Member Contributer BrittC Posted March 12, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted March 12, 2008 Having just bought my immaculate 2001 VFR, I would rather be proactive and avoid any future problems down the road by addressing them now. I of course have read about the many RR failures experienced by other members of the forum, however I have done a lot of reading and have not been able to find any posts from a 2001 owner who has had their RR overheat and fail. I see a lot of RR failures with 98 and 99 models, but did the problem get better with the last year of the 5th gen? If not, should I plan on changing the RR in advance? It is worth it to add a good CPU fan to it now to help control the temp? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer AvalonRacing Posted March 12, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted March 12, 2008 Actually, I have the same question. So can someone who knows the answer get back to us? Thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum CEO HispanicSlammer Posted March 12, 2008 Forum CEO Share Posted March 12, 2008 After 100k miles on my 5th gen and a couple of RR issues I can say carrieing a spare/keeping one in storeage is prudent if you want to ride alot. Its just the nature of the beast. Advance warning of issues is probably the best defence - which is why I use an onboard voltmeter, I can monitor the status by watching a little LED voltmeter I purchased from signal dynamics. It glows green if the voltage is good, blinks if its too high and changes to yellow and red if the voltage drops too low. A RR will give you advanced warning in the form of inconsistant voltage before it fails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtlecreek Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 havent we come to the conclusion (i have) that it is the overvoltage issue/wire harness/sensor wire issue that causes the rr to fail by over loading the unit. i think if you have fixed the sensor wire and the harness, the rr issue may go away :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Motor_Ref Posted March 12, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted March 12, 2008 havent we come to the conclusion (i have) that it is the overvoltage issue/wire harness/sensor wire issue that causes the rr to fail by over loading the unit. i think if you have fixed the sensor wire and the harness, the rr issue may go away :blink: That may well be the solution. There have been multiple articles on this subject. But as HS says, having the voltmeter allows continuous monitoring. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechdziner714 Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Not everyone has had issues, as one would think by reactions I've seen. I've only got 35K on my 98, but no issues yet. I do plan to fix the harness issues & get a spare RR. The wiring on 01-02 is slightly different from the 98-99, but I dont know if failure rates are all that different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BrittC Posted March 13, 2008 Author Member Contributer Share Posted March 13, 2008 Thanks for the replies folks. I am not going to worry about it but I will keep my eyes open for a cheap spare RR and keep it on hand as a little insurance if the need arises... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tightwad Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 The 2000-2001 uses an R/R that is different from the 98-99, it has the Sensor wire Turtlecreek mentioned. I would install a voltmeter for sure...nice to get warning of a problem before you find yourself stranded....a new R/R won't charge your dead battery and start your bike. Problems seem to be hit and miss. The biggest issue seems to be lack of current path....wires too small and poor grounds. Look into the threads that detail the fixes....they may save you later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dude Posted March 25, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2008 The 2000-2001 uses an R/R that is different from the 98-99, it has the Sensor wire Turtlecreek mentioned. I would install a voltmeter for sure...nice to get warning of a problem before you find yourself stranded....a new R/R won't charge your dead battery and start your bike.Problems seem to be hit and miss. The biggest issue seems to be lack of current path....wires too small and poor grounds. Look into the threads that detail the fixes....they may save you later. :idea3: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 I see a lot of RR failures with 98 and 99 models, but did the problem get better with the last year of the 5th gen? If not, should I plan on changing the RR in advance? It is worth it to add a good CPU fan to it now to help control the temp? From what I've read over the years on this forum and on the VFR Email List, the 2000 & 2001 are probably less suspectible to R/R failures than prior years because of the redesigned R/Rs that came with them. Having said that, I'll admit that I bought a new R/R for my 2000 as a spare to carry along with me on trips. I know of several folks (with 1998 and prior year Viffers) that have had problems. I'm probably just being paranoid but the last thing I want to do is to get stuck somewhere because of an electrical problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Thanks for the replies folks. I am not going to worry about it but I will keep my eyes open for a cheap spare RR and keep it on hand as a little insurance if the need arises... Britt, I have not had a problem with my '01 R/R. But, I have to agree with the suggestion of a voltmeter. I installed one because I had the same worries as you. At the least, it let's you know what is going on. The voltmeter let me know when the battery was shot. And, it let's me know what the farkles are doing to the voltage. Somehow, it made more sense to me to install a voltmeter to see the current state of affairs (no pun intended) than to carry a spare R/R in the worst case that I'd have a glowing melt under my left cheek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer xenocide Posted March 25, 2008 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2008 I'm one of those people that prepares for the worst and in this case for next to nothing you can reduce your chances of regulator failure or for a small investement you can almost certainly eliminate the issue. On my last two VFR's I've simply zip-tied an old PC fan to my regulator rectifier and tied it into the rear-brake light wiring so it turns on when I turn the key. That gives me peace of mind that even when I'm stopped there is always air flowing over the regulator. For the cost of some pieces of wire there are some good threads on how to improve your grounds and power cables to reduce the risk of the regulator failing. If you are like me and just purchased a pristine 5th gen (I just got a nice '99 a couple weeks ago) and don't want to hack into the wiring you can get the vfrness from http://www.wiremybike.com/ (Tightwad; is that you? I saw your signature . . .) and fix the wiring deficiencies relatively cheaply without splicing wires. Just adding the fan can give you some piece of mind but replacing the wiring should really take care of the issue and if you opt to do it youself it's very cheap. If you don't have an old PC sitting around ebay can provide you with a fan very cheaply. Just my $.02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 But, I have to agree with the suggestion of a voltmeter. Yeah, forgot to mention I've done this as well on my last two VFRs. Here's a page I put up on my website that disusses the installation: http://www.hal-pc.org/~mmcham/vfr_electrical_farkles1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AB-Oz Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 RR failures oh oh, yes it will fail now that you've typed that, quick get a new one right now!! :o But seriously, its a furphy that a certain model/year has R/r problems, just some bikes do and some dont. I have 85k km on my 99 with no probs from the R/R, but ?i do keep an eye on what its doing via a volt meter, and the fact that I seem to have the fairings off every couple of months - I have this disease you see, its called VFRModitus, can't stop with the modifications So i get to check the R/R connections and wires for signs of burnouts etc. So the bottom line is pay attention to some maintenance of the wires and connections on the R/R, and you should be ok. It doesn't take much to remove the rear fariing on the 5th Gen "Klingon" to have a lookie at the R/R. - 4 bulbs holder to twist and 4 bolts to remove... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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