A couple of electrics questions.

[robbo]

Having had a recent reg/rec failure, I’ve fitted a voltage display, taking the live from the side lamp wiring. My pals BMW S1000RR has a similar gadget which shows around 14.2 volts on tickover, whereas mine is around 13.3volts. What determines the voltage output to the battery. Is it the circuitry within the reg/rec, or the construction method of the stator/generator.
Secondly, on tickover, the voltmeter measurement across the battery is around 0.4/0.5 volt greater, than that shown on the display unit. If I place the unit across the battery again on tickover, the display matches the voltage that the voltmeter recorded. So the accuracy of the display unit is quite good. Is the loss due to the loom itself, plus the fact that the headlights would be on, as well as the neutral lamp and the HealTech gear indicator.
Thanks in advance folks.

[b1k3rdude]

otherwise will correct me where I am wrong, but on the FZS1000 there was three electrical parts on the bike that can normally cause the Vdrop I, you and other's have experienced.
1. The connector that connects the alternator to the reg/rec isn't sealed from the elements and on a lot of bikes this gets corroded, this results in a small Vdroop due to resistance caused by the corrosion on the spade connectors.2. The red wire running from the reg/rec to the battery isn't of thick enough guage so again you get a small Vdroop across that small length of wire.
2. Most of the reg/rec's that were fitted the FZS were of average to ok quality. The reg/rec is a cheap shunt based unit, where as new bikes its a mosfet based.
Here is a thread on how to replace the connector and the battery charging wire -

- http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php?topic=4820.0
- and a video on how to change the reg/rec connector - https://youtu.be/sSo2AY6Nm5M

And here is a thread on the reg/reg as the similar unit was fitted to some Triumphs, with the Op recommending the Shindengen SH847 as it give you superior charging and reduced the load on the alternator at the same time -

- https://www.triumphrat.net/threads/charging-system-diagnostics-rectifier-regulator-upgrade.104504/- https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2060353.m570.l1313&_nkw=Shindengen+SH847+Series+R%2FR&_sacat=0

[robbo]

Thanks very much for the link. Strangely enough I’d been considering a direct fused +ve lead from the reg/rec to the battery, as noted that the gauge of the reg/rec wire is thicker than the loom wire. Electrex World actually make a reg/rec with a metre long fused battery and earth wires to negate using the loom wiring back to the battery. They can be ordered without a plug thus allowing any fitment of your choice. That may well be the way to go. Thanks again, very helpful.

[robbo]

Forgot to add, the white connector under the left hand side panel does seem to be in good condition, with no sign of any verdigris/corrosion/burning.

[b1k3rdude]

Electrex World actually make a reg/rec

Got a link, as ai can see a direct replacement for the FZS but not the one your refering too.

[robbo]

I spoke to one of their techs, Bob, who told me about them. I didn't ask about mosfet, but will call today. They do make them with custom harnesses, but those orders take about 3 weeks.

[BBROWN1664]

You will get a voltage drop due to the load on teh circuits and the thin wires. Try connecting somewhere else like on the back of a fuse near the battery instead.

[robbo]

You will get a voltage drop due to the load on teh circuits and the thin wires. Try connecting somewhere else like on the back of a fuse near the battery instead.

Yep, logically that should work. Bit annoyed that I’ve chopped into the side lamp harness now. I was trying to avoid yet another lead running back to the battery area, what with heated grips, satnav and usb charger all heading in that direction. Still considering a mosfet reg/rec as these seem to be far more efficient from what I’ve read and YouTubed. Should get an answer from the Electrex World guy tomorrow.

[robbo]

Spoke to the tech at Electrex World and have ordered their reg/rec part RR88. This comes with individual plugs for the input and output, the latter being wired back to the battery via an in line fuse. The stator/generator wiring under the tank will need to be extended, but all very straight forward. Ordered a new sidelamp holder/harness to replace the one I’d chopped into for the voltage display unit, which I’ll wire nearer the battery as BB suggested. The power poles will get relegated to the cupboard .

[b1k3rdude]

Nice, if you able some before and after pics :-)

[robbo]

Nice, if you able some before and after pics :-)

Yep, no worries.

[robbo]

Right, here we go. An update on my reg/rec saga. I went for an RR88 Mosfet reg/rec from Electrex World. The wiring loom plugs directly into the body of the reg/rec, which comes as a kit with the necessary plugs, crimps and seals. It's not really bike specific, but the mounting holes lined up perfectly with the Fazer bracket. However, the addition of the plugs make the body too long, so it had to be rotated through 90°. After making a cornflakes box template, it became evident that the reg/rec would need spacing away from the adaptor plate due to the shape of the Fazer bracket.
This done it was all quite straightforward. I used 14 gauge wire to extend the stator wiring, and after crimping and soldering the crimps, the colour coded plug was assembled after adding the neoprene weatherproof seals. I'd wanted to directly wire the output to the battery, so used 12 gauge twin for this, fitting a fuse holder in the positive, and soldered the ring crimps for the battery. The plug for this being put together the same as the plug from the stator.
I was quite generous with the length of wire used for extending the stator, so that if any "work" was required in the future, there'd be plenty of cable to play with.
The cheap voltage display, which although useful, was too much of a distraction, and will be replaced at the weekend, by a simple led set up, that monitors the battery performance when the engine is running or idle. This is made by a UK firm called Gammatronix and has twice been featured in Ride magazine. Although the breakers yard replacement reg/rec was working fine, at the end of the day it was sixteen years old, I think a brand new guaranteed item is more confidence inspiring.

[robbo]

The above pics are 1. What comes in the box.
                                   2.Fitted to the adaptor plate.
                                   3. On the bike.[size=78%] [/size]
[/size][size=78%]                                             4.Crimps soldered with seals in place.[/size]
[/size]
[/size][size=78%]One more, the rear of the assembled plug.[/size]

[Wyld Stallyns]

Apologies for resurrecting an old post but I thought it better to keep relevant information in the same place. It is common knowledge the FZS1000 charging is only just adequate, I've always found it lacking myself. In the last few months 3 mates had RR failures on their bikes, 2 VFRs and a BMW. Following their investigations I decided to upgrade the Fazer with a MOSFET regulator.


I took a slightly different but not as efficient route as Robbo. I sourced a used Shindengen FH012AA regulator from a 2008 R1. The going price for these is about £50. There are plenty of brand new chinese copies/replacement units available cheaper than this but if you do a bit of homework it becomes apparent they are generally pretty poor. (One of my mates had one fail after 2 weeks).


I didn't upgrade the wiring or run it directly back to the battery. The white connector under the tank was in very good condition so I left this in place. I could have made up a new loom from here to the reg. Instead, to save a few quid I cut the cable off the original regulator and fitted the new connectors required.


The hard bit was deciding how to physically mount the new reg. After a bit of head scratching I decided the best position was exactly where Robbo had put his. Thanks to the excellant photographs I made a bracket that looks just like his. I might have been able to move it 20mm further towards the front of the bike but it's fine where it is.


I bought the new connectors from eBay. There were cheaper ones but I went for some at £13 thinking they might have been better quality. I wouldn't recommend them, they didn't seem as good quality as OEM equipment. I suggest you buy these from a reputable wiring accessory supplier if you try this yourself.


I haven't done many miles yet but checks with the multimeter show better charging performance. Other posts on the forum suggest the alternator isn't man enough to power everyting at tickover, that seems to be a fair assessment to me. Hopefully putting more power back in the battery as the revs rise a bit will ensure there's enough charge left in the battery after every ride.


Thanks again Robbo!

[size=78%] [/size]

[unfazed]

I presume you all know, Shindengen is a Chinese company.

[fazerscotty]

To lower the electrical load I have fitted LED lights - made a massive difference.

[unfazed]

To lower the electrical load I have fitted LED lights - made a massive difference.

Same here and I replaced the White connector with Anderson powerpoles.
Plans are to do something similar with one of the connectors under the infill panel.
The original wring and connectors are fine, but when water especially salt water gets in and corrodes the connection and you get issues, unfortunately as corrosion travels back through the wires the strands become insulated from each other creating higher resistance in the wires reducing the current flow in the wires
Fitting MosFet Rectifier/Regulator helps and will improve battery life with it's faster internal switching plus it runs much cooler than the Shunt type, but it does not solve the underlying issue, Dielectric grease stops the corrosion, but doe not fix it and the only real solution is wire replacement, which is not the easy.