The saha continues...Chinese eBay R/R

I have no idea how many rec/regs I have fitted over the years, cheap ones, expensive ones, failure rate I figure probably leans a bit to the cheap ones but not by a lot. Must admit I fitted a cheap one one day and within 5 mins the smoke came out of it, fitted another one and all was fine

 

Some of the problem is where the R/Rs are located. Way back an electronics guy from OZ on the original VRFR forum wired in a 12v muffin fan for a fix on the VFRFs c 1990-93. This is not to say that the R/Rs weren't shit.

Hoping that Honda Inc. is going to do anything aboot this is or even hint at acknowledging that a problem exists is about like me buying a Harley.

 

I did this on my 94 and knocked 30-40 Celsius off the operating temp of the reg/rect. Well worth it for 15 mins and no cost. I used a socket 478 genuine Intel fan. Still working 1200 km later.

 

Or you just move it outboard so it can get some airflow over it, but a 30/40 degree reduction is massive and it is heat that kills most of these things. I would think that if Leewdag had fitted a fan or moved it into the airflow the gooey stuff wouldn't have got hot enough to melt

 

If the memory banks are operating right, I think the engineer from OZ wired the R/R into the tail light circuit.

His fix was published aboot 20 years ago.

Any thoughts from anyone on using high heat O rings as standoffs or even "washers" made from silicone cookware?

 

Right you are now, but the question is WTF did ya do 30 years ago when the OEM crap started crapping oot?

Another question for the bean counters is how many of any year VFRs have been sold world wide and how many OEM R/Rs have been sold in the same time period..?

Let us join hands sing Kumbiah, and crunch some numbers..

 

Mine is wired to taillight circuit also.

 

Proving once again that great minds think alike or follow directions well.

 

Sweet - Honda should have them fixed by the end of the week, then!

 

Definitely got the idea from the aussie guy on the web whom published his temperature findings with heat transfer compound and fan.

 

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/46666-Reg-Rectifier-in-Rockville-MD

The conclusion of that saga was to get the best R/R unit available. {roadstercycle.com}
Chinese suppliers are guilty of trying to sell faulty SD chips on eBay. They are kings of phony merchandise of all kinds. If you're alright about slave labor…. If you beat the odds of 'designed to fail' goods, you still might want to consider what a R/R going bad can cost, beyond the R/R itself:
ignition control module, battery, fuses, every light bulb, (45/45w headlight bulbs are $30 each), speed sensor, fuel tank sending unit, entire instrument panel.
When I bought the FH020AA I got it with the wiring kit. That R/R has two plugs. One is for the stator wires. The other one goes straight back the the battery with a 30A fuse. The wiring on the FH020AA is a heavier gauge than VFR stator wiring.
Personally, I can't consider adding the equivalent of an electronic hand grenade to my '97.
Cheers,
Bill

 

You have to remember Honda fitted hand grenades to these bikes, if they didn't we wouldn't be having this conversation, fit a volt meter on the bike and you can keep a constant eye on the charging, shouldn't have to but that is the way it is

 

The fix has been around for years. VFRs for the same time. Now one can get any of several "improved" R/Rs from as many sources including OEM. Today is 1jan15. Even 15 or so years back these improved items were not available.

Do I have one? Sure do. I also have a 12 peso Chinese made still in the box under the seat of the mach 1 91.

Do I believe everything I read on the www? Sure I do, in a HOG's ass.

 

Thankee Jesus and Father Honda.

 

Wellllll, it lasted almost 7 months... Took 15 minutes to install the backup unit in the parking lot at midnite. I ordered another backup.

 

Think about hooking 2 of them up with a crossover switch so if one goes bad just flick the switch and keep going and replace the bad one at your leisure :tongue-new:

 

Just buy one decent one and stick a fan on it maybe?

 

So I read a lot about the R/R...common problem with all years? Is my 87 in the mix? If so you can bet I will be working on replacing it.

 

And where is the fun in that?

 

Why do I keep seeing 'Pesos' throughout this thread? Is it too hard to type 'Dollar'??

My RR is an Electrex one, think I'll buy a spare for under the seat anyway, just in case!