Good afternoon all, Following on from another thread I've been getting some great advice on, I have a question to pose re. Regulator/Rectifiers: I'm looking to change my RR on the basis that it's likely the original, and 20+ years old, and showing heat stress at the stator connection. On the basis that I will solder the new one in, this removing the main flaw in the chain, would a new OEM RR then be significantly worse choice than an aftermarket MOSFET? I ask as I've got quite a small budget, so am keen to only spend what I need to, with the standard RR being much more affordable. Thanks in advance
From what I've read it seems aftermarket is your better option. You have the choice of an expensive Series Type being the Shindengen SH847AA which is physically larger making mounting a bit of a fiddle. OR The less expensive Shunt MOSFET Type Shindengen FH020AA which is the same physical size. Whilst ideally the Series type is more efficient and only draws the required current from your stator for your bikes operation. The MOSFET Shunt Type is still a far better option than the old OEM SCR Shunt type. MOSFETs are extremely fast switching, efficient devices, far superior to old SCR technology. BEWARE of cheap Chinese copies that may be on eBay!
What Grum says........ later FJR's, FJ09, etc. also have FH020AA. Verysys 650 guys are retrofitting their OEM's with SH775's (there is a Polaris part number), but you can get an FH020AA for less. My Versys 1000 has a SH866A, a series type in the smaller format (as is the SH775, same size as FH020AA).
Good shout! I've checked with my local Honda dealer, and an OEM stator is £300... On the basis that a new RR may finish off an older stator (and that I have no idea how old any of the parts on mine are) I've decided to solder the 3 stator wires, fit a voltmeter and watch closely for now...
Agreed, but there are quite a few records of it doing the opposite. For example: https://www.triumphrat.net/threads/why-your-stator-might-fail-with-a-new-regulator-rectifier.238741/ I've done 'the drill' on mine, and it seems in order without any faults, but can't help but think 'if its not broken' overall. .
Hmm - how to put this delicately... I suspect you did not have time to fully read the thread you linked to as it has a rather misleading title and the content does not actually support your observation. As I also own Triumphs, I remember reading the evolution of posts in that thread when they first appeared. At the time I realised the title was somewhat misleading but obviously as it was not my thread I had no way to amend it. What that thread rather bluntly shows is that the charging system which Triumph bought in suffered from much same electrical gremlins as Honda had with their VFR, Fireblade, Hornet... models and rather suggests they were probably sourced from the same supplier. Indeed later posts confirm those gremlins also affected similar era Suzuki models. When you read through the thread, you will see they were trying to explain why that it was quite common for owners to find that they would need a new stator soon after replacing the RR. Basically the electrical issues caused by an RR failure can sometimes mask the fact that one of the legs on the stator has also been shorted out(quite possibly a direct consequence of the RR failure). Meaning the bike now has two problems not one. Whilst replacing the RR is a quick plug and play solution sadly some mechanics may be tempted to skip the recommended post installation charging system checks and simply return the bike to the customer who will happily ride away oblivious to the fact that their stator may have also sustained damage as it would soldier on for a while with only two legs working. However a stator wont work forever with just two of three legs operating as with one leg shorted to ground it inevitably creates loads of heat hence if the stator has sustained damage from the RR failure then it is only a matter of time before the stator craps out entirely. What this reveals that many mechanics/owners tend to ONLY look for one fault rather that check out the whole system. But all four elements of the charging system(Battery, RR, Stator, Loom) in your motorbike need to be in good order as it is a system, hence a fault in any one component can quickly damage one or more of the others, and whenever a component failure is observed it is sensible to check for collateral damage. When the RR in my first Street Triple failed it was swiflty replaced for free by Triumph but when it was handed back I had the foresight (from VFRW posts) to get my multimeter out and run through "the Drill" checks at home, which revealed that one leg of the stator had gone, so straight back to Triumph who thankfully fixed that too. People need to realise that any charging system fault can result in damage elsewhere. SkiMad
Thanks for this, and delicately delivered! So in essence, as long as 'the drill' supports that the stator is in full working order (i.e not functioning on 2 legs), there's no additional risk in adding a new RR. Thanks again for all the advice guys - it's a whole new world to me, and this forum has been really helpful in getting my head around it all.
Yes - assuming you do the drill TWICE once with the bike cold and once after a decent 20 minute plus ride by which time charging systerm components should be warmed up and insulation on stator wires which may check out fine whilst cold can start to break down and short out when hot. Good Luck SkiMad
MOSFET for sure. Rick's Motorsport Electrics makes drop in MOSFET replacements for VFRs. Same size, shape, and bolt hole distance as OEM. They also sell stator coils. 98+99 https://ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/Hot-Shot-Series-Rectifier-Regulator-10_125H 00-09 https://ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/Hot-Shot-Series-Honda-Rectifier-Regulator-10_126H About two years ago I purchased a fifth generation VFR. Everything was running fine, but I inspected the wiring anyway. The regulator-rectifier plug had seen a half repair from a previous owner where the stator side plug end was gone with new pins crimped on wires with heat shrink. Plug side on the regulator-rectifier was there, but had signs of heat damage and corrosion. I ordered a new 10_125H from Rick's Motorsport. Before installing it, I checked stator coil condition. I clipped off the AC side plug from the 10_125H and soldered the three yellow stator wires. The output side to the battery is still a plug and was left alone. That was 20,000 miles ago now.
I installed a voltmeter this afternoon and after a decent ride re-checked stator reading. The results were all spot on, so based on the experience of the majority of VFR owners, I think I'm going to bite the bullet and buy a pre-emptive MOSFET. The voltmeter is a nice comfort blanket in the interim - sitting at a steady 14.45v for the duration on the ride.
Forgot to mention. VERY IMPORTANT........ Do NOT use an Auto Reset 30amp circuit breaker on your main positive R/R lead to the battery, they absolutely should not be used in this application. If fact, do not use an Auto Reset C/B ANYWHERE on your motorcycle. Use an inline conventional fuse or Manual Reset circuit breaker.
My preferred is Delphi Metripack 630 fuse holder, you can buy at CycleTerminal. I like to buy the components and assemble with 10ga marine wire. I buy the wire from DelCity....another good electrics supplier. Dunno what you Aussie's would use....
