Does a reg/rec have to be earthed to the frame?

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randomsquid · #1 Post by **randomsquid** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:19 pm

Got a replacement coming for the kwak because it's not charging. At all. Like no volts.
Problem is that the mounting bolts are a swine to get to.
Any one see a problem with bolting it to an ally bit for a few days until I get a chance to fit it properly?

fatboy · #2 Post by **fatboy** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:56 pm

Try to replicate the original set up, I gave myself major headaches mounting a wafer rectifier on a BSA subframe because I put the spring washer under the subframe rather than over the subframe ( stud mounting type ), big alteration in resistance values....... witches at work !

MartDude · #3 Post by **MartDude** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 9:24 pm

If it's any help - the Futfut reg/rect is bolted to an ally heat sink, which in turn sits over the alternator - bolts on to the engine casing.

a wafer rectifier on a BSA

I have bad memories of those little blighters. Kept burning out.

Willopotomas · #4 Post by **Willopotomas** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 9:46 pm

MartDude wrote:If it's any help - the Futfut reg/rect is bolted to an ally heat sink, which in turn sits over the alternator - bolts on to the engine casing.

a wafer rectifier on a BSA
I have bad memories of those little blighters. Kept burning out.

*shudders*
How the 6v electric system ever worked is beyond me.. It deserved the reputation of being shite with a capital SHITE.. 12v conversion is the way forward.

Squid.

Earthing a Jap reg/rec case doesn't usually make any difference. Ideal to mount it where there is good air-flow across it.. About it really as they get kin' hot.

#5 Post by **mangocrazy** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 9:56 pm

Willopotomas wrote:
MartDude wrote:If it's any help - the Futfut reg/rect is bolted to an ally heat sink, which in turn sits over the alternator - bolts on to the engine casing.

a wafer rectifier on a BSA
I have bad memories of those little blighters. Kept burning out.
*shudders*
How the 6v electric system ever worked is beyond me.. It deserved the reputation of being shite with a capital SHITE.. 12v conversion is the way forward.

Squid.

Earthing a Jap reg/rec case doesn't usually make any difference. Ideal to mount it where there is good air-flow across it.. About it really as they get kin' hot.

As regards 6v electrics - absolutely. Early 12v electrics were held together with witchcraft as well. What Will says about good airflow is paramount. A reg/rec can cook itself very easily if there's no air passing over it.

If you're looking for the current (pardon the pun) state of the art in RRs, then check out Shindengen MOSFET RRs. Very well controlled, exceptionally cool running and reliable. Apparently BMW S1000RRs are an excellent source of same...

Aladinsaneuk · #6 Post by **Aladinsaneuk** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 10:27 pm

i see you and raise you a classic ducati electrics.....

Willopotomas · #7 Post by **Willopotomas** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 10:45 pm

Aladinsaneuk wrote:i see you and raise you a classic ducati electrics.....

WIPAC. Your move..

#8 Post by **mangocrazy** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:05 pm

Willopotomas wrote:
Aladinsaneuk wrote:i see you and raise you a classic ducati electrics.....
WIPAC. Your move..

A dead heat, I'd say...

I recently renewed the alternator wiring on my 888, along with the R/R, as both are notorious weak points. The wiring isn't heavy enough gauge for the current it has to transmit and gets hot and crisped, and the R/R is only 2 phase and woefully under-specified for the job it has to do. It's also prone to expiring early in the bike's life. Mine had lasted well over 10 years, which was a minor miracle.

Just to compound the problem, when Ducati brought out the 916 they kept the same specification of R/R, but moved it to a new location inside the fairing, close to the front exhaust headers. They expired even quicker there...

If that's how bad early 90's Ducati electrics were, I shudder to think how bad 60s/70s British and Italian electrics were...

randomsquid · #9 Post by **randomsquid** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:20 pm

Cheers everybody, I've got a spot in mind on a decent chunk of ally out in the wind.

For crap electrics I'll raise you an 80s 6v magneto Vespa 50.

BikerGran · #10 Post by **BikerGran** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 7:23 pm

Seems an appropriate moment to post about Lucas electrics.......

Motorcycle electrics

Electricity isn't caused by cold fusion, that’s rubbish, and forget all that nonsense about magnetic fields and the flow of electrons along a conductor, that’s a myth put about by bike electricians to support their lavish lifestyle at your expense. The reality is ... smoke! When you think about it, it all becomes startlingly obvious – smoke makes all electrical things function, if smoke escapes, the component stops working. For example, the last time you had to grovel under the car to replace the starter motor, didn’t it start smoking before it ceased working? - of course!

The wiring loom on your vehicle carries smoke from one device to another, pumped around the system by the alternator, and when a wire springs a leak it lets all the smoke out and everything stops. Starter motors require lots of smoke to work properly, so they have very thick wires going to them. The battery stores up lots of smoke dissolved in battery acid, which is why they were once called accumulators, until it became apparent that we unwashed home mechanics would twig to the secret. Naturally, if you try to dissolve too much smoke in your battery it will escape through those little holes in the top, which is why those batteries with sealed tops explode when they get too much smoke in them.

With regard to Joseph Lucas and his wrongfully sullied reputation, why is he so maligned? Why are Lucas components more likely to leak smoke than, say, Bosch? Because Lucas is British, and all British made things leak. British motorcycles leak oil, British sports cars leak rain, British brakes leak fluid, and British governments leak military secrets. So naturally, British electrical components leak smoke!

D-Rider · #11 Post by **D-Rider** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 8:32 pm

BikerGran wrote: Electricity isn't caused by cold fusion, that’s rubbish, and forget all that nonsense about magnetic fields and the flow of electrons along a conductor, that’s a myth

Well indeed electrical current is actually NOT the flow of electrons but actually the flow of holes in the opposite direction.

Yes, that IS the truth

randomsquid · #12 Post by **randomsquid** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 8:59 pm

Well I had the buggritts and sat in the dark and disassembled the arse end of the bike so I could fit it properly. Seems to be working. Will monitor closely in a pessimistic fashion...