Tightwad
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Posts posted by Tightwad
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Wanted to update this thread. Got a new starter relay, didn't do a damn thing, and oddly enough my local dealer had a different part number for the 5th gen than Service Honda had on their site, at triple the price - WTF?! I picked it up anyway, since the XR had an issue with its relay so I was (over)confident that this woul help.
Anyway, still crappy voltage with a new battery, rr, stator and new starter relay. Tore the whole bike down again and cleaned every connector I could get to, this did lead to the problem(?) that none of the usual indicators, clock, tripometer, getting squirly when there was a charging problem. Since I had all new parts, and I'm too cheap to replace anything else, I made a VFRNess to bypass all of the stock electrics. Now I've got a acceptable 14.5V at the battery at 5k RPM, and the battery is holding a charge at 12.8V. My ride consists of a 30mi commute to work with a heated jacket liner and heated grips, and I've been ok all week. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that this will last until the VFR gives up the ghost being a DD.
Thanks for everyone who replied, hopefully someone else will find my experience useful.
Hmmm, copywrite infringement?
Glad you got it sorted...the VFRness is easy enough to make and it sure solves a lot of issues!
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I vote find a wrecker in your area and get one from there. Any 3 stator wire R/R would probably work (short term). You may (will) have to adapt your harness to work but that is fairly simple.
Keep in mind that the VFR generates quite a bit of power compared to many other bikes. Generally the bigger the bike you get the donor from the more likely it will be able to handle the load. Stay away from an R/R with a physical size smaller than the VFR.
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The VFRness doesn't connect to the Stator, so if you have a VFRness you won't have a stator connection. Your Stator connection appears to be OEM...3 .312 pins in parallel.
Your fix should be pretty good, just check that the grounds are done well.
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The issue I would have is that SH775 is only 35Amps....It has to be able to switch the potential load, not just the current (haha) load. I would prefer a 50Amp specced item.
What is the best source these days for an alternate Series RR? Compufire?
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Which Shindengen is a Series unit? Most I have seen are Shunt or MOSFET (still shunt, just more efficient)
SH775
And unlike the Electrosport, it really is a series type. I guess Polaris is using them.
Has anyone found a place to buy these? I haven't seen them for sale anywhere.
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I played around with meters like the advmonster....had it fail on me on a ride and freaked me out...thinking I was getting 21 volts! The face of the meter was kind of textured and made it harder to read in direct light
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Which Shindengen is a Series unit? Most I have seen are Shunt or MOSFET (still shunt, just more efficient)
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The face is waterproof and it is self-powered...best used with a relayed battery connection for the best readings. It has a gasket to seal it to the fairing...of course the back isn't waterproof but you could seal it if desired (never had an issue with mine)
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That is bizarre...factory wiring or did someone do some customization? It appears to be you could just remove it all and connect the grounds together....and have the same situation without the connector.
Is it possible someone grafted in the recall without removing the other wiring?
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I received my VFRness yesterday, and I put it in place last night. I have two issues:
1. there is no mention of what to do with the two OEM connectors or their associated wiring after install of the VFRness. What has everyone done? Removed all superfluous wiring? Taped over the connectors and left them in place?
2. because I have the superfluous wiring-and the VFRness wiring-i'm finding there is no room by the battery. Like, none. i'm going to have to spend some time figuring out how to adjust everything by the battery to get it to fit. what has everyone done for this issue?
and thanks for listening.
-mike
Is this on the 2003 bike listed in your profile? If so there shouldn't be any connectors not connected...only the 3rd/4th gen have that situation (pictures shown above).
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$49 is pretty cheap(don't forget shipping of course), the rectangle one is more expensive. I felt this was a good suggestion for those with older bikes that had round gauges...sort of fits in better. Datel meters have been the best I have found...only had 1 failure in 4 years of exposure to them.
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For those who prefer round gauges, Datel now makes a 1.2" round meter. Only available in Red at this time. I ordered one just to check it out, I like it! I might use mine on a PWC I am building.
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The R/R can't be reliably tested as a whole, you would have to test the individual components which is impossible after it has been potted. It is usually tested by process of elimination...if everything else is working then the R/R is the issue sort of thing.
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Never had a shunt type to fail, have had a OEM to fail.
OEM is shunt-type. And I've had two fail.
Ciao,
I'm def a series R/R convert and running the CF. My bike noticably runs cooler with it. - Agreed it was designed for Harleys and might have higher rev issues. But yet I have only heard of 2 of them eat it. Statistically that doesnt a trend make. Maybe after a longer period we'll get a better idea. (If you have heard of any more, chime in plz)
- Stirring the pot.... Have we heard of more than 2 Rick's R/R die? (I'm guessing yes)
---- More than 2 OEMs? See above ---- def yes or these threads wouldnt exist.
-- Shindengen FH020AA --- Havent heard of one yet.
Over the longer haul, when Shindengen finalizes their new Series R/Rs, those probly will be a top choice for replacement considering the company will have
to do a full validation before sale to a manufacturer.
GOOD POINT ...
I believe I have warrantied 2 Ricks MOSFET R/Rs. I think the issue is actually with the bike's grounds. Bad ground kills internal components in the R/R which often leads to external signs of failure at the next weakest spot, the stator connector. If you hardwire the stator connector you are just pushing the problem to the stator itself. Jon is right...the system as a whole needs to be maintained, starting with the grounds.
Spud is one of the few who hasn't had R/R failures. He also maintains his wiring quite well which prevents it. The MOSFET R/R (and the Series R/R) are both hardier and can do their job even without the best wiring....of course if a VFRness is installed the grounds have been increased and that often plays a role.
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Brad - I believe you have two portions of your stator tests reversed. You should get no continuity to ground and small resistance between pairings of yellow wires.
If voltage is too high, run the high beams. If voltage is too low, kill all extra accessories and 1 headlight (especially if you unplug the stator....)
Don't forget to verify that your voltmeter is reading correctly...had one go bad mid ride and I thought I was getting 21 volts....
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Usually it isn't the relay that is bad, just the connector that goes into it. You can generally save them by removing the connector and repairing the wires. A standard Honda 4 pin plug can be used, that is what is in the repair kit I sell.
This relay should work for you if you need it, not sure about international shipping
Here it is with a replacement plug:
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The problem with the 02, the stator plus the rotor was recalled and upgraded. there may be miss matches out there, meaning wrong stator with wrong rotor. There was a Kit that combined both.
As far as the Ad for RR f0r 2000 Plus, the 2000 and the 02 have completely differnt RR's.
This is NOT true, the 2000-2009 bikes ALL use the same R/R. They have the .325 sized stator terminals and a 6 wire connector (with 5 wires in it) R/R that has the monitor wire.
The charged battery is not the issue UNLESS it doesn't hold at least 12.6 after the first 2 starts post charging (starting takes off the surface charge).
Voltage dropping after a few minutes is fairly typical if the Stator has a short that is heat related (only happens when hot) but it also indicates an R/R that has an internal issue and also only works well cool. Changing both and inspecting/upgrading the wiring would be a good place to start.
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How did it start with no ground?
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I agree with Miguel, it sounds like a bad ground. What year is the bike?
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This will be my 4th year. The water has been quite warm in the past. This is also the latest we have done it...usually it's 1-2 weeks earlier. Hoping the water is warm, sure makes it nice to hang out in!
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Those who are interested can go to www.wetbike.net/forum for more info. There is no fee (other than state park fees) and everyone is pretty laid back.
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This is NOT a VFR ride but at least 3 of us attending ride VFRs. This is the National Rally for Wetbikes...the old watercraft from 1978-1992. We get a pretty good turnout (hoping for 35 machines this year). Riding a Wetbike is as close as you can get to riding a motorcycle on the water. They aren't fast (35MPH is typical top speed) but they handle just like a bike.
In addition to the Wetbikes, we also tend to get other eclectic machines...Surfjets, X-3, etc
We will be at Martins Landing from Wednesday to Sunday...Official days areThu-Sun, June 20-23rd. If anyone is in the area and wants to give one a shot, or just take a camping vacation, come join us!
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It sounds to me like your battery is too low and the solenoid is trying to engage the starter and the voltage is dropping too far. You can check the voltage drop while trying to start...it needs to stay above 8-9V for the starter to even turn correctly. I get the same sound out of mine when the battery is discharged.
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Weird...not sure why it isn't installed...may have been a late night build on my part.
Purple female goes to black male. With the locating tab facing upwards on the VFRness connector it should be Red/Green/Purple on the top row and Red/Green/NOTHING on the bottom row.
That wire is very important...it's your signal wire to the R/R
Electrickery Part One
in Electrical
Posted
Betting on the battery as well....possibly caused by the loose cable. Other possibility, if not the battery is your R/R connection...one yellow wire crispy might give the same results...