Apparent Regulator Failures

[lragan]

Yes, you can use a "Fluke"  multi-meter (they make a great product), I have a radio shack (Because I'm "frugal")
My High Beam gets the most workout for me.. I use it during the day time which is my commute almost everyday. I've never actually lost a bulb on the Magna, but have replaced it a couple of times trying to get better / brighter light, which has improved since I replaced my R/R...
BTW, I lost a headlight (both low/High beam) on a moonless night, up on a 50' levy on a twisty narrow 2 lane road in Sacramento, with farm fields on one side and a river on the other going about 60 one night... Hence the reason I have my extra light on my Magna, affectionately known as my "Levy Light" see photo about 12 post back...

So, hoot, did you get wet??

[TLRam1]

He's looking for his Magna in the River, thought he could walk on water.

[hootmon]

Actually, this was before the 1st Magna..  Now I'm showing my age... It was a '76 Honda 750. I didn't get wet or dirty (Except between my legs )... I got the bike slowed down and ran about 5-8 miles an hour using just the marker light glow as my guide.. After about 10 minutes (which seemed a lot longer) a car came up behind me, I let him pass and then I followed close behind him until I got to a more populated area.
I'll throw this one in for free... A friend suggests (20+ years later), You could have stopped and took a screw driver out of your tool bag and removed the yellow cover from the marker lights and it would have been much brighter... So if you do not have a levy light, and this ever happens to you.. My suggestion, (beside ALWAYS carry a flashlight!!!) to remove your lens covers...

[roboto65]

Very good idea!!! So is carrying a spare bulb..  Oh excuse me LEVY LIGHT LOL

[L J VFR]

Pre-2000 VFRs sometimes suffer from an overheated regulator/rectifier, a $100 part. While the replacement part is an improvement over the original, it has become commonplace for owners to buy a $10 CPU fan and glue it onto the rectifier. Spliced into the tail-light bulb wire, it provides extra cooling to protect the sensitive electronic unit.
This is a direct quote from  the vfr files.  This makes me wonder when they changed the design in 2000 according to their quote, if they changed the one in the magna as well??  Just some info I stumbled upon..

[lragan]

More data...

After I lost one of my side panels to dumb thumbs, I took the other one off so it wouldn't be blown off.  (I am waiting on a new panel to arrive...)  As I rode in this condition, I noticed the calves of my legs getting very warm -- so much so that I really wished I had some highway pegs!!

So that made me wonder -- will the R/R run cooler without the side panels?

Well, today I reran the prior experiment (posted on page 4 of this thread) without side panels.  And the results are:


                                                 With Side Panels          Without Side Panels
Before startup                                             29C         25C
After 3 min at 3000 rpm or less                   57C         41C
Riding at 55 mph in 5th gear stabilizes at     66C         59C
Turned on 100 watts  lights -- stabilizes at     65C         58C
When I slowed down to street traffic speed    73C         61C
Parked  -- just stopped                                   76C         61C
After 3 minutes or so -- returned to bike -     57C         41C

W/C Temperature rise from ambient           47C         36C

So riding without side panels could mean a 10C difference in maximum temperature or a 5C difference in average  temperature.  Not that many folks are going to want to do that, but if you are concerned on a hot day that you might smoke your R/R, you might leave the side panels at home. 

(Sorry for the snaky columns.  This deal is definitely not WYSIWYG!!
      

[hootmon]

Lawrence -
I wish I knew the difference since my R/R move...

[L J VFR]

Hootman, how did you mount that??   Detailed instructions please!!!

[hootmon]

I cut out a piece of aluminum in the shape of the R/R with a extra amount at the bottom (a little like the shape of Nevada).
I Installed a longer Exhaust mount bolt with a nut against the inside of the mount plate and another nut, then the plate, then another nut.. This allows to space the plate near the fender.
I drilled an additional hole in the Exhaust mount plate (a little further back) and did the same nut set up...
I was replacing my R/R anywayz due to R/R failure. The replacement had cable leads twice the length of my previous R/R (Not stock). If it had not been longer, it would be possible to peel back the wires out of the harness running along the cross bar, behind the battery, to get to the new location...
I painted the plate with Heat paint and put Heat Sink compound between the plate and the R/R.
I still need to put some Electrical tape around the wires coming out of the R/R to hide some of the bold colors of the wires.
I will say it still gets pretty warm to the touch, but has to be a little cooler than it's stock location...
Let me know if I confused you anywhere or if you need any additional info.. To me it seemed to be a better option than adding a non-waterproof PC fan...

[L J VFR]

Thanks..     and  I like it..  Doesn't look too bad either..  Any takers on re-routing  like this.. I might just do it come winter time..  Thanks for the write-up.

[lragan]

I agree, Hoot, this is a better solution than a fan.  Thanks for posting this.

Could you please post a picture with the side panel in place?  I am having a problem visualizing this installation.  If you ever have to disassemble this for any reason, please capture some pix of the plate, bolts, etc.

[hootmon]

See if these pictures help...
The top of the plate (which is not clearly shown) is exactly the size of the R/R
Behind the plate, there is about a 1/4" between the nut that hold the R/R to the plate toward the rear and the fender, more space on the front nut.





For a picture with the side cover installed, check out page 10 of this Subject then click on the picture for an enlarged view.

[lragan]

See if these pictures help...
The top of the plate (which is not clearly shown) is exactly the size of the R/R
Behind the plate, there is about a 1/4" between the nut that hold the R/R to the plate toward the rear and the fender, more space on the front nut.

For a picture with the side cover installed, check out page 10 of this Subject then click on the picture for an enlarged view.

The latest pictures are much clearer -- thanks much.  I now understand what you have done (I think).  This is probably going to be the optimum solution -- get the fins out into the slipstream, and tie the back to the frame.

How thick is the plate you mounted the R/R on?

If I understand correctly, the R/R is flat against the plate with a silicone heat transfer gel of some sort, and the nuts you refer to hold the plate away from the frame.  Is this correct?

If you can reach down while riding and touch the fins without having to remove your finger, the temperature is no more than 50C.  I can keep my fingers on 50C metal for maybe a minute.  At 55C, I will pull off in a few seconds at most.

[hootmon]

 I wouldn't say the regulator is in the "slipstream", it is behind my leg, then the side cover, so it doesn't get a 50 MPH blast of air, but whatever air it does get is also not as preheated as the original location, but still some heat coming off the cylinders I'm sure.

I think it was 1/8" Aluminum... I'd check the receipt, but the place gave me the piece for free after cutting it for me!!!

The large plate mounting bolts are connected to the exhaust mount.
The nuts I spoke about with fender clearances are the two nuts that hold the R/R to the plate.
The multiple nuts on the larger plate holding bolts are used so that the distance from the fender can be adjusted.

By your scale (Highly scientific, I'm sure) I'd say it is running 52C which still sounds better than your number without side panels. Per the Website, this R/R is supposed to produce 8% more power over stock and I measured output at a full 15VDC above 3K RPM, so if it is still running cooler than your test, I'd say I'm pleased with the result. 

[lragan]

Thanks for the explanation.  Sorry my skull is so thick!!

You probably said earlier, but since you are using an aftermarket R/R now, I presume your OEM R/R failed?  Did it just quit, or did it wreck your battery with over-voltage? 

Also what year model is your pretty third gen?