Has anyone still have stock R/R and wiring with no problems?

Just curious.
I am little or more then disappointing that Honda put so much money and effort creating gear driven VFR and totally fked the R/R and wiring.Someone should of been fired at Honda for creating mediocre electrical harness.

Now I am seriously afraid to go anywhere more then 20 miles from my house and this bike supposed to be sport touring.

I just bought 1998 VFR with 20k on and I am worried shit every time I ride it.
FK I trashed my SV650 without any thought....never worried about getting stranded.

 

if your so worried then just replace it. problem solved

 

I have a 2000 w/ the stock RR.
And I solved the problem by buying a second RR & keeping it on the bike at all times - it stows under the seat.
Now that i'm prepared, I figure the original will probably last forever.

On my 97, i went through 2 RR's & was on my 3rd. when they failed I could still get home, but if i had been on a cross country trip, it wuld have been pretty inconvenient.

 

My first R/R died on me not long after having owning the bike, and it had a PC fan on it. It was a OEM.

My next R/R, a Ricks special, died on me in a town called Jasper, BC on my trip thru the Rockies. Went to start the bike in the morning...nothing. However, I got out easy. Pushed the bike to NAPA which took all of 5 minutes, and had them charge the battery while I mounted the stock spare R/R which I keep under the seat and off I went. Could have been a lot worse.

Tell you what though...riding the rest of my trip without a spare under the seat was not fun. Everytime I started the bike I was like "please god...please god". Fortunately I could check the voltage at night, so that calmed my nerves.

I really believe that the aftermarket R/R's are not that much better, pointing the real problem at where it is located.

Get yourself an LED volt display. At least that way, you know when it has died, and you wont kill your battery. Just pull over and replace R/R.

 

I will install Voltometer for keeping an eye on it.I guess I should just fork out $$ and buy a spare R/R
thanks

 

Put a Suzuke 750 R/R w/fan and a voltmeter on my '97. I carry a twin R/R as a spare, so like the mention above the one on it will probably last forever.

 

I have the stock one.Is the new updated part number this?

Reg/Rec part number
Honda P/N 31600-MY7-305
Thanks

 

Got one under my seat still in the bubblepak and wrapped with duct tape. Had one go on the Canadian side. Missed work-overnight stay at a motel-towtruck for the bike-had to get the Honda shop owner to open up for me-food-new battery-new regulator when I got home..Thought it was my battery that had gone South.

Best deal? Carry a spare and shop for the spare. Parts prices are not set by Honda and all dealers are not your friend.

 

TOOT your horn, check your voltage !!

Low charging voltage usually shows up as a weaker than normal horn sound.

If your horn sounds weaker and wimpier than normal it may indicates low charging voltage.........

Language students might know that the translation of "Shindengen" in Japanese means " you're screwed,man!" in English.....roughly the same as "Magneti Marelli" or "Lucas"

 

HaHaHa LUCAS Prince of Darkness. Many years ago my kid sister (gifted artist) did a drawing of LUCAS Prince of Darkness based on my complaints working on british electrical systems. Ten years later the drawings almost twin attained infamy as Darth Vader.

 

my R/R is still going strong on my 92..

My secret?

Battery tender - always.When the key is out of the bike, the tender is on (in my garage). My view (maybe not scientific) is that the R/R has to double duty charging a down battery (read somewhere that batteries loose 1% of charge per day), double duty is more heat, heat kills the R/R and forces it to work harder, more heat...

maintaining your battery is 100% seems to make a big difference

never an issue on any bike I have ever owned, including my ducatis which have similar r/r maladies

 

i ordered a new r/r and the wiring harness from wire my bike......will the r/r b the improved one? also any special info i need for the mod......last time i tried electrical i set my trk on fire =( and that was just installing a trailer break.....any help appreciated

 

Cool. Thanks for posting my pic of the RR differences. I'm on a slow ass connection so digging it up wouldn't be easy.

Couple things.

Don't stress about the RR. You could also throw a chain, get a flat tire or hit a squirrel and have your trip ruined.

The part number for the OEM Honda Rectifier Set did NOT change. Honda simply made it better. When mine went out 2+ years ago, the part number on Ron Ares site was not correct. I actually called around to various Honda dealers until I got the price I wanted to pay (and the part number corrected). Didn't cost me any more then buying online.

Just because the RR is a popular topic on this site (along with oil, gas mileage and when to shift), doesn't mean your RR is destroying your bike's wiring, or the rideability of your bike. Mine went out, when the bike was 8 years old, without an once of wiring damage.

So either replace it for the sake of replacing it, or carry and spare OEM RR. It's not much bigger then a flat tire kit, and can be changed on the side of the road very quickly and easily.

 

Still stock

 

2000 VFR, ~24000 mi, stock R/R, one battery replacement 2 years ago.

No spare and never think about it...

Isn't there a poll here for ppl to see if the year of VFR influences the R/R life ??

It could be riding style too.. I RARELY ride in city traffic...

I have a battery tender, but the VFR doesn't sit long btwn rides.. Longest is maybe a month over 'winter'....

Knock wood....

-S

 

9 years of year round riding without even the slightest electrical hiccup. The battery is 6 years old & holds steady at 12.7v when the bike is shut off.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

I think just for fun, I'll carry a spare since one came with my 2000 VFR when I bought it. Guess I'll put it under the seat.

When I took the seat off last time, I located the RR under the seat on the side.

So if it acts up on a long ride and I need to change it, how do I get to it? I assume I have to take the rear body work section off. Can the change be made on the fly on the side of the road with tools in the on-board tool kit?

Thanks!