Magna Owners Of Texas

Please help with this poll, thanks.

It does not reach 90 Far here more than twice a year here, and then for only a brief period. I have a 2000 Magna with 35,000 miles (56,000 Km) on it. Works like a Swiss watch! I have a 95 Magna with only 4400 miles on it (US model, from Maryland). It needs the carbs cleaned, but other than that, she looks like new. Both are keepers. I like this forum alot; much great info, no BS!
Cheers!
Greg

Haven't had a failure but my battery sure goes dead alot in the summer when the cooling fan comes on alot.  it has been like that for at least 4 summers.  would a slow regulator failure cause that?

Go to Harbor Freight and pickup a digital multimeter.  Check the regulated voltage at the battery by bringing up the RPM's to 3,000 and it should read between 14 - 15.5V.  If it is less that its not charging the battery sufficiently.

Quote from: Dlcarrales on June 15, 2009, 11:18:16 PM
Go to Harbor Freight and pickup a digital multimeter.  Check the regulated voltage at the battery by bringing up the RPM's to 3,000 and it should read between 14 - 15.5V.  If it is less that its not charging the battery sufficiently.

The voice of experience speaks with authority.  The DVM's are dirt cheap (I paid less than $5 for one!)  Don't leave home without one.

Quote from: Dlcarrales on June 15, 2009, 11:18:16 PM
Go to Harbor Freight and pickup a digital multimeter.  Check the regulated voltage at the battery by bringing up the RPM's to 3,000 and it should read between 14 - 15.5V.  If it is less that its not charging the battery sufficiently.

I'm a computer / control geek.  Every toolbox has a multimeter in it.  :-D  I do get >15VDC at 3500 RPM. My batteries seem to slowly drain and during the summer when the fan comes on more, it drains faster.  When I go for more than a few days at a time I carry a solar trickle.  I've tried 3 batteries.

i'm not in the texas heat, but i wanted more of a 'reserve' in the bike battery. i noticed that i had a harder time trying to start in the heat and cold weather as well. i found a battery that just barely fits (it's 5/8" taller), has more CCA(260) and more AH(14)than the stock battery. I've been using it all season so far and works fine. It even seems to crank over faster now as well. I got my battery with free shipping at this place below. It is made by Yuasa in the states, but rebranded under another label. It is also a AGM style battery and maintenance free.  $89 and free shipping. I ordered that and a battery tender and they were here within a few days.
http://www.batterystuff.com/batteries/motorcycle/YTX14H-BS.html

My "No" vote is on a 1st Gen.

Quote from: drkngas on June 16, 2009, 07:31:24 PM

Quote from: Dlcarrales on June 15, 2009, 11:18:16 PM
Go to Harbor Freight and pickup a digital multimeter.  Check the regulated voltage at the battery by bringing up the RPM's to 3,000 and it should read between 14 - 15.5V.  If it is less that its not charging the battery sufficiently.

I'm a computer / control geek.  Every toolbox has a multimeter in it.  :-D  I do get >15VDC at 3500 RPM. My batteries seem to slowly drain and during the summer when the fan comes on more, it drains faster.  When I go for more than a few days at a time I carry a solar trickle.  I've tried 3 batteries.

I hate electrical problems.

Am I thinking right. Can you disconnect the postive terminal on the battery, connect the red lead to the battery and the black lead to the disconnected positive battery cable and with the key in the off position, check the VOM in the Amperes mode to see if any current is flowing out of the battery when it is not supposed to???  

Quote:
I hate electrical problems.

Am I thinking right. Can you disconnect the postive terminal on the battery, connect the red lead to the battery and the black lead to the disconnected positive battery cable and with the key in the off position, check the VOM in the Amperes mode to see if any current is flowing out of the battery when it is not supposed to???

Hmmm.....I have to think on that one....

to check amps that's what you would do. you have to 'disconnect' the circuit and get in between what you want to test. so disconnecting one lead of the battery and placing the meter lead on the battery and the other on the end of whatever cable you took off the battery and have your meter set in amps will show you an amp reading. the problem comes into play how much can your meter handle.. if you want to check current draw (see if any circuits are active) when the key is off, this would be fine. to check and see how many amps your alternator is putting back to the battery may blow the fuse in your meter. my fluke meter only goes to 10 amps. the magna will put out over 30 at times. make sure your meter can handle whatever it is you are trying to check before attempting.

Quote from: chadschloss78 on June 24, 2009, 08:46:17 AM
to check amps that's what you would do. you have to 'disconnect' the circuit and get in between what you want to test. so disconnecting one lead of the battery and placing the meter lead on the battery and the other on the end of whatever cable you took off the battery and have your meter set in amps will show you an amp reading. the problem comes into play how much can your meter handle.. if you want to check current draw (see if any circuits are active) when the key is off, this would be fine. to check and see how many amps your alternator is putting back to the battery may blow the fuse in your meter. my fluke meter only goes to 10 amps. the magna will put out over 30 at times. make sure your meter can handle whatever it is you are trying to check before attempting.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. With the key off, there should be no ampereage draw indicated on the meter (all systems off). If there is an indication of current flowing, you are grounded somewhere in the system and are drawing the battery down when the bike is supposedly off and parked.

  i got my 98 magna in november 08 with 15k miles on it. around march or so i rode it about 60 miles nonstop and it quit firing on all four cylinders for a few seconds but it came back into it. I figured i just flooded it and brushed it aside. in april i rode about 40 miles with a group of people and they told me my headlight was dim when we stopped at a light. i checked it out later that night after i'd let it sit for a few hours and it was fine, didnt think much of it.

It did the firing problem to me a few times since then so i changed the plugs before i headed down to the dragon last week. oh man.

We headed out no problems it ran really good. way faster than any other bikes with us. Well we stopped at a gas station a few hours into the trip on the first day and i went to turn the bike on, nothing. completely dead, the lights on the gauges wouldnt even light up. i rode my friends bike over to wal mart and just grabbed a new battery and i figured that was that. id never checked the battery before maybe it was just time for a new one.
  8 batteries later ive come to the conclusion that my regulator is bad. i did manage to make it through the dragon just fine. it was boiling them over until they went dead. i used my wal mart receipt to keep getting new ones for free.  8-)

that should fix every problem my bike has had though :D

Indian, welcome to the site!

Can you post your regulator here, keeping a post of the particulars.

http://www.magnaownersoftexas.com/forums/index.php?topic=2622.0

Also can you add in your signature your name and location, thanks.

What part of Indiana are you from?

Im halfway between indianapolis and cincinnati

Gotcha added Matty, thanks.

Quote from: IndianaMatt on June 25, 2009, 08:11:03 PM
Im halfway between indianapolis and cincinnati

Yes, but where specifically.

I was born in Corydon (Harrison County) and spent 21 of my years there.

My whole family is still there.

greensburg indiana an hour southeast of indianapolis

Not yet; 35K miles. It's "cool" here in Nova Scotia, and been wet for the last 3 weeks = no riding, but Thursday - Sunday is supposed to be good.

QuoteNot yet; 35K miles. It's "cool" here in Nova Scotia, and been wet for the last 3 weeks = no riding, but Thursday - Sunday is supposed to be good.

Ive spent some time up there in Nova Scotia.
Kentville, Scots Bay, Blackrock, Halifax a few others

Waking up this old thread...... I noticed that my Kuryakyn LED battery gauge that I installed during the summer is showing one LED up on the voltage while riding in cooler weather last week.  That might go along with this poll as to when regulators fail. I'm thinking that if I get a warmer day to ride anytime soon I might cruise for a while with the side cover off to see if maybe a relocation is all I need.   

I think the relocation will help keep heat (one of the killers in my mind) more in check.. 

For those that were working on this project, any progress on a relocation kit?

I can't help but suspect that heat is the killer menacing Magna regulators. The lights burn full-time, so there's no way to reduce the daytime load by turning them off. The regulator is located behind the rear cylinders, which, according to what I've read, tend to get significantly hotter than the fronts, even with the liquid cooling. It's also located in the middle of four hot exhaust pipes that radiate infrared energy whenever the engine is running. When caught in traffic on a hot day, with no cooling air passing over the heat-sink on the regulator, or carrying away the air heated by the engine and pipes, the last straw is thrown on, by the radiator cooling fan kicking on. Thus the charging system is under close to maximum load (assuming your high-beam, turn-signals and brake-light are off) at the same time that cooling air to the regulator is at a minimum. It's really no wonder these things fail.

I really wish I had the option of turning off my lights in the daytime.

I think the ideal spot to relocate the regulator, would be under the headlight. My '95 Magna Deluxe has a hole in the headlight bracket (actually the upper fairing stay) that I think would be a perfect mounting-point (The mini-fairing is missing on my bike.)
The hardest part would be getting the two sets of plugs needed to make up an extension harness.

There is extensive discussion of this topic on another thread.

http://www.magnaownersoftexas.com/forums/index.php?topic=2167.0

Schematic diagrams of the shunt regulator imply, and my "while riding" summertime temperature tests support, that changing the load does not affect the temperature of the device by a measurable amount.

Both Jim Tindall and I have relocated our regulators aft of the right side cover, strapped to the frame.  One needs to unwrap the harness a bit, but the plugs will reach to this area, so new plugs are not required. 

Charles Otwell suggested, and I confirmed, that sun load on externally mounted regulator/rectifiers was an issue.  In fact, my tests showed that, in worst case conditions, (sitting still with the sun bearing directly on the unit) the temperatures reached were similar to those reached at the original location under the battery box.

It is not clear whether the failures are driven by a sharp temperature peak, causing thermal runaway in the circuitry, or by prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures.  If it is the former, then moving the unit outside the bike into the sunlight may not help much.  If it is the latter, it should help.

In any case, I have left my regulator/rectifier at the relocated position on my first '96, and haven't yet decided what to do about the second '96 I recently purchased.

Quote from: lragan on November 09, 2009, 09:31:51 AM
Charles Otwell suggested, and I confirmed, that sun load on externally mounted regulator/rectifiers was an issue.  In fact, my tests showed that, in worst case conditions, (sitting still with the sun bearing directly on the unit) the temperatures reached were similar to those reached at the original location under the battery box.

Hey, you can always strap a Fu Fu Drink Tiki Umbrella over the regulator to keep the sun off!!!  :lol:

I sometimes wonder if other motorcycles share this problem. We have very few problems with the Magnas and it may be that the reason for it notoriety is because of it's really  pain in the a__  place to get to to change. Kind of like the infamous stator on certain Goldwings, no more likely to go out but if they did the engine had to be pulled and the case taken apart to get to. As y'all remember my R/R failed but did not boil the battery, but just quit charging. I (being the cheapskate that you all know) replaced it with a used R/R from an old 450 Honda Rebel, I also added two 55 watt driving lights which my wife runs night and day with no problems, for what is going on close to two years now. What brought this failure problem to our attention was a rash of failures reported in a short time span and what (as I mentioned before) a pain it was to get to to change. I have always thought electrical components haveing a high rate of failure was somewhat normal. It seams, at least in my lifetime, that starters, alternators, batteries, voltage regulators, headlights, turn signals, you get my drift, have always been high on the replacement parts least with any kind of vehicle. These are just my thoughts, besides this has got to be one of the longest thread topics We've ever had and I didn't want to be left out  8)

Charles, I wish there was a larger data set from which to judge the severity of the problem, what other MC makes have the problem, etc. 

I noted before that there are already a number of aftermarket parts available, but it appears from what I have read that they are "Chinese copies", so to speak, of Honda's original design.  In general, they do not appear to have a better reliability record than OEM parts, in fact some data exists to indicate just the opposite.

I am just foolish or arrogant enough to believe, after some reading, that I could design a module, using components now available, that would generate less heat and have nearly zero failure rate.  It is not a simple design problem, would require considerable effort and some money on my part, and of course, might not achieve the performance that I project.  I am quite willing to assume these risks if the market is large enough, but I don't have the data to estimate the market size.  If any of you know of a large database that contains this information, I would very much like to access it.

Seems that would be hard info to come by. Would I buy one (improved version) IF mine went out again, probably if the price were about the same. Would I buy one before mine went out again? honestly probably not. Wonder if anyone know the failure rate of R/R between extreme heat and extreme cold. Have we ever established a difference in that failure rate between Deep South heat and Northern cold? I'll bet Batteries take a bigger hit up North. Batteries are little less expensive and easier to get to, but in the long run I'll bet are a bigger expense than the R/R's.

Just replaced the RR on my 96.  I had installed a Kuryakyn voltage meter a few weeks back and noticed that it didn't appear to react as you would expect (voltage would actually decrease with higher rpm) and that it would drop out of the charging range after a bit of stop and go riding.  I originally thought it might be the stator but further testing proved that it appeared to be working properly so I ordered a replacement RR (SHINDENGEN # SH538D-13) from RegulatorRectifier.com.  The old unit appeared to be the original (have only had the bike since August), it's the one on the bottom in the photo.  The new one came in a "Tour Max" box with "Made in Japan" on the side and after peeling off the Tour Max sticker on the RR, the part number matched the OE unit.  $122 to my door.  If this one lasts as long as the original, I really can't complain.  Bike has lived its life in the Northeast so no real extreme temperatures.  I'm pretty happy about the way it choose to fail and the fact that I put the voltmeter on the bike ... sure beats getting stranded. 

[attachment deleted by admin]

Thanks, LIMagna.  Good to know where to find these units -- and at a rational price...

No problem Lawrence.  If it wasn't for the info I found here on these forums, I would not have known to look for the OE equivalent part.  BTW, here's the direct link to the Shindengen part for anyone looking ... they seem to have several aftermarket parts on their site that work:

http://www.regulatorrectifier.com/catalog/1997-2000-Honda-VF750C2-VF-750C2-Magna-Deluxe-Regulator-Rectifie

I bought this bike with a bad R/R and it was over-charging and boiling the battery. That's one of the reasons I got a good deal on it, I don't think the PO had any idea what was wrong with it. I replaced the R/R with a OEM Honda part, replaced the battery and haven't had any further problems with the charging system yet.

Quote from: whisperer on September 23, 2010, 06:03:00 AM
I bought this bike with a bad R/R and it was over-charging and boiling the battery. That's one of the reasons I got a good deal on it, I don't think the PO had any idea what was wrong with it. I replaced the R/R with a OEM Honda part, replaced the battery and haven't had any further problems with the charging system yet.

That is great that you fixed it. 

Not my first bike but the first bike I bought for myself I got real cheap because he could not keep it running.  I replace the main jet and it ran like a bat out of hell after that.

My RR went out the second time in about 2 years. During the hot part of the summer. I have read little ways through the Thread. I am not quite sure what is going on.

Problem Battery boiling and a lovely Sulfur smell. Yay!

Any ideas what to do besides change the RR and Battery Again?

I guess you would say MY RR WANTS to show how powerful it can be not how it can die.

This time no fuses pooped so I guess that is good.

Kyle, there are two failure modes on these units.  It is called a regulator/rectifier, because (duhh) it has both functions.  If the rectifier function fails, it just doesn't charge and the battery runs down.  If, however, the regulator function fails, it continues to charge, but for all it is worth -- cooking the battery.  This appears to be the failure you have suffered.

It seems that you have no choice but to replace the regulator/rectifier and the battery. 

Get the relocation kit or some other device to cool your regulator to eliminate this from happening again.

I was noticing the relocation of the RR on a couple of bikes. Is it a kit? and where do you get it? Or can I do it myself?

$35 + $5 for shipping, let me know if interested.  I can ship ya one.

Here's an interesting thought from the Magna Riders Forum, that suggests that a bad battery can cause the R/R to fail.  Any thoughts??

http://forums.delphiforums.com/MagnaRider/messages/?start=Start+Reading+%3E%3E

Hey Guys,

Long time no post, I never followed up with my R/R failure
http://www.magnaownersoftexas.com/forums/index.php?topic=2622.msg34495#msg34495

After buying a used R/R from a salvage lot off of a another Honda a 250 something i think, the used R/R had the same wiring as the Magna one anyways.

I decided to relocate it to a more ventilated position, I ended up extending the wires on the R/R by cutting the wires off of the burntout R/R and using them to extend the ones on the used R/R.

I ended up relocating the R/R to in between the rear wheel and the exhaust using the upper exhaust mounting bolt. That was back in July of 2009 and no problems since.


I'll post pics when I get home from work today. Ok so it wasn't the day I said I would post them but here they are.

Before anyone says anything I know... I forgot the Seafoam.

A fellow MOOT'ster has designed and built a custom bracket for putting the RR in that location.  It has so far worked great!

Regulator failed today after about 4 years with a used R/R, so moving it seemed to dramatically improve its lifespan.

Regulator O/C failure

78,000 km (only 16k km since the last one) but I only ride in the hot summer months

I'm looking into possible buy a better after-market higher current output R/R for the magna.

My 3rd regulator has failed... One leg blown (undercharging)
Aftermarket, probably has at least 60K on it and 5 years old...
Buying a ElectroSport via Amazon for about $75 shipped...

Arrived today... Did not know that it was made in China  :-(
Couldn't they put a little longer wires on it, really... How much would it cost?
It would be fine for the stock position, but I have mine on the side...

I'm new to the forum and first time Magna owner and love it.  Have a 1996 Honda Magna Pure Red.  When I got the bike I noticed the R/R wires (yellow side) where burnt in half.  I replaced the R/R and kept popping my 30a main fuse.  After a couple hours of frustration and metering all the connections on the bike I couldn't find the problem.  Then it hit me and I checked the main wiring on the new R/R and found they miss pinned the hots and grounds.  After repining the harness she took the fuse and its been happy trails since.  So all you out there going to change it out and have the same problem maybe this will keep you from those hours of frustration lol.  Funny story had to share.

Quote from: ripster31 on April 07, 2013, 03:49:10 PM
I'm new to the forum and first time Magna owner and love it.  Have a 1996 Honda Magna Pure Red.  When I got the bike I noticed the R/R wires (yellow side) where burnt in half.  I replaced the R/R and kept popping my 30a main fuse.  After a couple hours of frustration and metering all the connections on the bike I couldn't find the problem.  Then it hit me and I checked the main wiring on the new R/R and found they miss pinned the hots and grounds.  After repining the harness she took the fuse and its been happy trails since.  So all you out there going to change it out and have the same problem maybe this will keep you from those hours of frustration lol.  Funny story had to share.

Welcome to the forum from Tampa Bay, Floriduh...
Thanx for the advice...

Welcome and thanks for the excellent first post with helpful info. 

Well, I finally had a failure on a Regulator/Rectifier.  Riding home from Ft. Davis last September with SkyRide, the bike had trouble starting at the first stop.  Rick is a great pusher, but we finally put in a new battery.  His voltmeter showed that the old battery charged (some) but certainly did not attain the classic 14V.  Stopped at Wal-Mart, bought a new battery, poured the acid in it, and rode it home.  Rides through the winter were short, and the motor started fine, since I keep the bike on a battery maintenance charger.  

In preparation for a four day ride next week, I took the bike out for a shakedown ride, and sure enough, at the first stop, it would not start.  I had ridden most of the way behind a slow truck, engine running at maybe 2000 to 2500 rpm, with my headlight on bright and my high visibility riding lights on, so was not sure.  Fortunately, there was a hill handy for me to coast down and pop the clutch.  When I got home the battery was steady at 11.5 volts, no change when revved up.

I bought an aftermarket R/R through e-bay, paid $30 including shipping.  Claimed it fit 3rd gen Magnas.  Came in two days, with the wrong gender connector for the three wires from the stator.  Manufacturer responded immediately to my message, and offered to refund my $, and send me a shipping label so it would cost me nothing.  They did not have a unit of the other gender, and I did not need to delay further fixing the problem, so I cut the connector off the dead unit and spliced it to theirs.  It works just fine.  I relocated it to the right rear, and did not mount it under the battery case.

I got out an oscilloscope to look at the ripple waveform across the battery, thinking that perhaps one of the three legs was not feeding from the stator.  Some pretty wild looking waveforms, but the ripple was not missing any "humps" -- but the frequency was way too high by my calculation.  I checked my other bike, with the OEM R/R on it, and see the same thing.  Puzzled, I looked up in the manual replacing the stator, and, much to my surprise, see that it has 18 poles -- meaning six per phase.  So the frequency should be, at 3000 rpm 3000rpm/60 secs per minute = 50 revs per second.  Multiply by 18 poles, yields 900 Hz at 3000 rpm -- which is what it measures.

The other thing I observed, on both bikes, is that with my dual 55 watt running lights on, and the headlight on high beam, the system is just barely in regulation at 3000 rpm -- meaning that I am taking about all it will give.

I have ordered a backup R/R that claims MOS devices for less dissipation.  The photos show the correct gender on the three wire connector.  The MOS devices are only used, I believe, for the shunt regulator devices, so the dissipation at full output will not change much from the OEM design.  At lower output, the dissipation should be substantially less than the OEM part.

The aftermarket devices are amazingly low price.  I found some for $16, although the shipping was not free and would up this somewhat.  Most have the wrong gender three wire connector.   Unless I post again on this topic, assume they are working reliably.  The cases are quite similar, and the mounting holes are the same.  A few years ago, I considered designing a lower dissipation unit using MOS devices and serving this market.  Boy am I glad I did not do that!  Even manufacturing in China, the profit margin on these units has to be paper thin.

So I am in the market for LED running lights.  Not interested in paying a fortune for them.  The ones I have seen listed are all much larger than the little cheap ones I bought from Wal-Mart -- $15 at the time, still available for less than $20.  Anyone running white LEDs in the front for higher visibility?

I run clear lenses on mine so I have amber.

Thanks for the write-up Lawrence.

Update on aftermarket R/R experience:

The $30 unit, modified with the correct gender 3-wire connector, kept my battery adequately charged for the trip to Leakey and environs.  I had noticed when I installed the unit that it only went to 13.8V at high RPM, when I expected 14.5 or so.  When I plugged in the maintenance charger after arriving home, it showed charging.   The same design charger on the other bike showed charged.  Hmmmm...

The $42 unit arrived a day or so ago, and today I tried it out.  Simply unplugged the $30 unit I had installed, plugged in the new one, and left it sitting on the battery to test.  The first thing I noticed is that the voltage started coming up at 2000 rpm.  Wow, that's different!  Usually takes about 3000 to wake it up.  And at 3000 rpm, it generated 14.6 volts.  To be sure, I plugged in the installed unit, and it only charged to 13.8 volts.  So, naturally, I exchanged the $30 unit for the $42 one -- that also has the correct gender connector out of the box.

The cases are not identical, but the hole spacing is the same on both, so the exchange took less than five minutes, by removing two bolts (recall that I built a bracket to mount it behind the right side panel). 

I put the inferior unit in my saddle bag.  It could get me home if need be.

The better unit: http://www.ebay.com/itm/181322267904?item=181322267904&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME:L:OU:US:1120&vxp=mtr

The cheaper one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/360757066998?item=360757066998&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME:L:OU:US:1120&vxp=mtr

Regulator, from China... what could go wong with that?   :lol:

They are all from China, or other Asian nations, including the $125 OEM units.

Replaced my second RR over the weekend.  I sort of knew it was going for quite a while but since it was still doing a good enough job to keep the battery charged and the weather has been just stellar this summer, I've been procrastinating the replacement up until Saturday, when I saw no green lights on my battery gauge and ended up needing a jump to get the bike home.  Fortunately, I had ordered a replacement setup a few weeks back from Jack at http://www.roadstercycle.com/ (http://www.roadstercycle.com/).  I went with his Mosfet upgrade kit and since the regulator supplied is a bit larger than our stock units (mostly because of the plugs on one end), I fashioned a bracket from a piece of aluminum plate in order to relocate the RR to approximately the same location that has been discussed here on the forums in the past.  I used a pair of automotive hose clamps to secure the bracket to the frame and as you can see in the photo, it tucks it nicely out of the way.  The setup connects directly to the battery and requires cutting the stator wires and splicing in a new connector.  All in all, a fairly straight forward install.  Bottom line is that the voltage now appears to be extremely stable across the entire rpm range.  Even at an idle I see a reasonable charging voltage (~14.7V) from the system.  So far I'm very satisfied with the update.  

Charlie - Interesting looking set-up.. If mine ever goes out again, I'm going to try to remember to look up this post!

Hello everyone. I'm new here so thanks for all the good info. Just started riding again after a bad wreck a few years back and I'm loving it. Bought a V45 last year and just bought a V30 Baby Magna a few months ago. Stored in a barn for ten years and covered with chicken poop but only 10k miles. I'm having a blast getting it back on the road. Handles great on the mountain roads around here.

Riding so much on mountain roads where there's no cell service, I freaked reading so much about RRs frying batts and leaving people stranded. Prob won't help but I installed a panel meter volt/ammeter with shunt on the V30 to monitor charging voltage and run the charging tests in the Clymer manual when I gas up, which is way too often. I'm sure this has been tried before so if anyone has any feedback on its usefulness I'd appreciate hearing from you.

Quote from: rrodscott on January 25, 2017, 01:30:51 PM
Riding so much on mountain roads where there's no cell service, I freaked reading so much about RRs frying batts and leaving people stranded. Prob won't help but I installed a panel meter volt/ammeter with shunt on the V30 to monitor charging voltage and run the charging tests in the Clymer manual when I gas up, which is way too often. I'm sure this has been tried before so if anyone has any feedback on its usefulness I'd appreciate hearing from you.

I've had a couple of Gen III bikes
I've been through at least 3 and maybe 4 regulators..
I added a volt meter between the gauges.. I feel much more comfortable now, constantly knowing what's going on with the regulator..
Wouldn't be without it again on a Gen III

Most of the time I carry a spare regulator with me.

Quote from: TLRam1 on January 26, 2017, 03:57:37 PM
Most of the time I carry a spare regulator with me.

As do I

Did you do the modification to move it on the side of the bank and if yes have you lost another regulator since you did this?

David, I have two '96 Magnas, and the one that suffered the failure had not been modified.  I did modify it after the failure, and have not experienced a failure of a unit remounted to the side where they run cooler in almost all scenarios.

What I have yet to do is install voltmeters to monitor the health of the charging systems.  There always seems to be more pressing issues around my place...

I replaced the regulator on my 99 several years back and left it in the same place. I have not had to replace it since then.

As soon as I read about the way in which RRs generally fail by increasing voltage so that light flashed etc. i installed a small panel meter displaying voltage and amperage and a shunt. The meter allows me to essentially run the RR tests described in the FSM. I also ditched the analog temp meter and installed a digital version that allows precise monitoring of coolant temp as well as the trip points of the fan switch. I also installed an orange LED that activates when the fan switch is activated and a fan switch override switch in case of fan switch failure. It's like the difference in instrumentation between an old biplane and something modern. These are great old bikes but not to embrace the technological advances that can make them more fun to ride and less of a worry seems misdirected.

Give us the low down, what temp is the coolant at?

Quote from: lragan on January 26, 2017, 04:43:08 PM

Quote from: TLRam1 on January 26, 2017, 03:57:37 PM
Most of the time I carry a spare regulator with me.

As do I

Hello my friend.  I don't carry a spare regulator or CDI unit since I've went with the series R&R and I'm currently running a UK CDI unit I had made from the track guys with updated electronics. Of course my bikes are 30 years old so this is the first mods I did to all my Supers.  I run a plug and play unit in my 87 and a programmable unit in my 88's.  Shunt regulators produce more heat where as series doesn't.  Of course I'm not riding in the heat some of you may be riding in but I'm no too easy on the Supers and never have had any issues.  Ran it directly to the battery and stator wires.  I cut out the harness for the in-line regulator originally on the bikes. JMO

A. Mathers