Reg/Rec Article

[Orms]

Our boys across the pond have knocked up a good article explaining the Voltage Reg/Rec a common problem on the Bird.
Hope you find it to your advantage.
:beer:

http://www.cbr1100xx.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=486

 

[Jaws]

Excellent article and well worth a read..
Also good to find someone else who agrees with what I have been saying for years about using a fan to keep it cool !
Almost 3 years ago I was ranting on about thermal shock and stuff, but got shot down.. Perhaps now folk will believe me !! :}

 

[Orms]

Jaws

Do you think the use of a Optimate will help in keeping the Reg/Rec job to minimum helping to prolong its life :dunno:

 

[Jaws]

I do reckon that keeping a battery in good condition ( or at least as best as pos ) by using a battery conditioner of some sort def does help.
When we start the bike, the reg rec is freezing cold at this time of year.
Then suddenly it ( the reg rec ) is having to work flat out, so it goes from ice cold to red hot in next to no time...
If it has not been started for a week and you have an active alarm fitted, then the battery will obviously be down a fair way from its optimum, so there will be even more current it will have to deal with !

Now do not get me wrong.. These units are made to do just that, and over the years the Honda units have been head and shoulders above most other makes when it comes to unit reliability, but reg recs aint cheap, and any help we can give them to extend their hard lives cannot be a bad thing !
:beer:

 

[Quiney]

All electronic components that have to control relatively high amounts of current, get hot. They have a designed operating temperature range and once they get above that the electrons start to flow a bit too freely and the component start to work very erratically. ( for the brave - try unplugging the cooling fan on the CPU in your PC and watch what happens when it gets above it designed working temperature!)

The heat is usually dissipated by mounting the component onto metal - usually with fins to increase the surface area. Air movement - either natural convection or forced aids this process.

I believe that the air movement behind the fairing is not sufficient, especially when the bikes progress is slow and/or the regulator is working hard (because the battery is low)

In these instances, extra forced cooling, coming from an additional fan would help.

VFR seem to suffer from the same problem and the following thread is one suggested mod. Regulator cooling fan

 

[mr tack]

done the mod.using ten pound pc fan from maplins mates used it on his vfr.we both had horrendous problems but mine seem to have been sorted.
mines mainly used to and from work everyday in london so the battery only really gets charged when i leave london.i use and optimate charger which keeps the battery topped without burning it out.
so fingers crossed.

 

[MaXXimus]

Quiney,
Thanks for that link to the fan mod. Incredibly simple!!! And what a difference it could make.

:beer:

Jim

 

[mr tack]

fitting to the bb needs the fan cutting down a bit as theres very little room between the reg and the rear panel.
ive wired mine into the fuse box so as soon as the ignitions on the fans working it saves trying to wire it into the rear headlightbulb as i dont use my lights during the day.
the reg/rec now runs lots cooler and the wiring to it is not heating up either so it seems to be working fine i did this about 3 months ago when before i was getting problems every 2 months.
hth