Regulator Modification

[Jamtndll]

I finished my regulator/rectifier modification this morning.  It took me about an hour.
Materials i used:
one 2" metal strap, found in the gate hinge section of the local hardware store.
one 13 mm bolt, 2 1/4 " long with washers, lock washer, and nut.
one 11 mm bolt 1 1/4 " long with washer, lock washer, and nut.
I also purchased a 11 mm bolt 1 3/4 inches long, a rubber spacer along with a washer and acorn nut if I decide to drill through the fender and come through regulator for extra support. 
$2.15 for all

Here are the steps that I did.

1. Remove seat
2. Remove battery
3. Remove side covers
4. Remove regulator from position under the battery case by removing 2 nuts.
5. Grind the end of the metal strap to fit inside the fins on the regulator.
6. Drill hole for bolt to go through, one 13 mm the other 11 mm.
7. Remove the exhaust mounting bolt
8. Attach the 11 mm 1 1/4" bolt to the regulator with the wires coming out of the top of the regulator.
9. Place the 13 mm bolt through the exhaust mount.
10. Feed rugulator connectors up through frame towards battery box.
11. Place bracket over back of exhaust mount bolt and tighten down.
12. Loosen the snap that holds the connectors next to the battery box. 
13. Bring connectors behind the battery box and connect to the regulator.
14. Make sure all connections are tight and then replace battery.
15. Start bike and check functions, if everything seems fine put seat back on.

Here are some pics.
http://s471.photobucket.com/albums/rr80/MOOT-Photos/Regulator%20Mod/

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[L J VFR]

Very nice Jim, great work!!   Now you got me a thinkin....

[lragan]

Good move, Jim.  Very well documented.

I have mine torn down for repair.  Think I will do this mod.  (You made it look easy!)

Where did you buy the metric bolts & nuts?

[Jamtndll]

At our local hardware store here in van

[Jamtndll]

Would it hurt anything if I took it off and painted it and the bracket black?

[lragan]

Would it hurt anything if I took it off and painted it and the bracket black?

Great question!

First, painting the bracket black can only help.  Not much, but a little bit.

As for the heat sink, it is, I believe, anodized aluminum.  The coating is pretty much optimized for heat transfer to ambient air.  The difference in emissivity between flat black paint and the dark grey of the heat sink is probably insignificant.  The paint will provide a thin insulating layer, but probably not enough to make a significant difference.

If you paint it, be sure to use a flat black (non-glossy) paint.  There is some made for painting barbecue grills which stands up to high temperature very well, you might try that.  Use as thin a layer as you can to get the appearance you want.

Since you have moved the unit into a cooler environment, I believe the benefits of the move far outweigh the possibly ill effect of any paint you could put on it.

If you want it black, then paint it black.

[L J VFR]

Here, Here!!

[Dlcarrales]

Looks great, maybe I can find some time this weekend to do the same.  Thanks for a great how to presentation.

[IndianaMatt]

i was thinking about moving it somewhere else myself or putting fins by the sidecovers to blow air in

[Greg Cothern]

Just so you folks know, several of us are working together to create a relocation kit for you 3rd gen Magna's. 

It not only will relocate your reg/rec to allow more air and keep it alive longer but will also help pay for MOOTMag in the future, we hope.....

[Jamtndll]

Just finished up the painting.  I just put one light coat over the reg.  Bracket and bolts took off and painted them seperately.
Here are before and after pics.

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[roboto65]

Very good job !!!!

[TLRam1]

Really blends in well Jim, looks like you went ahead and fastened it to the fender.

[Jamtndll]

Nope just put in a fake bolt and nut so I would not have a hole showing

[lragan]

I haven't painted mine yet, but I built a different mount that does not require drilling the fender.  Used 1/8" X 3/4" flat aluminum -- also used for the mounting strap to the muffler bolt.  Bent the end of the eight inch piece around a 1 inch mandrel before installing on the frame.  Clamped the mount together with vice grips while I drilled it on the frame -- with the mount clamped so it was horizontal, to facilitate drilling.  Then moved it to its final position and tightened the bolt/nut/lockwasher.

When re-wrapping the wiring harness, I began to wonder about one of the components behind the battery box.  I could not find it in the shop manual, but perhaps I just didn't reckognize it in the drawings.  Does anyone know its function??

When I get the bike back together, which should be in the next few days, I intend to repeat the measurements I made last summer of heat sink temperature (while riding) to quantify the benefits of re-location to this point.

For others who may be contemplating this modification, a few hints:

1) Removing the chain cover (two bolts requiring an 8mm wrench) greatly simplifies access to the left side mounting nut for removal of same.
2) It is only necessary to unwrap the wiring harness back to the mysterious box or the relay next to it in order for the wires to reach.  It is not difficult -- the harness is simply wrapped in black plastic electrician's tape.
3) In removing the connectors, one can access the connector latches from the top with a flat blade screwdriver to allow unplugging the R/R unit.
4) The wire harness retainers can be unlocked with a screwdriver under the locking flap on the top.  They relock by simply squeezing them back together.  Unlocking them and taking the wiring harness out simplifies modifying the harness.

I like the black look.  I plan to paint at least the mounting hardware black.  Of course, Jim has a black fender and side panel.  Perhaps I should paint mine blue...

Just kidding!!


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