Best stator and regulator?

[Motörhead]

I want to make sure my new to me 1986 Aspencade is a reliable as possible so I'm not feeling like an idiot 1000 miles from home.
From researching various forums the OEM stators come out burnt with soldering failures so I'm hesitant to pay a premium for a questionable design in a Honda bag. The one aftermarket unit I found appearing as good or better than stock with potting is out of stock everywhere! See pic of Procom. The others on Amazon and such don't have potting and are so low priced it screams cheap knock-off. Anyone with first-hand testimonials on either a replacement or a rewinding service please chime in.

 

[Motörhead]

Found one on Amazon that looks good with good reviews. Said 1 available (sometimes that's a sales gimmick) so it's on the way.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HYK6O18

 

[pidjones]

Go ahead and throw a lot of money at it, but the best bet for reliability is keeping on top of the connections. Clean, tight, and free from oxidation. Yes, the regulators can fail (I had one of the discrete regulators fail on a '79). But understanding that the system is a PM alternator that puts out power primarily proportional to RPM, and any excess is dumped to ground helps one to understand that converting to all-LED and other drastic power saving measures just overloads the regulator.

 

[Motörhead]

Go ahead and throw a lot of money at it, but the best bet for reliability is keeping on top of the connections. Clean, tight, and free from oxidation. Yes, the regulators can fail (I had one of the discrete regulators fail on a '79). But understanding that the system is a PM alternator that puts out power primarily proportional to RPM, and any excess is dumped to ground helps one to understand that converting to all-LED and other drastic power saving measures just overloads the regulator.

Oh yes connections on all the harnesses will be examined and cleaned or repaired as necessary including rewrap if old tape is peeling.
I'm overdoing it maybe but for my mental health if nothing else. The thought of a old, yellowed, charred stator down there will cause my trips to be less enjoyable.

 

[AApple]

I used a stator assy from Rick's on my 1100 years ago...never had a lick of trouble out of it, charged perfectly from day one.

 

[Denver]

Changed out the regulators in all of my 1200's.
Dropped the voltage output from the 14.9-15.1 area, to around 13.9-14.2.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Two types of regulator/rectifiers (RR) available - series or shunt. Both use the newer electronic component technology, no such animal as a MOSFET RR. The MOSFET component is internal to the RR and replaces the older SCR technology.

MOSFET technology has been around since the '50s I believe.

As pidjones mentions, the stator develops power proportional to the RPM, and will do so regardless of what you do to the electrical system.

LED lighting is good for bright lights and such, but reduces the load and a shunt RR has to work more to shunt excess power to ground.

The shunt RR works in parallel to the power stream, monitors the electrical voltage in the system at approximately 14.2 VDC - reference voltage for the RR. When the voltage goes higher than the reference voltage, the RR syphons power off the main stream and shunts it to ground.

A series RR is in the power stream and works as an on/off valve controlling the voltage in the power stream. Has a reference voltage of 14.2 VDC as well.

You have an '86 1200. Everything deteriorates with age. Internal components break down. A new RR would be a good maintenance item. If you are going to replace the old RR with new, I would consider a series RR.

This is a good video for RR information:

Good luck.

 

[dan filipi]

Why do we care that the shunt RR is sending excess to ground. Aren’t they made to do that? Maybe it gets hotter but they have heat sinks for that.

 

[Motörhead]

Since over the winter I'm already going to service the swingarm bearings, rear wheel, etc can the stator be replaced with the engine in the frame with all that out of the way? The exhaust is coming off too for a derust and polish.
I think another tech in a shop I worked at did a GL1200 stator in the frame but that was long ago.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Dan - Short answer, I'd say we don't; however, the charging system on these old girls always gets a bad rap when it fails. As pidjones has mentioned, a primary reason for failures is the maintenance of the connections/connectors. Crud/dirt/corrosion and the likes are not your friend in this system. Another consideration is the age of the RR. Everything degrades with time. The newer model RRs have the latest technology that is more effective/efficient in maintaining the system at the required voltage.

Here is a pic of the Stator wires on my bike. Takes a lot of heat over time to melt the outer wire sheath. Could affect the wires at the stator as well:



A newer RR on an older motorcycle cannot hurt. The issue is that you must know what type it is, shunt or series - both use MOSFET transistors. The second issue is to clean and maintain the system connectors between the stator and RR, and from the RR to the electrical system. Would not hurt to systematically clean all the connectors to reduce resistance in the system.

Installing a volt meter is advantageous. Does not have to be a finely calibrated one, as long as the readout is consistent. When the readout changes, time to investigate.

To check the battery, get a battery tester that does a load test, can check the charging system operation and does an internal health inspection. Not very expensive, just north of $50.00.

 

[Motörhead]

In the GW electrical thread on another forum someone made a big deal out of the MOSFET transistors in a specialty shop's RR. Maybe he was acting as a sales rep idk but I took the bait. Back in the 90's a line of car stereo amps would emphasize MOSFET transistors for their superior performance.

I'm no electronics guy obviously but I try to do installs and maintenance properly.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Since over the winter I'm already going to service the swingarm bearings, rear wheel, etc can the stator be replaced with the engine in the frame with all that out of the way? The exhaust is coming off too for a derust and polish.
I think another tech in a shop I worked at did a GL1200 stator in the frame but that was long ago.

I've heard of this being done in the frame, but the engine had to be twisted in the frame so the left side is away from the frame. Still have a lot of nuts and bolts to remove, not a lot of room, and same requirement as for removing the engine.

It is mentioned in the service manual to drain the engine oil along with removing other items as if you were taking the engine out. What is not mentioned is that there is still a good amount of oil remaining in the rear case that can make an unwelcome mess where you are working, BTDT.

Probably easier to remove the engine and do the work. Lets you clean the engine area and engine as well.

 

[Rednaxs60]

In the GW electrical thread on another forum someone made a big deal out of the MOSFET transistors in a specialty shop's RR. Maybe he was acting as a sales rep idk but I took the bait. Back in the 90's a line of car stereo amps would emphasize MOSFET transistors for their superior performance.

I'm no electronics guy obviously but I try to do installs and maintenance properly.

As mentioned you can have a series or shunt RR - no such animal as a MOSFET RR as this component is used in both. The MOSFET transistor has replaced the SCR diode as it is more efficient. The question is, do you want a series or shunt RR? I'd go series, but that is me.

 

[Motörhead]

As mentioned you can have a series or shunt RR - no such animal as a MOSFET RR as this component is used in both. The MOSFET transistor has replaced the SCR diode as it is more efficient. The question is, do you want a series or shunt RR? I'd go series, but that is me.

The replacements I've looked at don't say series or shunt, can you suggest a certain name brand or part number? Thanks for your info btw

 

[Rednaxs60]

Shindengen FH020AA or equivalent - shunt. Your budget is also an issue. Low cost or expensive, either can fail. Made in the USA is no guarantee of quality, where were the internal parts sourced from. have read a lot of forum threads regarding RRs and there have been plenty of satisfied customers with offshore RRs - only ever hear of the ones that fail, then it's a POS. Roadster Cycle provides Shindengen RRs. The video I posted the link to is interesting. RMStator is out of Quebec. Give them a call, exchange is in your favour.