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rewiring

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Hi, is the hot wire to the reg/rectifier always hot or just when the key is on? I think just when the key is on right. I think I have the wrong wire from the ignition. thanks mike
 
Are you asking if the hot wire is hot?

The red wire is also always hot.
 
posplayr said:
Are you asking if the hot wire is hot?

The red wire is also always hot.
Click to expand...
there is always power on, if I stick a test light on the wire it lights up weather the key is in the On position or off.
 
mike10 said:
there is always power on, if I stick a test light on the wire it lights up weather the key is in the On position or off.
Click to expand...

That is what people typically refer to as "Hot".

Here is a hint on virtually every GS:
RED is Unswitched +12V
ORANGE is Switched +12V.
 
Last edited:
posplayr said:
That is what people typically refer to as "Hot".

Here is a hint on virtually every GS:
RED is Unswitched +12V
ORANGE is Switched +12V.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I am going to hook the R/R to the switched wire
 
I suspect if you hook it up to the switched +12v, it will keep running when you turn the key off. Either hook it up to the red wire from the solenoid like the original, or direct to the battery with an inline fuse.
 
bobgroger said:
I suspect if you hook it up to the switched +12v, it will keep running when you turn the key off. Either hook it up to the red wire from the solenoid like the original, or direct to the battery with an inline fuse.
Click to expand...

That is even better reason NOT to do it. :o
 
One last question . On the wiring diagram. From the ignition switch, I have a Red wire, that splits in two(2) on one end. Diagram shows it going to the fusebox giving constant power+12v to the bottom 2 fuse positions and the R/R. This wire has +12v running through it all the time, always Hot.

Then I have the Orange wire. From the ignition switch to the fusebox. The orange wire is only Hot +12v when the ignition key is in the On position. It gives power +12v to the top 3 fuse locations on the fusebox.

My question is. The R/R unit only needs power +12v when the bike is running to charge the battery and regulate voltage. SO as long as the R/R has +12v when the bike is running which would have the key in the On position powering the Orange wire with +12v the same as the Red why would it matter which wire it is connected to.

Other than the R/R would have no power to it when the bike is shut off. Thanks Mike
 
To be clear, you have not quiet got your head wrapped around the schematic wiring of R/R and battery so rather than trying to answer your questions directly I will explain why it is the way it is in the hopes it will clear your confusion:

Your bike has two sources of power:
  1. A.) The battery
  2. B.) The R/R.

Those two sources are combined at the "T".

  1. The battery is the only one that needs a fuse between it and the "T" because a short at this point or beyond will cause a lot of melted plastic if power comes from the battery.
  2. The battery is fused with a MAIN FUSE (located in the fuse box)
  3. The PM alternator can not produce enough current to burn these same wires 16 awg wires and so does not need to be fused.

The ignition switch is what turns you bike ON and Off.
1.) The IGN SW is powered from the "T"
2.) The fuse box is powered from the output for the fuse box.


A note to try and illuminate your question:

The R/R(+) is pushing current anytime the engine is on (above about 1100 RPM). The engine will stay on so long as there is gas and the coils are firing.

When you turn off the key you stop teh coils firing which stops the alternator from pushing current but the output remains HOT by virtue of the battery.
 
posplayr said:
To be clear, you have not quiet got your head wrapped around the schematic wiring of R/R and battery so rather than trying to answer your questions directly I will explain why it is the way it is in the hopes it will clear your confusion:

Your bike has two sources of power:
  1. A.) The battery
  2. B.) The R/R.

Those two sources are combined at the "T".

  1. The battery is the only one that needs a fuse between it and the "T" because a short at this point or beyond will cause a lot of melted plastic if power comes from the battery.
  2. The battery is fused with a MAIN FUSE (located in the fuse box)
  3. The PM alternator can not produce enough current to burn these same wires 16 awg wires and so does not need to be fused.

The ignition switch is what turns you bike ON and Off.
1.) The IGN SW is powered from the "T"
2.) The fuse box is powered from the output for the fuse box.


A note to try and illuminate your question:

The R/R(+) is pushing current anytime the engine is on (above about 1100 RPM). The engine will stay on so long as there is gas and the coils are firing.

When you turn off the key you stop teh coils firing which stops the alternator from pushing current but the output remains HOT by virtue of the battery.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your help. I did go with what the diagram was showing, the red wire. Your post did make it clear why it is done that way.
 
Another way to think of it is this:

The R/R does not "get" 12v power from anywhere.

The R/R is what MAKES the 12v power.

OK, when it's running it's more like 14v power, but it is an alternate power source, along with the battery.

Here is the basic narrative of the wiring schematic:

Power starts at the battery, flows through the MAIN fuse, past a junction with the R/R, to the ignition switch using a red wire. That wire is always "hot" all the way from the battery to the ignition switch.
At the switch, the orange wire (switched) goes back to the fuse box to power the other three fuses which, in turn, are for LIGHTS, SIGNALS and IGNITION.

Until the engine is running, all power comes from the battery. When the engine is running and the R/R is putting out more voltage than the battery, the R/R will send power to the bike (via the ignition switch). Anything the bike does not need will get sent back, through the MAIN fuse, to the battery to charge it.

Hope that helps some.
 
phydeauxmutt said:
Another way to think of it is this:

The R/R does not "get" 12v power from anywhere.

The R/R is what MAKES the 12v power.

OK, when it's running it's more like 14v power, but it is an alternate power source, along with the battery.

Here is the basic narrative of the wiring schematic:

Power starts at the battery, flows through the MAIN fuse, past a junction with the R/R, to the ignition switch using a red wire. That wire is always "hot" all the way from the battery to the ignition switch.
At the switch, the orange wire (switched) goes back to the fuse box to power the other three fuses which, in turn, are for LIGHTS, SIGNALS and IGNITION.

Until the engine is running, all power comes from the battery. When the engine is running and the R/R is putting out more voltage than the battery, the R/R will send power to the bike (via the ignition switch). Anything the bike does not need will get sent back, through the MAIN fuse, to the battery to charge it.

Hope that helps some.
Click to expand...


Perhaps that is an easier to understand description (I don't know it is all geek to me). There are only a couple of things I would quibble about.

The system has two power sources to supply the electrical system. The direction of of current at the "T" varies depending on whether the R/R is putting anything out and how high that is in relation to the battery voltage.

The other thing that is probably more important is what gets "sent back to the battery". The R/R does not just send excess over to the battery, it regulates the output of the regulator to maintain a 14.5V nominal at the terminals of the regulator.

The fact that the regulator can not directly measure the voltage at the battery, but rather only at it's own terminal is why the connection between battery and R/R need to be so clean to give an accurate measurement to the R/R which is what determines how much current it pushes to the battery.
 
Very nice explainations. I used to think it was all done by magic. With trial and error I could get things to work but didn't know how or why they did.
 
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