Member Contributer mk2davis Posted March 25, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2012 Just wanted to take a moment to share my experience today. I ordered a R/R from RMStator on ebay. I received it quickly. Put it on today, drove away happy as a clam, and walked my bike home after she quit on me in my neighborhood. Battery was DEAD. I'm going to contact the company, and I'll keep everyone informed of what happens. I consider myself lucky being so close to home when disaster struck. I do have a voltage meter on the way so this wont happen again. A very wise man once advised me to only buy Honda for my Honda. Should've listened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer realistdreamer Posted March 25, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2012 Everybody who has these bikes seems to have these sorts of issues at some point. The best advice I've gotten to date is to troubleshoot using the following http://www.electrosport.com/technical-resources/library/diagnosis/pdf/fault-finding-diagram.pdf Do the test on a cold and hot engine. Your stator could kill you R/R and the other way around. Replacing one component can mask the problem for awhile, but it will come back and possibly after killing another component. I'm biting the bullet and replacing both, but not necessary if the troubleshooting doesn't suggest it. Your R/R could be fine and your stator not sending enough juice or it could have killed your new R/R or the new R/R could be junk. Do the troubleshooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mello dude Posted March 25, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2012 IMHO -- Ebay is the last place you want to buy an R/R... On such vital part, you need to know that you are getting a quality product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer kaldek Posted March 25, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2012 A very wise man once advised me to only buy Honda for my Honda. Should've listened. They're all made by Shindengen, even the Honda ones. The Shindengen FH012AA (MOSFET) is commonly considered the best upgrade. Here's a kit you can buy: http://www.ebay.com....#ht_1521wt_1163 P.S. Nothing wrong with eBay. It's essentially become a digital storefront rather than an auction house now anyway. Just make sure you check the returns policy and the seller's rating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mello dude Posted March 25, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2012 ^^^ That is a good kit --- ok - I take that back - you need to know what you are buying ebay or not. (Any more I prefer to buy new stuff direct from a vendor site, and just peruse Ebay to scrap for used parts.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mk2davis Posted March 25, 2012 Author Member Contributer Share Posted March 25, 2012 I should have stated that at this point I have no reason to suspect the original R/R is bad. I was just looking to upgrade and "play it safe". I still have the original one, so that is back on. That kit looks nice. I probably won't do much until my inline voltmeter comes in. Its raining anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mk2davis Posted March 28, 2012 Author Member Contributer Share Posted March 28, 2012 It's official. The aftermarket RR was not good. I finally got time to do some testing. With a fully charged battery (12.8v), I got roughly 13.4v at idle and 14.4 at 5k with the stock RR. With the new RR, 12v at both idle and 5k. I don't know why voltage dropped .8v when the bike was running, I'm guessing the voltage regulation was set too low? No matter, its going back.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Here's a good way to test your R/R: Wear your electric gloves in cool weather, wired to the battery. When your hands go up and down in temperature, you will know something is off. Then, when your headlight goes bright and dim and your hands get instantly blistered from heat surges, then it is time for a new R/R... and some ointment... and maybe some band aids. Nothing like communing with your VFR and its ill-fated R/R like this... man and bike experiencing it together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 the electrosport diode test is quick and easy to. just need a multimeter http://www.electrosport.com/technical-resources/library/diagnosis/pdf/diode-testing-guide.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer kgsmotorcycles Posted April 10, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted April 10, 2012 Can i add as an ex employee of Honda who used to do the checks, the reason you go for Honda is because of the quality control firstly. After every 100 units used by Honda from Shingden, next one gets tested by Honda for operational tolerance levels set to Honda specs. I suggest the cheapies are not checked every 1000 if at all for anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mk2davis Posted April 10, 2012 Author Member Contributer Share Posted April 10, 2012 I agree, but $266 at my local friendly dealer is a big pill for me to swallow. I wired in a digital voltmeter in where the clock is on the european vfr's. I looks pretty trick, but sometimes hard to see depending on where that pesky ball of fire is in the sky is. RM Stator is going to refund me, and I bought a Rick's and received the wrong year (different connectors). I don't want to mod the incorrect RR because I know the right one is available, so now I'm waiting for that company to get back to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mello dude Posted April 11, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted April 11, 2012 Can i add as an ex employee of Honda who used to do the checks, the reason you go for Honda is because of the quality control firstly. After every 100 units used by Honda from Shingden, next one gets tested by Honda for operational tolerance levels set to Honda specs. I suggest the cheapies are not checked every 1000 if at all for anything Just a comment from an automotive engineering view. -- Generally, quality control definition is that the product meets requirements(reliability) and specs. So who sets the specs? The customer of course, in this case Honda. As a curious engineer foole, I wonder what those are. -- I can relate that much of the time, the customer is looking for minimum requirements and specs, to squek out as low a cost as they can. That's business. Usually the engineer doesnt get to decide much on the specs. So the supplier engineering manager goes to his product engineer(me) and tells him what he has to meet and how much money he is allowed to put into the product. Many times the response from the engineer is "I got to do what?" The requirements and specs are something the engineer doesnt want to sign up for in the first place, and the money allowed to put into the part really isnt adequate to do a good job. I'm not saying that follows through on the R/Rs here. Maybe it does, maybe it doesnt. In reality there may only be a 5 - 10% fallout, that show up here.But still that is fairly high. Its seems somewhere in the system of product development, something was overlooked, with today's manufacturing world that part failures are measured in parts per million. Otherwise this wouldnt be such a continuing hot topic and Tightwad wouldnt be in business. As for the "cheapies", I dont think you can throw all of them into the same basket, some are better than others, and there is no way to know who does or doesnt check what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer rangemaster Posted April 11, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted April 11, 2012 Don't forget, even the Space Shuttle was built by the lowest bidder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mello dude Posted April 11, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted April 11, 2012 Don't forget, even the Space Shuttle was built by the lowest bidder. Good point, ---and we all know what happened on the occasion with lowballed o-rings on a rocket booster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted April 11, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted April 11, 2012 the electrosport diode test is quick and easy to. just need a multimeter http://www.electrosp...sting-guide.pdf You test this with engine running yes? (yep, I'm a electrical noob) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted April 11, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted April 11, 2012 Don't forget, even the Space Shuttle was built by the lowest bidder. Good point, ---and we all know what happened on the occasion with lowballed o-rings on a rocket booster. Hindsight is 20/20.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 the electrosport diode test is quick and easy to. just need a multimeter http://www.electrosp...sting-guide.pdf You test this with engine running yes? (yep, I'm a electrical noob) no you remove the r/r and sit in front of the TV and do it (this is the best kind of bike work) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRad704 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 the electrosport diode test is quick and easy to. just need a multimeter http://www.electrosp...sting-guide.pdf You test this with engine running yes? (yep, I'm a electrical noob) no you remove the r/r and sit in front of the TV and do it (this is the best kind of bike work) Almost a 1 year revival, but don't laugh at Dutchy for being an elec newb... I'm in the SAME boat today and I feel SO clueless... I think I have a voltmeter at the shop, so I can do some trouble shooting later tonight. Question though... I put in new battery and rode 10 minutes home from where I was stranded. Should/Can I connect the bike to my car via jumper cables to help recharge the battery? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resin Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 I experienced a similar problem with my regulator last summer. I check it's output, battery fully charged with a multimeter. My output was 11.4. I purchased a new Electrosport regulator, then I tested my newly installed regulator. I got 14.4 volts, nine months later my new regulator went south, @ 11.6, I return my bad Electrosport regulator, and I got a new one @ no charge. The new unit checked out fine, but shortly afterwards, my battery took a dump, so I bought a new battery. I will be installing a small voltmeter in my charging system. Hopefully in the future I'll get a warnings signal before something fails to the point were I won't become strained. My local independent bike shop warrantied my regulator for a year, so by me purchasing my regulator from my local dealer, and not E-bay proved to be a wise decision! It was good for me, and good to help support my local bike merchant! Note: Check your regulator with engine running @ idle & operating speed for proper output. The bottom line is, I had no idea of my bike's past battery or regulator history, since I've only owned my 95 VFR for 1.5 years, so now I have a fresh battery, good regulator, and soon I'll install my voltmeter. It's not installed, because I bought a real neat tiny unit, but somehow I've managed to misplace it before I got it installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 I believe NASA was warned not to launch if the ambient temp was below 32degrees. Temp at launch was below 32. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mucksna Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Any suggestions on Voltmeters which would look neat!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mello dude Posted April 21, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 21, 2013 Any suggestions on Voltmeters which would look neat!? Here's a great thread on voltmeter ideas.... http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/70384-post-your-voltmeter-mount-pics/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted April 21, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 21, 2013 It's official. The aftermarket RR was not good. I finally got time to do some testing. With a fully charged battery (12.8v), I got roughly 13.4v at idle and 14.4 at 5k with the stock RR. With the new RR, 12v at both idle and 5k. I don't know why voltage dropped .8v when the bike was running, I'm guessing the voltage regulation was set too low? No matter, its going back.. A little disappointed this was going to be my next solution if I had another R\R failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mk2davis Posted April 22, 2013 Author Member Contributer Share Posted April 22, 2013 It's official. The aftermarket RR was not good. I finally got time to do some testing. With a fully charged battery (12.8v), I got roughly 13.4v at idle and 14.4 at 5k with the stock RR. With the new RR, 12v at both idle and 5k. I don't know why voltage dropped .8v when the bike was running, I'm guessing the voltage regulation was set too low? No matter, its going back.. A little disappointed this was going to be my next solution if I had another R\R failure. An update, I have had a new Rick's R/R for the last year and a couple of weeks. Wouldn't you know it, I started to see the voltage steadily and slowly drop from what was a steady 13.6 at 5k rpm to 13.2. Out with the Rick's, in the OEM. Voltage did pick up again, but to be on the safe side I have ordered a VFRness and will then get another R/R from somewhere. I'd rather not get a Ricks as I think they should last longer than a year, but Electrosuk (or whatever their name is) just isn't an option. Maybe a second OEM, I'm not sure. I'm keen on switching these about two weeks apart to verify the benefits of each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V4 Rosso Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Question though... I put in new battery and rode 10 minutes home from where I was stranded. Should/Can I connect the bike to my car via jumper cables to help recharge the battery?With the car engine running you'll charge the battery with too much current. With the engine not running the car battery's voltage is too low to charge the bike's battery. You'd better get a battery tender (not a simple charger) for your VFR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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