Dead R/R Again!!

[robxxxx]

Took the bike out for pretty much the first time this year. Only rode into town to grab a few bits. On the way home noticed the rev counter doing odd things then stopped working. Few minutes later the speedo decides to give up. Stopped the bike a few hundred yards from home, bad move! Battery pretty much dead.
A quick check this morning and it looks like the R/R is fooked. This will be my third now to fail. Last time I replaced the stator and R/R from Electrex, so not cheap. Just about to go and check the alternator now.
I think this bike is cursed, at least the charging system is.

[chairhead]

Check both 30 amp fuses,in fact replace them with new,that should cost pence

then check the battery terminals are/were tight,how old is the battery? and

has it been charged whilst its been sat idle?,i know you've probably done all this

but i had the same happen to me and a quick check of the fuse in the first

place would have saved me a couple hundred quid.

[robxxxx]

I pulled all the fuses to start with, they all looked OK, but I will replace them. The battery is about a year and a half old I think. Yes it has been on a trickle charge for most of the cold stuff. I will buy a new one to be safe though.
I'm more concerned about the regularity of the failure.

[Bixxer Bob]

Also, pull apart the three-spade connector from the stator to the reg/rec (yellow wires). Crud = high resistance / low volts = reg rec / stator fail.

Saved mine just in time when looking for cause of drop in charge voltage while riding.  Cleaned up connectors and everything is back to normal.

[robxxxx]

They've hardly had time to even dull Bob! Out of curiosity, has anyone set a record for the amount of RR's they have replaced. I'm up to 3 now, anyone care to up the bid to cheer me up.
I also notice on the Electrex site that they now list two versions of the reg.

 http://www.electrexworld.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss000001.pl?page=search&SS=triumph+tiger&ACTION=Search&PR=-1&TB=A

Anyone know the difference? The email I had back from them said.......

"Both work the same but the RR99 is the most similar in appearance to the original."

......I think I could have told em that!

[metalguru]

Do you have similar AC volts from the 3 phase wires?
Also is the Earth connections good electrically as opposed to physically?
Have you done the wiring mod?

[robxxxx]

Do you have similar AC volts from the 3 phase wires?
Also is the Earth connections good electrically as opposed to physically?
Have you done the wiring mod?

Voltage out of the alternator is good and no shorts to earth. Other than the battery earth, I don't really know which other earth points I should be checking.  Once I have a new reg I will do the wiring mod. Other than improved voltage rates, does this reduce the likely hood of future problems?

[metalguru]

Do you have similar AC volts from the 3 phase wires?
Also is the Earth connections good electrically as opposed to physically?
Have you done the wiring mod?

 Other than improved voltage rates, does this reduce the likely hood of future problems?

There is the how long is the string question.

Years ago (1990) I bought a HD superglide 1340 FXR and from year 1 as I only rode it in the summer as it wasn't my main transport, it used to use a RR once a year at start up time.

Then when I tuned the thing to within an inch of its life it used to use a battery a season. which at the time I thought, fair enough the compression was a tad high.

This was starting to be a big PITA not to mention the annual cost. Then out came the Optimate so I used to remove the battery at the end of the silly season, stick it on the Optimate and leave it, rather than just trickle charging once when I remembered.
The strange thing now, was the battery and RR lasted up untill I sold the bike which was 10yrs!!

The RR for HDs is also of the Mosphet type, even had one catch fire once, which was amusing trying stop the engine, run round the w/shop trying to find someting to cut the wires with!

I can recommend that if the bike is not to be used for more than a month is to disconnect and/or remove the battery. Cannot see the ecu being affected, only need the alarm to be in service mode, the bleeping does stop eventually.

BTW sold the HD after it covered me in boiling hot oil for the second time, the cost of ceramic coated pistons was also getting silly, so gave up the unequal struggle trying to make the thing go and handle reasonably well.

[Advwannabe]

Rob,

When I replaced my stator and R/R with a stator and mosphet R/R fomr Ricks electrics the weak link in the new system was the connector between the stator wires and the R/R. As soon as I started loading circuits up the connector heated up and I lost voltage.

It might be worth checking this connector before you replace the R/R again

[HockleyBoy]

Rob,

When I replaced my stator and R/R with a stator and mosphet R/R fomr Ricks electrics the weak link in the new system was the connector between the stator wires and the R/R. As soon as I started loading circuits up the connector heated up and I lost voltage.

It might be worth checking this connector before you replace the R/R again

Just had the same problem, connector melted and left me with just one wire conncected, god knows how it was still running. Have just cut off the the old one and replaced with some crap Halford's connectors whilst I await the delivery of a decent replacement connector.

[TigerTrax]

I think I'd do a couple of things....
larger wire & connectors.

Put a volt meter on your instrument panel.

Are you running your 'accessories' thru relays?

Are your wire connections soldered?

Have you done the 'alternator re-wire' shown on this site?

Finally... I'd take it back to Electrex and see if they can tell you what's going on.

[robxxxx]

RR has turned up. Fuse holder purchased. Just a few spade terminals and I should be sorted this weekend, work permitting.
I'm still unsure about fitting a voltage display. My concern is that I am just going to end up looking at the damn thing all the time and getting paranoid.
We're just starting to plan for Europe later this year, and the last thing I want to be doing is staring at a voltage display for most of the trip.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss, but only when it's backed up by full RAC cover.

[GARYSTIGER955i]

They've hardly had time to even dull Bob! Out of curiosity, has anyone set a record for the amount of RR's they have replaced. I'm up to 3 now, anyone care to up the bid to cheer me up.
I also notice on the Electrex site that they now list two versions of the reg.

 http://www.electrexworld.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss000001.pl?page=search&SS=triumph+tiger&ACTION=Search&PR=-1&TB=A

Anyone know the difference? The email I had back from them said.......

"Both work the same but the RR99 is the most similar in appearance to the original."

......I think I could have told em that!

Yes Rob I can beat that in the 11 years ive owned the bike.. I'm on my 4th RR and 3rd Stator. 1st after the original was the RR53? 2nd RR99 and now another RR99.
I bought a  upgraded RR99 mosfet which packed up in 7 months and Ive just replaced it under warranty with another RR99 (by the way the RR99 is not a shunt RR) after replacing the charging system was ok until recently and the charging system was ok until I put a load onto the circuit, so tested G75 stator and found all 3 phases going to ground, so replaced with another G75 stator from Electrexworld now all ok .. As I am in the trade, I do get Trade price so not as expensive to me..

The difference between the RR99 and 99H is the additional wiring loom the 99H has additional wiring Link, but they are both Mosfet type RR's

[robxxxx]

Well its done. I wasn't happy with the way I did the rewire on Sunday. Looked a bit of a pigs ear. So I found a 4pin socket to plug into the regulator output plug and now looks nice and tidy.
Here's a few figures.

12.73. Engine/Ignition off
12.04. Ignition on/Lights on/Engine off
13.50 Cold Idle
12.90-13.00 Warm Idle
12.50. Warm Idle/Fan on
14.14. @4k RPM

Don't look too bad to me, but what do you all think?
I did not get any reading's with the new reg in standard wiring set-up, might give that a go over Easter weekend to satisfy my curiosity.

Gary, that's not a bad total then. But you have had the bike 11 years. I've only had my Tiger for about four years.

[HockleyBoy]

Well its done. I wasn't happy with the way I did the rewire on Sunday. Looked a bit of a pigs ear. So I found a 4pin socket to plug into the regulator output plug and now looks nice and tidy.
Here's a few figures.

12.73. Engine/Ignition off
12.04. Ignition on/Lights on/Engine off
13.50 Cold Idle
12.90-13.00 Warm Idle
12.50. Warm Idle/Fan on
14.14. @4k RPM

Don't look too bad to me, but what do you all think?
I did not get any reading's with the new reg in standard wiring set-up, might give that a go over Easter weekend to satisfy my curiosity.

Gary, that's not a bad total then. But you have had the bike 11 years. I've only had my Tiger for about four years.

Readings look almost identical to mine (with voltage fix done), the only thing I notice is that when cruising at a steady speed, say 60mph, the voltmeter constantly jumps between 13.8 and 14.1. Would that be fairly normal, a sign of problems or just a crappy cheap volmeter? And ideas?