6th gen rectifier regulator

Ok I just had some friends over sea's tell me the 6th gen VFR doesn't have the problem like the 5th gen with the R&R . That Honda took care of it . Is that true ? I thought 5th and 6th gen had the problem . I got my 2007 VFR back in feb with only 2,600 miles on it and I now have 6,800 miles on it and I wanted to replace it now before something happens . The one just went out of my 1992 Yamaha XJ 600 With 25,000 miles on it and being 22 years old is not bad . so I ordered a new one then a was thinking should I do the VFR . So is there a problem with the 6th gen ?

 

6th gen 2006 to 2009 are up grade with better harness. Some of the member here with 6th gen did find some issue with the stator and RR.
I check check my last week and seem like the Stator is on the way out with 73k miles. Your should be fine at 6800 miles

 

I have a 2003 with about 17 k on it. It had the harness recall performed. I wonder if this rectifies the R/R issues?

 

The biggest problem with VFR R&R and Stators are the connectors. Contact resistance due to corrosion and poor contact cause heat and loss of current carrying ability. Check your stator and R&R connectors for any signs of discoloration due to heat. I hard wired output of R&R with two #10 wires back to battery directly and eliminated connector from stator. There are aftermarket harnesses that will do same. The R&R & Stators generally fail because of wiring and connector faults, not the other way around. If you want to upgrade R&R, not just replace it with stock (waste of money), look into Shindingen MOSFET units at roadstercycle.com (lot of good information there).

Bikes have "balanced" charging systems meaning the load of the lights and electronics is close to output of the charging system. If you unbalance system by switching to LED lights or disconnect lights for racing, this causes stock R&R to shunt a lot of power to ground and get hot. I switched to a "Series" type R&R because of LED lights and have had no problems.

There many several threads on VFR electrical issues, search the forums and you will find a lot of information.

 

I have not had any issues with the bike and do not plan on any accessory running with it as well. Probably will not do much to it until I get a garage to tear apart for a couple of days, or in the event of an issue have the mechanic replace as mentioned to avoind such things in the future. I'm sure it's possible that not every bike bears these burdens.

 

The VFR is a great bike, but the one weakness is very well known and documented. With low voltage (12volts) and high current systems, connection quality is a major problem, not just the VFRs.

 

My 07 is on it's 2nd stator and RR unit (replaced twice) at 30k miles so I would say that NO it hasn't been fixed.

 

Great explanation on stators: http://racetechelectric.com/ft-750-stators.html

The short answer: "Stators fail in multiple ways, but are generally simple to troubleshoot. A stator almost always fails due to heat buildup causing an insulation failure of the wire. Keep in mind that a stator is composed of hundreds of feet of very fine wire, with very thin insulation, wound at relatively high tension around a metal core. The stator lives a high stress life, always surrounded by heat. The stator itself produces heat, as it is a by-product of current generation as the magnetic flywheel spins around it."

When the insulation coating on the copper winding overheats, windings short together or to ground. Failures can occur in manufacturing, always check new stators for shorts to ground (core).

 

I would definitely invest in a voltage meter & keep an eye on your voltage. That's the best indicator of R/R gone bad.