Member Contributer jeffyjeff Posted October 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 18, 2014 Today, after 40,029 miles of reliable service, my Rick's Hotshot Regulator/Rectifier crapped out. Specifically, two of rectifier diodes failed. A knowledgable friend suggested replacing it with a Yamaha R1 regulator/rectifier. I seem to recall reading that the R1 unit is more robust than the Honda, maybe it has a better rectifier, or maybe the cooling fins are larger...don't remember. Anyone have an R1 R/R on their VFR, or know anybody who does?? Is it stock or aftermarket? Can it be expected to outlast a stock VFR part? I need to order a new R/R soon. I ride every day. Thanks. Jeff J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mello dude Posted October 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 18, 2014 Today, after 40,029 miles of reliable service, my Rick's Hotshot Regulator/Rectifier crapped out. Specifically, two of rectifier diodes failed. A knowledgable friend suggested replacing it with a Yamaha R1 regulator/rectifier. I seem to recall reading that the R1 unit is more robust than the Honda, maybe it has a better rectifier, or maybe the cooling fins are larger...don't remember. Anyone have an R1 R/R on their VFR, or know anybody who does?? Is it stock or aftermarket? Can it be expected to outlast a stock VFR part? I need to order a new R/R soon. I ride every day. Thanks. Jeff J. You are refering to the Shindengen FH020AA R/R, the current art MOSFET style. Get it at www.roadstercycle.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted October 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 18, 2014 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 I think the real problem, is if the present RR on the particular bike has a Heat issue, not all of them do, that's why the 5th gens were so bad about eating RR's , they were mounted in an area with poor airflow, which just worsened the issue, and eventually the heat killed the diodes and the voltages went all flakey. Ive never ventured to alternate RR's cause Ive never had one fail, or had any heat issue. My original VFR RR is still in the bike ,and never has it given me reason to change as of yet. But I have a question, is the R1 RR a direct fit (mounting holes and all wiring) or a slice and dice job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Marsman99 Posted October 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 18, 2014 Went this route on my Gen4. Went through 3 OEM R/R's in 60k miles, including the upgraded OEM version. When it too died, I replaced it with the R1 R/R and the wiring kit from Eastern Beaver (makes it a snap) and have gone another 60k+ miles and not one issue since. Install was very easy. One bolt hole lined up and used the OEM fastener, the other had to be drilled into the mount plate. A slightly longer bolt and a nylock nut...it took 5 minutes. Not sure the other Gen's will be as simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted October 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 18, 2014 I came across this thread on the Superhawk forum: http://www.superhawkforum.com/forums/knowledge-base-40/mosfet-regulator-rectifiers-why-how-25117/ The author does not state his credentials - but takes a good cut at explaining how a standard thyristor R/R works (what many of us are used to having crap out on us) and the more robust style MOSFET R/R that mello dude recommends above. I found post #2 (where he talks about heat and why it causes an R/R to fail and the behavior it exhibits when it does) and also post #6, (what it does to various types of batteries when it does fail) the most interesting. He also describes how to tell one from the other by part # prefix. I'm now starting to understand more why my OEM R/R gives me a steady 14.6v at start up and then as the ride progresses it starts bouncing around quite a bit. It also makes me realize that carrying a spare on long trips is a good idea. Over the winter I may just swap out my OEM for the FH020AA and be done with it. For those that want to satisfy their inner geek :blush2:, here are a couple of articles on how thyristors and MOSFETs work. Thyristor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyristor Check out "Comparison to other devices" and "Failure modes" about 1/2 way down the page. MOSFETs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_MOSFET What's really puzzling is why the OEM's are still sticking consumers with crappy R/R's. They must be 1. saving some cash and 2. figuring most bikes will never see enough miles for them to fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted October 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 18, 2014 I got an R1 r/r from eBay and the connectors from Eastern Beaver several years ago and it's going along fine! I'd suggest the Roadster Cycles just cause it's all in one place and folks have caught on that the r/r is valuable and they don't go for cheap used anymore. Plus he's got an adapter plate you can use to mount in the stock location. Probably best way to wire it is to run the + output from the r/r direct to the battery through a 30a fuse and the - is grounded directly to the frame. Just ignore the stock wiring. The three a/c input from the stator can be in any order into the connector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFRMille Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 I'm running the '04-'06 Yamaha R1 regulator, FH011AA on both the VFR & Blackbird. I have two of the newer versions but haven't needed them yet. The FH011AA unit has serious fins on it compared to previous & newer units, which I believe contribute to it's longevity. I also hard-wired the stator connections to eliminate the plug on both bikes. Used push on spade connectors for a while until I got the Eastern Beaver plug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer jeffyjeff Posted October 19, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted October 19, 2014 Thanks, guys, for your comments and tips. Today I ordered an FH020 from roadstercycle.com. Hope it outlasts the Ricks, which is advertised to be a MOSFET R/R as well. In Sept. 2011, when I installed the Rick's R/R, I wired redundant AWG 12 positive direct to the battery, and ground to the frame, with a redundant AWG 10 from the negative to the same ground point. Up until last Monday, I thought I had fixed my charging system problems for good. I was riding to work at 0545AM, just off the high rise of the San Mateo Bridge west bound...the engine just lost all power, instantly dead. I fumbled with the kill switch with no results. Pulled in the clutch lever, engine died and all lights went out. Reengaged the clutch and motored to the shoulder (in 6th gear) to regain lights. Got a tow home. Found the 30A main fuse blown and replaced it. Engine fired right up, but now...no charge. Followed the Electrosport troubleshooting tree to determine the R/R was bad due to the aforementioned rectifier diode failure. Hope the roadstercycle R/R outlasts the Ricks, and that this is the end of charging problems for this bike. It has 108168 miles on it and still runs great. My 98 VFR remains my favorite bike of all time. Thanks again. Jeff J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted October 19, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 19, 2014 If you've got 108,xxx on your 5th gen, it would be great to see some photos of it. We love high mileage threads! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer jeffyjeff Posted October 19, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted October 19, 2014 Thanks for asking. These pix were taken last June. This was just about the time of the Wentworth Springs ride, the bike had 102000 miles on it at that time. I would like to hit 120K by next summer. I picked up the bike for $2300 in June, 2010. It had 58000 miles on it at the time, and came with a list of upgrades as long as my arm. I think the previous owner just got tired of trying to fix a charging system that was prone to meltdown. I ripped out his "upgrades" and basically wired it back to stock, except for the redundant power and ground wires and the Ricks Hotshot R/R. Replaced the OE stator at 68000 miles, and that's been it for electrical work, up until now. Jeff J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted October 19, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 19, 2014 Looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer jeffyjeff Posted October 31, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted October 31, 2014 Well I have about 500 miles on the FH020 now. So far so good. I notice that it runs a lot cooler than before. So cool that after a 30 mile ride, I can put my hand right on it. The whole inside of the rear cowl seems to be cooler. Hope it works long term. Jeff J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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