What is the R/R curse that I have read mentioned here?

I hope that it is nothing or that my bike doesn't have it. Can you educate me on what it is, please. Thank you.

 

R/R is short for Regulator/Rectifier. The "curse" is that this part has can fail due to heat or other factors. If you search the forums for r/r or regulator/rectifier or electrical issues, you will find lots of info, including symptoms others have had. Most, if not all, motorcycles have them. They are a part of the motorcycles charging system. Some symptoms are the battery not charging properly (but that could also be bad battery), the instrument panel doing wierd things (depending on year I think).

 

I read in the manual that the motorcycle will only start charging at 1500 rpms. And it warns not to leave it idoling for to long. Does this have something to do with it?

 

Idling just builds up heat, and with no air flowing over the r/r or the engine (however little or much it may be) the r/r can overheat. Keep in mind, the r/r is mounted to the subframe which is metal and conducts heat and the rear headers run closest to the subframe and heat will transfer from them and the main frame section to the subframe. Some have taken computer fans, either CPU or case cooling fans and mounted them to the r/r to aid in cooling. Is it a benefit? I am sure some will say it is, but I have no firsthand knowledge of the effect. So, yes, to some extent, long periods of idling can have an adverse affect on the r/r. But riding in in-town traffic should not pose too much of an issue, unless the r/r is already on its way out.

 

The curse is if you don't ride it enough, your VFR will turn into a Yugo :tongue:

 

That's a mean curse. What does a R/R look like? Where is it located?

Also a little off topic but where can I get a new rear tire? And about how much should I expect to pay for one or both?

 

If you just want a bias-ply rear only you can probably find one installed and balanced for $100. That's if you bring the wheel in yourself. It's always a good idea to replace the tires as a set though especially if the front is old, worn, sidewall checked, or just a different type from the rear.

 

I am paying $500 for the bike. This could get expensive to feed and clothe this bike. I know motorcycles (especially imports) are going to be more pricey. But tires are usually a good investment and doesn't require changing that often if you are just riding on them. I will have to look around a little more once it running and I think that I will take it further than my alley. So I can hold off on it for now. There is a couple of bikers at my work I will ask them if they know where to get a good set of tires. They may have a buddy that can me a discount or even a hook up.

 

The rectifier set (as honda calls it) issue plagues us all. My 99's factory RR crapped out at a stop sign in Monterey late last year, requiring me to proudly push my bike to the side of the road and have a good cry.

Basically the bike acts like the battery is dead, which in effect it is. I let the bike sit for a while (the RR cooled down) and it started like nothing ever happened. Of course it died again 45 minutes later at a gas station...

The only sign I had leading up was that the bike would occasionally die when I disengaged the clutch and let off the gas, usually coming up to a light... On the ride home, I'd also noticed my lights dim to the point where I couldn't see the road at night and the bike would feel like it was bogging down. Fortunately Reg71 let me bum off his ample headlights goin down the freeway...

So the RR is NOT a part Honda dealers stock, especially for 5th gens. Count on a special order. I called about 15 dealers around the state before I found one and he only had it because someone special ordered and never picked it up. I even talked to a guy that deals in used parts hoping to find one off a junker, but he says for VFR's he tosses them in the trash -- it's one of the few parts he won't re-use.

Honda HAS improved on the rectifier set for our bikes. That's the new one on the left and the old on the right.


You may have to take your tail off to see for sure, but check if yours has the new rectifier with the grande cooling fins. That should help you sleep at night.

 

And this is what the curse actually looks like:
You stuck at a gas station with no customers and not a jumper cable in site...

 

You have a beautiful bike. I wonder why nobody has figured out how to fix this problem yet? It sounds to me like the R/R is just like a voltage regulator that one might find in a car. Chevy has it built into the alternator and ford has its regulator as a seperate box. Would it work to wire one of those regulators into the bike or as a backup to keep the voltage from spiking? I had a problem where a signal on my trucks computer that controled knocking was killing my truck until it had time to cool off. Someone told me to cut a wire and loop it back to another wire and it would stop stalling on me. I did it and my truck hasn't died on me since. I wonder if a similar fix can't be done here? If a reliable bike lets you sleep knowing its jerry rigged wouldn't it be worth it? I found a regulator on ebay that looks home made. I bet that this person found out how to control spikes cheaply. I think that a diode is the electric device that will only let voltage go thru it in one direction. But I can't remember right now.