Regulator? Battery? Please help!

Your R/R has evidently been rewired. The plug from the regulator to the battery has been eliminated. Most regulators have a 4-pin or 6-pin plug which connects through the wiring harness by a roundabout circuit to the battery. That plug can be cut off and wires spliced in straight to the battery, as the previous owner evidently did. A 30 amp fuse in the plus lead (red) is a good idea.

The 3-wire plug to the alternator is the one which is most famous for melting, and that one is still there? How do the yellow wires look? Any evidence of overheating? It's a good idea to eliminate that plug and solder the wires from the stator directly to the regulator. If not, then replace the connector with something waterproof and rated for at least 40 amps.

 

The R/R installed right now (RIck's Regulator) indeed has a plug going to the stator, and straight wires to the battery. The plug is in fine condition as well as the wires. No signs of overheating or anything. Now, for the replacement R/R, how would I go about splicing the wires that go to the battery since the new R/R shows 2 red and 2 black, as opposed to the currently installed 1 red and 1 black. Thanks again.

 

The reason for the double wires is Honda uses 2 connectors on the + and 2 on the -, each color can be combined to corresponding single wire to battery.

 

I'm sorry I was mistaken. My regulator does in fact have two plugs. From the "clear" colored plug, a black wire goes to the battery. Also from the "clear" colored plug, a red wire goes off to a mini fuse box, then also connects to the battery. The regulators I've been looking at seem to only come with the 2 plugs..no additional black or red wire to the battery. Is that fine or would I have to add the little fuse box and red and black wires to the new regulator?

 

And what regulator are you's referring to at : http://www.roadstercycle.com/
That webpage is more disorganized than my underwear drawer...

 

Your bike has had some rewiring done, so we are sort of guessing from what you describe what your wiring actually looks like. In other words, we can't go by what standard Honda wiring looks like. If the "clear" plug which goes to the battery fits the socket with (usually) red & green or red & black wires, then you're OK. Just plug it in. If the plug doesn't fit your new R/R, then you'll have to find one which does, or buy a new plug and socket, or solder the wires directly together.

Same goes for the stator connector with three yellow (usually) wires. The R/R I used had a stator connector which would have plugged into the stock Honda socket, but my original connector had overheated and was starting to melt. Included with mine was a new 3-pin socket with better terminals, gold plated, and with more contact tension. I installed that connector both crimping and soldering all the joints between wires and terminals.

The battery connector on my Honda was originally 6 pins. I didn't use it at all in rewiring. My R/R had 4 wires to the battery, 2 red (positive) and 2 green (negative) with a plug which I presume fit a Suzuki. I cut that plug off and installed a four terminal plug and socket which has waterproof gaskets and is rated for 50 amps on each contact. Since there are double contacts for both positive and negative, I figure there is lots of safety margin. I ran heavy wires from the connector to the battery through a fuse. The alternator is rated at 40 amps, but I find mine maxes out at about 35 amps. That's fine, since the bike draws in the low 20 amps range with the fan running. That leaves a good margin if I should ever need heated grips, or a heated suit for a ride north of Texas.

I mounted my new R/R on the left passenger footpeg bracket where it gets good airflow, and it stays cool enough to hold my hand against, about 130 F. If you look at my photos, you'll see it. There is a lot of other non-standard wiring on my VFR because of the Wolf Racing exhaust, which required relocating just about everything back of the gas tank.

 

Sorry for the confusion here. This is what my current R/R is. See the additional wires that go to the battery? Black and red wires? I'm just wondering if I get a new R/R that does NOT contain those two wires, if It will still work fine

 

Ah, that's a "fix" I've never seen before. You can get a new R/R without the additional red and black wires and it will work. For a while. A more lasting fix would consist of something like one of the roadstercycle "Super Mosfet Kit FH020AA" which contains a FET R/R and wiring to connect directly to the battery. The red and black wires on your existing R/R probably help somewhat but are a bit smaller than I personally would use in a high current location. Another popular fix is a "VFRness" which also connects the R/R directly to the battery. I haven't used either one myself, but others here have, and can tell how they hold up.

There are several long threads here and at VFRD about Honda's V4 charging systems. Look for posts from people who have measured how their system runs and people who have had a particular setup for a year or two at least.

 

After watching the roadstercycle.com tutorial video, I have a better idea how it works. Just crimping the wires to the stator, and eliminating the plastic plugs altogether. Should I get the Circuit-breaker style or the maxifuse?

Also, for the roadcycle R/R, it only seems to use ONE connection coming from the bike (coming from the stator). What do I do with the other plug that's left dangling from the bike? Do I just let it hang free or do I need to connect that somewhere as well?

 

here is a pic of my R&R project:

Click on the pick to enlarge

 

Beautiful! I already ordered the mosfet fh02 from that website. I didn't know which fuse type to choose and I was impatient for an answer so ii asked Jack (the owner of that business/website) what he thinks and h mentioned he sells 10 breaker styles for every 1 maxifuse. I'm sure they are both fine. I'm just glad to get this show on the road and fix this before winter hits. Supposed to get snow out here in ontario in 3 weeks they are predicting. Terrible currency conversion too...total was 175 for fast shipping, with our. 74 currency, came up to 250. But whatever it is what it is..

 

Only one thing to add. If you can, solder the stator connections after crimping them like the videos show. A connection that is only crimped may oxidize or corrode in time and cause trouble. Solder keeps water and oxygen away from the copper wires. The connection will last.

You can cover the 6-pin connector with tape or shrink tubing and tuck it away. It isn't used any more.

 

Thanks guys. The new R/R should be arriving in a couple days and I'll pick up a new battery. Once the job is done, I'll report back here with the results and pictures.

 

I can personally vouch for the soldering over a crimp connection. My crimp connections got so hot after a few rides that it melted the coverings and wiring insulation. I soldered on my second installation, and although the wires still get warm, then have not come close to showing signs of heat fatigue after 2 years on the new regulator. I also removed the zip ties on the yellow wires going to the regulator. I think this allows for better cooling.

 

Just read on the roadstercycle website that the stator wire cable length is 6 inches long? Is that enough length? I measured it on my bike and it comes up just short. My R/R bolt holes are positioned LEFT and RIGHT. I see yours are UP and DOWN. I guess just drill the holes myself if there's room?

 

Hi Shawn. Thats right. Just drill two new holes in the plate to mount your new rr like above. It fits perfectly. Good luck. Laker

 

Mike, we can only keep pointing this out to people, some listen, some don't

I can personally vouch for the soldering over a crimp connection. My crimp connections got so hot after a few rides that it melted the coverings and wiring insulation. I soldered on my second installation, and although the wires still get warm, then have not come close to showing signs of heat fatigue after 2 years on the new regulator. I also removed the zip ties on the yellow wires going to the regulator. I think this allows for better cooling.