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Voltage Regulator Upgrade

95K views 112 replies 28 participants last post by  D'Ecosse 
#1 ·
The Gen 1 voltage regulator / rectifier is a common failure point. I've had failures of the OE unit on two different bikes at around 30K miles. So I replaced the second one with a much more robust unit from a Honda CBR1000RR. Details and pictures are here:

 
#3 ·
Best R/R on the market today is the Shindengen FH012AA used on the late (06+) Yamaha FJR, R1 among others
It is a MOSFET controlled device rather than the crude SCR type and a 50A rated device.
MUCH better voltage regulation and runs cooler too.



These are starting to show up on the EBay market - there are many other bike models, simplest check is to use something like Ron Ayers to find all the match models. (Even Grizzly ATV uses it)

The connector plugs are quite different of course - have been unable to find a source for these - but simple female spade terminals push directly over each of the pins.
The best connection method is to run the output leads directly to the battery (the + via a 30A fuse)

 
#4 ·
I'm running on a '04 GSXR750 R/R (or something like that) for probably longer than a year. Checked the charging voltages about a week ago and it still reads about 14.5V @ 5k RPM. But if I can find one of those that D'Ecosse is talking about, I'd go for that instead. Unless it's realy expensive. The GSXR R/Rs can be had for under $50 on ebay.
 
#5 ·
... Unless it's realy expensive. The GSXR R/Rs can be had for under $50 on ebay.
That's about the going rate for the FH012 - sometimes less. Even brand new from a discount on-line parts source, these are in the $128 range - cheaper than after-market offerings!

I just picked one up for $32 plus shipping and one of my friends paid similar. The first one I bought was $50. It's like anything else on EBay, just need to shop around, be patient & be sharp.

I wouldn't advocate going out & doing this for the sake of - but if/when you do have a faiulure, this is the one to consider.
Although having said that have converted two of my own bikes ;D
 
#6 ·
FYI to anyone else reading this thread in the future. The '95 YZF-R1 regulator looks exactly like FH012 from the top. But when you look at it from the side, you suddenly notice that the heatsink fins are like 3" long. This thing is freakin HUGE and heavy. It's part# FH011AA or FH011 for reference. There is no way this thing is going to mount in the original stock location. I'll have to rig it under my seat somehow.

Now that I have it in my hands, I can see that it's physically a lot taller than the FH012.
 
#8 ·
Old regulator on the left. New '05 R1 regulator on the right.
The pic doesn't show how much taller the R1 regulator is. But it's a HUGE difference.


Here are the R1 regulator's male spade pins and the female spades I'll use to attach to it with.


The 14-16 awg female spades worked great. The dark blue and red smaller awg female spades are too small.


Temporary mounting location.



The results are that the old stock regulator had the battery at 12.4 volts with the bike running at 4K rpm. And after just 60 seconds of this, the old regulator was too hot to touch.
The new R1 regulator had the battery at 14.1 volts at 4K RPM's after a five minute ride, and was cool to the touch.

So far, other than needing to find a new mounting location.... I'm pretty happy.
The R1 regulator cost hardly anything from Marcel at www.gotmotoparts.com . He's an ex WSMC and AMA racer and a good guy. Got the part in the mail two days after I ordered it. He's got tons of bikes he's parting out on the website.
 
#13 ·
The results are that the old stock regulator had the battery at 12.4 volts with the bike running at 4K rpm. And after just 60 seconds of this, the old regulator was too hot to touch.
The new R1 regulator had the battery at 14.1 volts at 4K RPM's after a five minute ride, and was cool to the touch.

This is because the Suzuki bit is shunting more power to ground, creating resistance, causing it to heat up.

The Yammi bit is allowing more "juice" to run to the battery instead of ground, so it doesn't heat up as much. If they were the same size, with the same fin area, the Suzuki bit would still heat up more, as it's converting more electricity to heat.

That 12.4 volts at 4k rpm is caused by a failed unit. It should be allowing closer to the 14.1 volts that the Yammi bit is feeding.
 
#9 ·
This one is going to be locked down in the FAQ section as soon as activity ceases on it.

Great post and excellent writeup! :thumbsup:
 
#10 ·


Exactly as I mounted my FH012 CZ Eddie - but the *12 model is MUCH more compact. I would recommend against the FH011 model simply because of its physical size but nice job of installing .
Also although the smaller spade 14-16ga terminal is a more compact fit in the connector, try to stuff a 12ga wire into it to get less loss.


The FHO12 can be found on 07+ R1's, 06+ FJR, and a bunch of other late model Yamahas incl some snowmobiles, ATV's etc.
The OEM Yamaha part number is 1D7-81960-00-00
You can find all the models its used in by checking the RonAyers Cross Reference - just enter the part number and go.

So once you find one that looks like it on EBay, check the year & model against those in the list to validate.
I simply use a wide range "yamaha Regulator" search & then narrow down by the image.
 
#11 ·
Wow, that thing is humongous. You got to get creative with the mounting location if you want to retain storage space. The GSXR R/Rs are larger in length and width but the same height or thickness, so it still fits under the stock bodywork.
 
#12 ·
...The GSXR R/Rs are larger in length and width but the same height or thickness,....
Yes - and 'complete' with old-school SCR type shunt regulation.

The FH012 is comparable size with all the benefits of the MOSFET control.

No disrespect to CZ Eddie but he pretty much acknowledges himself he picked the wrong model and clearly didn't recognize its size till he received it; but having bought it, made the most of it. He still sees the performance benefit and its size just meant more creativity on location
Another alternative that has MOSFET control, is the FH010 - this is used on late-model Kawasakis (ZZX10 /14) and also some R1 & FJR in the 2005/2006 range. It has slightly lower power rating than the 12 but still plenty for the SV. That 010 unit has same form factor as the 12 so not prohibitively large like the one above.

Here is the end profile of the FH012: I'll post up some pics of it installed on my TL later.

 
#15 ·
The mounting hole spacing is different I think, but that should be easy enough to deal with - 68mm between hole centers. Should certainly fit in the orginal space (similar to the OP's if you follow his link)
The module itself is reasonably compact, see the overall dimensions in the spec sheet in my first post above - 90 x 84.5 x 32mm (90 is the width - 84.5 length not incl the connectors)
 
#16 ·
I did some research on the R/R that the OP jim.randall used - it too is a Shindengen MOSFET unit. Most of the late model CBRs utilize the same type of R/R and the latest CBR1000 looks like it uses the FH0012 with the same connectors.

The designation on the CBR1000 unit is FH008EB - the 'F' designates it is an FET model - the Shunt/SCR ones by same manufacturer have an 'S' prefix.
Unfortunately I can't find exact specs on the FH008 unit but is still an excellent choice given it uses the MOSFET technology.

 
#18 ·
I had the same problem with my 1st gen last summer, I replaced it with an R/R from an '01 Gsx-R and now it's great, little bit of modification but nothing huge. Any idea what the R/R puts out in comparison to the stock SV?
 
#23 ·
The FH012AA will fit in the stock location with some trimming of the plastic covering. Here are some pictures of the installation I just did.

First a couple of the R/R bolted up in the stock location:





Then I trimmed the cover as shown below:



And finally all covered up:

 
#36 ·
I'm sorry, but a few things put together make this really problematic. You've got the connectors hanging in the breeze and whatever other weather, and you're not using the stock weatherproof connectors. Water is going to get in there and cause corrosion at least and possibly a short.

You could also have probs if a stone or something nicks one of those lines - if it's a coil wire you'll lose electrical power or may cause a short into the chassis (potentially messing with everything electrical on the bike). If it's the power wire you could have a short, blown fuse, or run down your battery. If it's the ground wire you can cook everything electrical on the bike.

I strongly advise finding another way to mount this ASAP. The manufacturers run the wiring inside bodywork with weatherproof connectors for a reason.
 
#27 ·
Well,it's not the cleanest, but it ain't bad. Perhaps a adapter plate of some sort can be fabbed so that the mounting holes is at a vertical axis instead of horizontal. Of course that's a bit more work that trimming the tail piece.

The "adapter plate" will allow the connectors and wiring to still be tucked away nicely. For that better R/R, I think it's worth the trouble.
 
#30 ·
There's a clairvoyant circuit built into those little buggers so that they know to die JUST when you need the bike the most.

Do yourself a favor and get a used GSX-R/CBR unit off eBay for cheap and replace it.

A dead R/R can kill your battery and possibly damage your alternator. If you get one and bring it over I'll show you how to wire it in. It's a breeze.
 
#33 ·
Well, I tested my voltage today and I think I'll be doing a swap/upgrade. It measured about 13.5v at idle, but at 3-4k, it dropped down to about 12.8V, which seems too low. That probably explains why my battery tender always indicates red when I hook it up after I've been out for a ride.

So, I just bid on one of the CBR1000 models that is ending soon. Please don't bid on this auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270351001808

I went with the smaller CBR unit since I don't want to deal with the size of the 12AA model and I don't want to fabricate connectors. I'd rather solder/heat shrink the connectors and retain the stock mounting location like Jim Randall did.
 
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