Will cross post this from ADV for posterity... I'm at 12,500 miles/534 hours now, decided it's time for a good check-up during the off season. Going over the wiring, subframe, valve check, clutch basket, fork oil, coolant, oil, spark plug. May clean the injector and put in a new clutch pack. It's been on my mind for a couple years to swap the stock SCR shunt type voltage regulator for a MOS-FET unit from a late model Yamaha so picked up a used one from a wrecked '14 FJR1300 on Ebay for $50. Shindengen FH020AA (Yamaha 1D7-81960-01-00) is the part. It's a little larger than stock but I think it will fit on the subframe near the stock location. Also requires a bit of re-wiring, I'll post more pics when I get that far. [Maybe worth explaining... The stock "SCR shunt" r/r is drawing full power from the stator at all time and shunting the unneeded power to ground. The FJR1300 was one of the first bikes to switch to a MOS-FET shunt style where the stator is still running at 100% but the voltage is much better controlled. The bike will now consistently charge at 14+ volts (less is being shunted) and the voltage won't drop as the bike revs up. I debated going with the even newer "series" style r/r from the '16 DL1000 (Shindengen SH847AA), it only draws the current that the bike is actually using and is much easier on stators. It's a big sucker though (4.5x4.5x1.75) and would be tough to mount IMO.] Make sure it's a FH020AA and not a FH012AA Found something I suspected I might in the wiring harness. The stator wires at the plug above the engine showed brown heat discoloration on the regulator side of the plug. After some effort I got it unplugged and found melting inside. Even though the connectors don't look corroded, it's a resistance point and heat builds up. This is pretty common on motorcycles and will be alleviated somewhat with the new MOS-FET regulator and removing this plug. It's always bothered me that the stator/CPS wires ran up the front, right next to the headers. They are going to get re-routed to the new regulator wherever it ends up. The mosfet unit is too big to fit in the stock location so I'm going to mount it on the opposite side of the subframe. The side cover fits back on perfectly without touching the regulator. When totally done, I'll secure it with stainless zip-ties (or may have my welder attach a plate there while he fixes my battery box). This regulator will be very under stressed in our application so I have no concerns about heat dissipation. A big advantage of this location is the stator wires (once the melted plug is cut off) will reach the regulator without lengthening the wires. You'll need to slit the protective cover and fold the CPS wires back to their plug and re-tape the covering. Secured the wires away from the exhaust (may add some heat-proof sheathing). CPS wires in upper right. Next I pulled the regulator end of the harness to the left side of the bike and cut off the plug. The regulator plug was nearly toast. The insulation was brittle and cracked. I was on borrowed time with this charging system.
I slit the harness open and pulled the yellow wires out. The only wire you need here is the red wire to feed the bike harness. While the harness was open I added a second red 12ga wire that will go straight to the battery. With everything connected. There are two 12ga wires going to the positive terminal and one 10ga ground that goes straight to the battery. For now the new power and ground twisted together. Lots of maintenance items left before putting it all back together. After removing my subframe to weld the battery box I put everything back together. I'm happy with how everything fits and the efficiency of the wiring layout. With the bike running I now have a dead steady 14.3 volts at idle or revved up. Very, very happy with this! I don't expect to have charging system issues with this bike for a long time. So this is how it finished up. I did make a heat shield to protect the RR from the exhaust system. Will remove the shield an hit it w/ a coat of barbecue paint. .
Well done! Looks like your timing was spot on. I would say problems definitely were on the near horizon. I will be checking all my connections before my Colorado BDR this summer or doing the Dynobob upgrade.
Do you have any comment on the mosffet regulators available from China on Ebay? https://www.ebay.ca/itm/For-SHINDEN...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 There some for $50+/- and some for $150+/-. I'm happy to save some money but wouldn't want to get a dud.
To me it wouldn't be worth the risk. I only gave $50 for my mint used one and they're $100 new here. http://roadstercycle.com/index.htm .
Spotted this earlier and so will post it in regard to the question of knock off regulators. https://motoelectrix.com/products/shindengen-mosfet-fh012aa-regulator-rectifier-kit When I go to the trouble of doing this upgrade I would not be happy having the unknown issues of a knock off. At least with husky OEM you know what have, now you would be just adding mystery to the mix.
FWIW, my bike has never charged over 14v since new. The last several years I'd typically see low to mid 13v on long runs. When doing a lot of starts/stops it might even be in the high 12's when running. 14.3v steady is putting a smile on my face. .
I put same shindengen to my elefant several years ago,and it have now survived twice shorted battery. If overheated It just shuts down,not burn like traditional regrec do. I too wouldnt touch china copy...Too much expensive electronics to risk. Charging did improve In elefant too. My 610 charges over 15v in idle without headlight on. With stock regrec. I did try other conventional regulator,same result. When stock someday fries,next will be mosfet type.
at 10000 km I found the connector of the burnt yellow wires. I cut and welded the three yellow wires. the standard voltage regulator is still in good condition. unfortunately the connectors do not guarantee a good passage of the current and tend to heat up with something that resembles the joule effect
I know the main upgrade here has been the FH020 but they are still a shunt regulator - the SH775 from Shindengen is better. It's series and goes open circuit when it regulates. That means there is no heat generated in the stator. The shunt types short to regulate & all that excess is pushed back into the stator. Looks like roadster cycle offer the series type. I ride old Suzuki's and we've been on this particular gravy train for over 10 years now...
The whole issue of shunt regulation is not as clear as people intuitively think it is with a 3 phase PMA. Shunting is not all bad. A shunt regulator built using mosfets will run significantly cooler than the SCR based one any day, and is still a worthwhile replacement. FET based series regulators aren't exactly new tech or state of the art these days, that's all moving towards car style generator/regulator/rectifier setups operating on phase angle.
Yes a shunt regulator is far better if it's built using mosfets but that is only half the story. The shunt regulator itself will be more accurate & run much cooler but the stator will not. Shunt regulators essentially short circuit the stator to regulate. What do you get with a short... HEAT! A series regulator goes open circuit to regulate (or disconnects the stator) hence no heat..... The series protects both sides of the system a shunt does not When you watch these regulators in action using an oscilloscope it's really easy to see what's happening. A friend of mine scoped out several regulators in the early days of all these "mosfet" upgrades so I got to see it all first hand
The SH755 is better tech for sure, what stopped me was it's size. It's a good bit larger then the FH020, which is already larger and won't fit where the stock regulator goes. Hard to find a place to mount on a thumper, on a VStrom or larger bike not as much an issue. Reality for me is, with extra driving lights/heated grips/heated jacket/gps I'm not shunting much. .