i need help wiring

[nichols750]

ok, i'm putting a new R/R on my 78, it had a separate R & R. as i am getting ready to put it all back together i get the bright idea of looking at my maual. it shows that the white/green wire coming from the stator goes directly to the lighting system??!! so do i not run it through r/r? and if not what do i do with the third wire on the r/r for the stator input. there is ( as I'm sure most of you know) a ground, red and three yellows ( the input from the stator) on my r/r.

thanks

[frosty5011]

You are basically going to bypass the headlight loop with the one wire. Just plug the 3 wires coming from the stator directly to the 3 yellows wires on the new R/R unit.

[flyingace]

I'm not 100% sure you want to bypass the headlight. The reason one wire is routed thru the light is to absorb excess current from the stator to prevent the R/R from roasting. Maybe newer R/Rs can handle all the juice from the stator, but I would be sure of that.

I've never had an R/R problem, so I'm no expert. But I would collect other opinions on this before I proceeded.

[frosty5011]

Either way, depends if he plans on riding without his headlight being on. There was a thread a while back which might help clarify the connections if there's still some confusion:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...ighlight=wires

[flyingace]

Unless he wired a switch for the headlight, he doesn't have a choice. That was the idea - the headlight was designed to always be on when the bike runs. Therefore, why not use it to absorb some of the stator current.

If you do wire a switch for the headlight, the third stator wire just goes to ground (or nowhere?) when the headlight is off - not to the R/R.

[nichols750]

i have fixed my light switch so it works, but, i ride with it on anyway. if that helps with what i should do.

[nichols750]

could i splice one of the stator wires and put both the R/R and the lights on the same wire? then put the other two stator wires into the r/r like normal?

[flyingace]

That would defeat the purpose of routing the third wire to the headlight in the first place.

As I said, maybe the new R/R can handle the current of all 3 wires and all I did was cause problems. I just don't want you to fry the new R/R.

I was hoping for some other opinions here since I'm learning this stuff too.

[Boondocks]

could i splice one of the stator wires and put both the R/R and the lights on the same wire? then put the other two stator wires into the r/r like normal?

No, don't do that. Either continue to run the stator lead to the headlight switch or run it directly to the R/R, bypassing the headlight switch. If you do run it to the switch, make sure that it is the white/green wire, which would be the one unregulated by the R/R.

If you leave your headlight on all the time, it's perfectly OK to run all three stator wires directly to the R/R and bypass the headlight switch. If you turn the headlight off with this hookup, you will overcharge the battery with an OEM R/R or cause an aftermarket R/R to run hotter, but it will work fine with the headlight on. It's a more efficient wiring hookup to go directly to the R/R.

See my post in Big ? on Electrex Wiring for an explanation of the headlight switch wiring.

[jonr]

Nichols750,

I have modified my 1978 GS750 headlight switch so I can turn it on and off as I please, however, when I rewired my charging system with an Electrex (Electrosport) R/R, I ran all three stator wires directly to the R/R. I have had my R/R wired this way since the spring of 2003 and my charging system is running perfecto. I just capped off the green/white wire behind my battery tray (I think you end up capping off the red/white one too, but don't quote me on that since I don't have my bike right in front of me. I don't turn my headlight off unless the bike is not running and I have the ignition on, OR, I am starting the bike and I don't want the headlight drain while starting.

Regards,
Jon

[nichols750]

WOW,
thank you, thank you, thank you.
i'll get after it tonight,

and tomorrow . . we ride

[flyingace]

If you leave your headlight on all the time, it's perfectly OK to run all three stator wires directly to the R/R and bypass the headlight switch. If you turn the headlight off with this hookup, you will overcharge the battery, but it will work fine with the headlight on.

It seems to me if you don't have the light on, you will overheat the Regulator, not overcharge the battery. I thought the point of the regulator was to prevent too much voltage to the battery.

Not trying to pick nits here, just want to get it straight.

[Boondocks]

It seems to me if you don't have the light on, you will overheat the Regulator, not overcharge the battery. I thought the point of the regulator was to prevent too much voltage to the battery.

Not trying to pick nits here, just want to get it straight.

Nichols750 stated that he was installing a new R/R, but didn't say if it was an aftemarket item or a Suzuki OEM type. I was referring to the OEM R/R in my post, which I have edited for clarity. The point of the regulator is to prevent too much voltage to the battery, but the OEM Suzuki R/R regulates only two of the three stator legs. The unregulated stator lead is the one controlled by the headlight switch. The design concept was that when the lights are turned on it would absorb the output of one stator lead without the need for regulation. This works satisfactorily only if the headlight is turned on. If the headlight is turned off and the stator wire is not turned off by the headlight switch, the full unregulated alternator voltage from that wire will be fed to the battery.

Aftermarket R/R's have all three stator leads regulated, so the battery won't be overcharged. You are correct in pointing out that an aftermarket R/R will run hotter than necessary if the lights are off and one stator lead is not switched off with the lights.

[Billy Ricks]

Later model GS's had all three legs going straight to the R/R.

[flyingace]

If the headlight is turned off and the stator wire is not turned off by the headlight switch, the full unregulated alternator voltage from that wire will be fed to the battery.

Thanks Boondocks. My confusion was in thinking that the light-switched stator wire ended up going thru the regulator instead of the battery with the lights off.