MOSFET convert...

[Tiger]

 :) I did some 'horse trading' with Fret nut a few weeks ago (thanks buddy) and acquired one of his MOSFET R/R's, which arrived yesterday...(now the mail strike is over!!)

Last night I removed the oem R/R from 'The Mistress' and installed the MOSFET unit that originally came off of a CBR600.

I'm pleased to report that after the install, all appears to be working well...14.1v showing on the digital volt meter that I have mounted on my 'V'.

This unit has five wires...3 x Yellow (Honda) stator wires, 1 x Red (positive) and 1 x Green (ground/earth). I wired her up, bypassing the 'V' wire harness connections (over by the TCI unit) as per this link... http://eviltwinsbk.com/forumz/index.php?topic=276.0

                8) ....... TIGER ....... 8)

[Extent]

Nice, I'm looking forward to doing this upgrade once I get back on the road.

[supervision]

 Way to go Tiger, I'd like to do the same upgrade, but need to find the proper time and funds. I'd be hoping for a cooler running side case.

[Cdnlouie]

So now you have a Yamahonda!  ;D  You beat me to it...of course! While I like the Mosfet technology (very efficient) I don't hold out much hope for it helping extend the stator life. I have installed on on my Venture and it does a much better job of getting more output at the lower rpms which will help keep the Vision battery in better shape for those that travel short jaunts and/or traffic.  If I did not plug my Vision in to the battery tender every night, the battery would not likely ever have a full charge with my type of riding.  The mosfet is a better unit from this perspective.

When I get the time (and money) I am looking at the Series type RR which does actually reduce stator internal heat (as is being experienced by a few other stator-eating bikes). They cost $200.00 which is a good deal if it saves the stator, and I am thinking that it's "wing-nuts" on the stator cover or a series RR for me in the very near future  ;D.

Good job Tiger....you're the man!  8)

[Rikugun]

Cecil, I hope you're wrong about the stator life but only time will tell!  ;)  I too installed a MOSFET unit on my V this spring along with a new stator. The R/R mounts in the original position and runs considerably cooler than the old one. I ran the + and - directly to the battery with a 30 amp fuse on the plus side.

I'm getting a very steady 14.3 at the battery and not much less at idle. I also did the blade style fuse conversion and made up a set of starter/battery cables. I'm feeling pretty good about the V's electrical system this season and hopefully won't have any problems for a long time.  :)

[Cdnlouie]

Gary...sounds like you've got it happening with that V of yours! I hope I'm wrong too on the mosfet extending stator life, I've got one that is going on this summer, but I don't have great expectations for it.  I do like the strong charging behaviour of the mosfet and that is actually beneficial.  Yea 14.3 seems to be what it does right off idle which is terrific for keeping the old lead plates healthy.  Starter cables are a great help too as the voltage drop over the old ones is tragic, it's a wonder any "V's " start!

Have a fun summer!

[Rikugun]

hmmmm, maybe some cooling fins on the alternator cover would help....????

[jasonm.]

I think Tiger an I a psychically linked. I did the Mosfet change over around July 4th. Had it sittting in a box for years now. So I put it in. And after "ohming" things out in the harness. There was ZERO resistance in the harness from the + and - at the battery to locations to  where I hard wired the OEM R/R  years ago. But I do have extra grounds in the harness too. So, I connected to the original locations. Mine runs 14.1 V at idle jumps to 14.25 when revved above 3100rpm . Yes , if you put the brakes on at idle OR have the fan running it will drop...but at worst, only to 13.8v and depending on how good your battery is. The stator can only have so much available...you know. If both fan and brakes are on...you will  eventually drop to 13v or less. But that is not often unless you are on a hill stuck in traffic. I have a special bracket by the rear tire where my original was mounted. FYI, My rear tire runs warmer than the MOSFET R/R. Also the closer to 14v you run, the less you have issues of the battery acid being "boiled out". This unit is used on MANY new Yamahas. ..R1, Vmax, Road Star...to name a few.Eastern Beaver electrical sells conncters etc. to allow OEM mounting to be weather tight. And you do not need the brown wire. This unit is smart enough not to need it. ;D  And lastly it's a more efficient unit...capable of passing more AMPS to your battery. And Amps are what keeps the battery charged. Not entirely the volts...

[davexz]

I added a "mosfet" R&R from a ZX10 as well this winter and so far it works great.  Five wires - 3 stator, 1 to battery positive and 1 to batter negative. Getting 14.4 at idle and I can tell my battery is always fully charged.  I am still a little confused at what terminology people are using to discribe the R&Rs - "mosfet"  and "series" .  The "mosfet" is a type of transistor and the circuit is what counts,  I'm thinking what people are calling "Mosfet" is also a circuit that will duty cycle the charging and keep the stator cooler (rather then 100% duty cycle and dump the excess to ground).  Power supply designers know these circuits inside and out and should chime in here to straighten things out.

[motoracer8]

 MOSFET, Stands for metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor.  They are much more efficient at passing curent and generate a great deal less heat doing the same job.

[jasonm.]

Thanks motoracer...that's what I meant by it's "ability to pass more AMPS" to the charging system. Much more efficient.

[supervision]

 motoracer, is that the reason your stator case is cool, or do you have one of these?

[motoracer8]

 Supervision, Yes I have a MOSFET regulator, it's from a Kawasaki, don't remember the model. I installed it with a new Yamaha stator, it's been some years ago, many miles and no troubles.  I replaced the spade connectors with some Bosch connectors that were made for 12ga wire, and made shure all the grounds were clean and tight.

I took my OE regulator to a local bone yard and looked around untill I found one with the same mounting holes as I wanted to put the RR back where it was.  I noted the part number went to a Kawasaki dealer and bought a new one.

One thing I did for alittle extra cooling was cut a piece of 1/8" aluminum sheet 3X4", put that under the regulator, then a couple of flat washers between the plate and the battery box for just alittle more air flow.  Does it work? I hav'nt had any more charging issues.

[jasonm.]

We know Kawi does not make them. In fact one or 2 manufacturers make 90% of the electrics for JAP bikes. Mine is the common FH012AA. Same mounting holes as the original. I can say that with the OEM R/R the left case(stator) would always heat up faster than the right. I have not used my heat temp gun to check casing temps. But that's a good idea. I will check it in the future.

[QBS]

So, maybe the answer to the burning question is to run an OEM stator (hoping to insure getting the highest quality available) with a MOSFET R/R, high quality connector, and solid grounding.

[Tiger]

 :) The MOSFET that I installed is the same bolt pattern as the OEM unit that I took off...which is mounted on a bracket that is fastened to a screw on the lower part of the inner fender just up from the  left aluminum footpeg plate. This has always been a better place for air flow than the original spot behind the battery box!!!

I run with a Ricks rebuilt stator that I installed a few years/miles back and a weather pack triple connector for the three white wires. I also have the heavier duty ground and positive wires, (that I custom make/sell). All the ground connections are clean, tight and have an all weather protection coating on them. The battery is a year or so old and is kept on a float charger when not out on the road. 'The Mistress' has no known electrical issues that I know of... ;)

The MOSFET unit runs WAAAAAAAAAY cooler than the oem one... and I mean WAY cooler!!!...and puts out a steady 14.1 / 14.2 volts. I have just been out for a couple of hours with temps around 30c (approx' 90f) and when I got back home you can grab hold of the MOSFET without burning your skin off :o ;) I have to say that I highly recommend these units as a great upgrade to our oem ones... 8)

                 8) ....... TIGER ....... 8)

[motoracer8]

 Tiger is right on, the MOSFET regulator will get warm but not so hot you can't touch it like the OE regulator.  The Kawasaki just happend to be the first M/C I found with an exposed regulator. I don't recall the maker.

The regulator on my Ducati looks excatly the same, mabe the same maker??

[jasonm.]

my spelling may be off...manufaturerShindigen

[Rikugun]

That's real close..  http://www.shindengen.co.jp/top_e/index.html


BTW, is this seller (jasonmotoelectrix) you?

http://compare.ebay.com/like/360358573656?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y

[pullshocks]

If I go to the motorcycle bone yard, how can I tell which ones are Mosfet?  Can you just pick any one that has a suitable bolt pattern?  Connectors would have to be changed anyway