Regulator/rectifier-a pre-emptive strike?

[Guest]

I came across this info in Wikipedia having typed in "Suzuki GS":
"The smart GS owner replaced the original Suzuki parts with stronger aftermarket items (usually at a lower cost), although regulator/rectifiers from some Honda models have been successfully adapted to cure the problem once and for all (Honda Superdream/450 Nighthawk units)."

The regulator/rectifier on my '81 650G has given me no trouble in the 75,000 kms (46,500 Miles) of its service life. I did replace the stator a few years ago. My bike is down for some well-deserved renovation and cleanup at the present time and it may be a good time to replace the regulator/rectifier even though its still operable.

What do you think? Is this a reasonable idea or a waste of money? If the recommendation is to replace it, who makes the best replacement?

Thanks in advance.

[psyguy]

yes, a popular upgrade is a honda unit
"duenage" sells them here, used ones
consider rewiring your current rr directly to the battery and buying a spare honda unit to have it handy just in case...
keep all your electrical connections clean to prevent overheating etc

[Flaggo60]

yes, a popular upgrade is a honda unit
"duenage" sells them here, used ones
consider rewiring your current rr directly to the battery and buying a spare honda unit to have it handy just in case...
keep all your electrical connections clean to prevent overheating etc

Thanks for your thoughts. What is the advantage of wiring directly to the battery? Is there a current loss in the stock routing? I guess I wonder whether there would be an overcharge going directly, but my knowledge of bike electrics is minimal.

[jknappsax]

The advantage IS that it charges directly to the battery; the function of the regulator is to keep the charging voltage at a level that WON'T overcharge your battery. The output should be 13.8 to 14.2 (or.4) Vdc. When I put an Electrex R/R on my GS 750, it was also preemptive. I hardwired the three phases from the stator (no connectors to go bad), and direct to the battery (no connectors to go bad also. I have a Duaneage Honda R/R that I will also put on my "new" 1979 GS1000 preemptively.

[drhach]

Forgive the hijack, but I have been wondering about something. Obviously, these improvements make for better charging. hat I am wondering is whether or not there is an increase in charging system output. In other words, does this fix result in a decent increase in output such that you could actually attach some electrical accessories to the bike and have the work?

[psyguy]

Is there a current loss in the stock routing? I guess I wonder whether there would be an overcharge going directly, .

by wiring directly to the battery you are minimizing the existing losses due to the number and the condition of the existing conections
the output voltage doesnt increase to the point of over-charging

the main upgrade though is to run a direct negative wire from the rr
the positive wire runs pretty directly anyway, just clean the connections

[flyingace]

I came across this info in Wikipedia having typed in "Suzuki GS":
"The smart GS owner replaced the original Suzuki parts with stronger aftermarket items (usually at a lower cost), although regulator/rectifiers from some Honda models have been successfully adapted to cure the problem once and for all (Honda Superdream/450 Nighthawk units)."

The regulator/rectifier on my '81 650G has given me no trouble in the 75,000 kms (46,500 Miles) of its service life. I did replace the stator a few years ago. My bike is down for some well-deserved renovation and cleanup at the present time and it may be a good time to replace the regulator/rectifier even though its still operable.

What do you think? Is this a reasonable idea or a waste of money? If the recommendation is to replace it, who makes the best replacement?

Thanks in advance.

Why on earth would you want to replace something that has given you 47K miles of trouble-free service?! You never know, you might get a brand new POS. At least you know you don't have one now.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Spend your $ on accessories.

[duaneage]

Why on earth would you want to replace something that has given you 47K miles of trouble-free service?! You never know, you might get a brand new POS. At least you know you don't have one now.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Spend your $ on accessories.

I can tell you from experience this is a high failure part that takes out a 130.00 stator and the battery as well. If you're lucky you make it home before the battery dies. I've never seen a bad Honda RR, ever. The Suzuki OEM is known to be undersized for the job and some of the aftermarket ones are half the size of the Suzuki.

The Honda offers better regulation through a sense wire that adjusts the voltage in response to load. The Honda handles almost twice the power and runs cool to the touch.

This is one accessory worth the money.

[Ed Vrolijk]

Forgive the hijack, but I have been wondering about something. Obviously, these improvements make for better charging. hat I am wondering is whether or not there is an increase in charging system output. In other words, does this fix result in a decent increase in output such that you could actually attach some electrical accessories to the bike and have the work?

No, there will not be an increase in output, because it still is the stator thats responsible for the output. The Honda regulator / rectifier only regulates and rectifies better. The only thing that will increase is your battery life.
Ed

[bwringer]

I replaced mine with a Honda R/R years ago.

The original was working fine at the time, but I much prefer to deal with potential failures when I want to in the comfort of my own garage rather than on the side of some remote road.

As noted above, the Suzuki units are a known weakness. It's easy and rather inexpensive to eliminate this weakness.

As a side benefit, I've noticed that the Honda unit puts out full voltage at a significantly lower RPM than the original, and that the voltage is much more evenly regulated. With the original R/R, you can see lots of small, annoying variations in headlight brightness when the bike is running. With the Honda unit, output is much more smooth. This probably makes no difference to the bike's simple electronics, but it's got to be better if you have electronic accessories like a GPS.

[lurch12_2000]

I......What do you think? Is this a reasonable idea or a waste of money? If the recommendation is to replace it, who makes the best replacement?

Thanks in advance.

All I know is that both GS1100's I've owned had failed r/r's and also ruined fairly new batteries. Replaced both with $45 Honda units from Duaneage and have no more charging problems. I feel I can go on any trip and not wonder.
Part of my procedure now when I look at buying a running vintage GS is to take my multimeter with me. Then I'll be straight with the seller and tell him that he'll pay a $100 for an OEM r/r, another $100-200 for someone to troubleshoot it and fix, and pretty sure that a new battery is needed in the near future which is another $50. If they won't accept my adjusted offer then they can use my "free" advice and try to fix it themselves, as I walk away.

[rustybronco]

I can tell you from experience this is a high failure part that takes out a 130.00 stator and the battery as well. If you're lucky you make it home before the battery dies. I've never seen a bad Honda RR, ever. The Suzuki OEM is known to be undersized for the job and some of the aftermarket ones are half the size of the Suzuki.

The Honda handles almost twice the power and runs cool to the touch.

To add to this, please consider the fact that the electrical components in the R/R are somewhere around 25 years old and more than likely have been subjected to heating conditions at or near their design limits because of a undersized heat sink, for a long time.

***edit*** if there was a battery in it at one time that couldn't accept a charge at it's full rating that would compound the heat issues in the R/R.

[Flaggo60]

I'm convinced. Thanks for the info, it was very valuable. I PM'd duaneage-hopefully he has one in stock.