Electrical Loads

Yes, I do have a 5G. I'd suggest you start by cutting out the stator connector and soldering in some wire to make up the length, then see what you get voltage-wise. I also went through the other connectors and made sure they were clean/tight. I get 14.1 at idle, 14.2 everywhere else, even with lights on (all LED for me), into the 13s when the fan runs.


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I just cut the connector from both stator and R/R sides.

Soldered, then used some liquid tape and heat shrink on each wire. Finally little bit of tape on each line too. Let's see how long it'll last and if it'll improve anything

 

This is a BP connector that I keep for emergency repairs on the side of the road.
I do get 14.1v at idle for the first few minutes after starting it up, then it eventually drops to 13.1v.
Soldering is the fix.
Keep in mind that different RR's will vary voltage slightly.
I have one from a 2010 R1.
And I also think that the 4G has a slightly smaller stator.

 

Good idea Oz; I've got a few of those.


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On a side note, I recently noticed my volts dropping by about 0.4v from normal.
That's the beauty of installing a voltmeter.
Anyway, I thought "not again", it has been trouble free for 40,000km and was hoping it would go a bit longer.
Turned out it was the plug in the back of the voltmeter.
Unplugged it, sprayed it with contact cleaner and put it back in, instant 0.4v gain.
Considering the voltmeter is not a high draw device, it shows you the effect of connectors.

 

Thanks again guys, so I tested few things yesterday.

Stator resistance between pins was very small. I think 300 ohm and then f0r ground it was 1(nada).

AC voltage for stator at idle was I think 20 across 3 and revving were 40ish(maybe 50), but it was same across all 3 of them.

One thing which I was doing as a mistake was, I was testing the voltage earlier at the connector for battery tender. Now yesterday checking at the battery, idle voltage were 14.1V and then climb up to 14.5ishV until 5krpm. If I rev above 6k rpm, they drop to below 14.3-14.4 V, not sure why though?

I haven't tested after removing the connector, will check today to see how hot the wires are running and also voltages more carefully.

OZ VFR, one question and forgive my ignorance how do you use these connectors to repair on the side of the road? Are they screw on type, just splice the wire and insert from each side or?

After I am done with this current R/R( Sun Systems CDI R/R), I'll upgrade to a bigger MOSFET one.

 

You just strip both cables, twist them together and screw tight.
I'd never use it as a permanent connection, but it's one of the best, fastest solutions for the side of the road to get you home.
I carry a still working original spare RR on multi day trips, with a small pair of side cutters, a roll of tape and 5 BP connectors in a zip lock bag.

 

Personally, I leave the OEM connectors on and splice a wire to the the existing ones and solder direct.

Then if you're in a pickle on a trip and something goes wrong, you can simply cut the new soldered wires and still have the factory connector for a quick hookup on a new Stator or RR. Just my 2-cents.

Also, I do carry a small butane lighter / torch and some solder with me so I can do soldering on the road-side if required.

 

The one I carry Jeff, is already had wires soldered and cut the right length to BP connect if I need to.
The problem here in Australia is that no bike shop carries an R&R of the shelf.
And once you leave any of the main capitals, there is no bike shops that carry anything.
It is often quicker for me to order parts from the US then trying to get them here.
Also most of our country is made of empty spaces, so you either carry spares, or leave your bike.

 

Thanks very much Jeff, I truly appreciate it.

Unfortunately, now it's too late and I have already chopped the connector!

Few things; now I am getting between 14.5-14.7V at idle, but when I increase the RPM, it starts to go down(between 14.3-14.6V) and R/R starts to heat up. I have a CPU fan, as well as heat transfer compound and a aluminum plate behind the R/R, because of all of that I can touch it and it's warm. Without CPU fan running, it gets hot at idle.

2 questions, why voltage is dropping and is it normal, also these numbers look good? Also, R/R getting hot at idle is normal?

I am going to ride for a few miles, say 50-60 tomorrow and keep an eye on voltmeter and report back. But any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

That is what the RR is design to do, turn unused power to heat.
It's why it has the fins.
The problem is that it's in a really crap position without a lot of air flow.
Some type of RR's are designed to run cooler which helps.
The voltage dropping at higher revs is the RR functioning.
Not sure which type you have, but if it has wires coming out of it, it is either stock type, or cheap after market.

 

Mine has some heavy gauge wires coming out of it and it's from some Sun company(made in japan). I'll ride with the CPU fan this summer and maybe change the location of R/R to somewhere on the back of bike or maybe on the rear footpeg!

Just to conclude so far, I have definitely improved the voltage by 0.3 V and wires are running a lot cooler after removing the connector. Thanks again all for your help and patience.

 

You've done all you can do, stop worrying and enjoy a great bike.
The voltmeter will warn you of any problems.
Most times it's the connector that causes all the grievance, not the RR.
And I'll add, VFR's are not the only bike this happens to, it's a common fault on lots of makes, and its due to the design of motorcycle charging systems.
Keeping it small and light has it's downside.

 

Agreed, now going to enjoy the ride and ensure to pull over if I see a drop in voltage

Of course, will consult you guys for the advice. Thanks again

 

A quick bump as I'm seeing a few threads asking about VFRness and such.

 

Thanks for bumping this one Jeff. After re-reading I noticed that in 2016 I said I was going to do it that winter.... I still plan on doing it. I did take the bike in that winter for the wiring recall. They replaced almost all of the factory wiring and commented that the wiring that the previous owner did was so bad that the duct tape that was used to wrap the wires in some spots was falling apart! Apparently there was wiring work done in places that were not easy to see and until they started removing it all they didn't know just how bad it was. Thankfully Honda had agreed to the replacement of both harnesses before they noticed all of the mess. With all new wiring and connectors it obviously ran a lot better and so I put off doing the upgrades. Kind of like putting my head in the sand... I hang my head in shame

 

Bump, reading this because my FI light came on and had to limp the bike home. New battery before the trip. I should have charged it just be sure it was full.

It got me 120 miles before any issues. Going to do the drill this weekend. I have done all of this wiring and replaced my R/R with a MOSFET one from a ZX-10 many years ago. The charging system has been very solid until recently. I have no numbers to post as I would be going off of memory from my trip. I suspect it is a grounding issue.

 

Can we assume from what you're saying in the fault state, your bike will crank over but not start, and you are not hearing the fuel pump prime at switch on, also the Fi light is On and not flashing a code with the SideStand down? This could mean the main power to all EFI is lost.

As a starting point. The two main weak links in the EFI system power supply is - Main Fuse B 30amp located next to your Starter Relay(not in it). This fuse and its wiring can suffer badly from overheated, burnt wiring and high resistance connections to the fuse. See attached picture.

The other weak link is the main Blue connector above your left radiator linking the front and main wiring harness. All your EFI power goes through this connector up to the Engine Stop Relay, then back through the connector again on the Black/White wire to power all the EFI stuff. Check for any burnt pins or sockets within the blue connector.

Good luck.

 

The bike cranks and fires right up. The FI light flickers and comes on dimly. If I rev the engine to 5k the intensity of the FI decreases dramatically, the comes on full bright once the RPMs settle at 5K. Same behavior at 6k, etc.

I found the blue diagnostics plug and it's giving me 9 blinks which indicates the IAT is faulty. Digging into that now. Reading the manual and this thread.
https://vfrworld.com/threads/gen-5-fi-fault-9-flashes-iat-sensor-any-experience.53307/

I will check out the things you mentioned as well. I suspect something is corroded and needs cleaning or replacing. Thanks for the reply!

 

Being a 6gen topic I assumed you had a 6gen is that the case OR is it a 5th gen?

Your fault sounds like a 5th gen issues if the Fi light is coming on dimly. The common cause of this is to do with the Orange Ground Block buried in the wire harness just above the chain guard, (see photos 5gen Ground Block) you'll need to check this for burnt pins and sockets.

The Fi Code for the IAT is a historical code, and may not be related to your fault, even if the IAT was faulty it won't cause your engine to die on you, it may have be generated when the IAT is disconnected to do a Sarter Valve synch. You should go through the process of clearing all the stored historical memory codes, then run your bike to see if the ECM picks up any current active fault code. If you did have an active fault the Fi light would be fully ON then only flash the fault code with the SideStand down ignition to on.