for the first hr or so if running a lot of batt with big Amps. Once the charger has put back a few Amps, the charger will kick back to a lower Amp input...all should be ok for eco throttle then.

Interesting Narrawa, you mention the xantrex charger, this is what is in the van. Will keep that in mind this year.

[quote="Mike54"]

when we bought our caravan the guy said the EU20i would run everything in our van.

We were told the same Mike, however when we visited Honda, the salesman said the EU20i would be right on its limits and if anything else was run together with the aircon (as Narrawa mentioned the battery charger) there would be a dummy spit.
We hoped to have many years of prospecting so the decision was made to go up to 30i. The fuel economy is unbelievable, with the limited use we use on average, one tank a week, that equates to approx 14 hours running. The battery has to be charged externally however a months use with a short run every night, have never needed to top it up during a trip.

That sounds good Peter we have been running our 30i with the aircon nearly all day on the really hot days and I can tell you it has been very thirsty going through over 10lts a day but when the sun goes down the aircon starts to cut in and out it is not as bad.
When we tried to run the 20i we had everything turned off was only trying to run the airco on its own.

Thanks for your replies guys.

Cheers. Mike.

Jen58,
Tie a bit of fishing line to the plug lead, run the line to the van through the window....pull the line and the geny stops. Its not cheap...but it will work.   

As for the remote start.....ring Young Mike to come over and start it.  

Nightjar,
Interesting Narrawa, you mention the xantrex charger, this is what is in the van. Will keep that in mind this year.

Shouldn't be a problem with the bigger gen set....but if while on eco it continuously surges/hunts....you'll know. It will cook the inverter if not acted upon. Motor will run fine...just no AC out.

Is the xantrex the 60Amp model.??

Mike54, are you running the more expensive octane fuel.??
Found this out last season with the much longer run times in ours.