Continuing voltage issues with my VFR

I have had ongoing electrical issues with my VFR for almost a year now. It has left me stranded on more than one occasion. Here is what I have done in the past.

-Honda Factory Recall
-New Stator
-Complete overhaul of the wiring
-Switches and fuses for all accessories except the power commander

Recently my OEM RR was feeding my battery too many volts. I found this out since my ABS shut off (flashing ABS light). Found out the RR was sending 15.5-15.7 volts to my battery. I switched out my OEM RR for my Electrosport RR and I still have the same problem. Except my ABS does not shut off and the battery is not overheating. It seems to be doing fine.

So this weekend I have basically set the bike back to stock wiring except for the power commander. Even though I have alot of accessories, they are not in use until I flip a switch.

I have a OEM RR on the way, however I am worried about still getting the 15.5 volts to the battery. It seems that when the rewiring of my VFR was done. It was done too efficiently. My mechanic has suggested using a different, beefier RR. He is going to hunt one down and use the existing connectors off my old RR. His next suggestion was to move the RR completely to somewhere with greater airflow and cooling.

If I can't get the voltage down I am literally at my wits end with this bike. I don't trust it on long haul trips and thats all I like to do. If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears.

Thanks VFRD!

How are you measuring the voltage, directly across the battery in the garage or out on the road?

[image: View Post]elevation, on 04 April 2010 - 02:04 PM, said:

I have had ongoing electrical issues with my VFR for almost a year now. It has left me stranded on more than one occasion. Here is what I have done in the past.

-Honda Factory Recall
-New Stator
-Complete overhaul of the wiring
-Switches and fuses for all accessories except the power commander

Recently my OEM RR was feeding my battery too many volts. I found this out since my ABS shut off (flashing ABS light). Found out the RR was sending 15.5-15.7 volts to my battery. I switched out my OEM RR for my Electrosport RR and I still have the same problem. Except my ABS does not shut off and the battery is not overheating. It seems to be doing fine.

So this weekend I have basically set the bike back to stock wiring except for the power commander. Even though I have alot of accessories, they are not in use until I flip a switch.

I have a OEM RR on the way, however I am worried about still getting the 15.5 volts to the battery. It seems that when the rewiring of my VFR was done. It was done too efficiently. My mechanic has suggested using a different, beefier RR. He is going to hunt one down and use the existing connectors off my old RR. His next suggestion was to move the RR completely to somewhere with greater airflow and cooling.

If I can't get the voltage down I am literally at my wits end with this bike. I don't trust it on long haul trips and thats all I like to do. If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears.

Thanks VFRD!

This does not sound like an R/R issue to me. It sounds like a monitor wire issue. Essentially, your R/R is getting told that it is not producing enough voltage, so then it puts out too much.

I believe member Tightwad makes a fix for this.

[image: View Post]Ryanme17, on 04 April 2010 - 09:41 PM, said:

[image: View Post]elevation, on 04 April 2010 - 02:04 PM, said:

I have had ongoing electrical issues with my VFR for almost a year now. It has left me stranded on more than one occasion. Here is what I have done in the past.

-Honda Factory Recall
-New Stator
-Complete overhaul of the wiring
-Switches and fuses for all accessories except the power commander

Recently my OEM RR was feeding my battery too many volts. I found this out since my ABS shut off (flashing ABS light). Found out the RR was sending 15.5-15.7 volts to my battery. I switched out my OEM RR for my Electrosport RR and I still have the same problem. Except my ABS does not shut off and the battery is not overheating. It seems to be doing fine.

So this weekend I have basically set the bike back to stock wiring except for the power commander. Even though I have alot of accessories, they are not in use until I flip a switch.

I have a OEM RR on the way, however I am worried about still getting the 15.5 volts to the battery. It seems that when the rewiring of my VFR was done. It was done too efficiently. My mechanic has suggested using a different, beefier RR. He is going to hunt one down and use the existing connectors off my old RR. His next suggestion was to move the RR completely to somewhere with greater airflow and cooling.

If I can't get the voltage down I am literally at my wits end with this bike. I don't trust it on long haul trips and thats all I like to do. If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears.

Thanks VFRD!

This does not sound like an R/R issue to me. It sounds like a monitor wire issue. Essentially, your R/R is getting told that it is not producing enough voltage, so then it puts out too much.

I believe member Tightwad makes a fix for this.

That could be it. Tightwad reroutes a fused, switched monitor wire on a direct route from battery to the R/R to avoid the long-winded OEM route which apprently passes through several connectors, thus providing the R/R with inaccurate feedback.

[image: View Post]spud786, on 04 April 2010 - 12:09 PM, said:

How are you measuring the voltage, directly across the battery in the garage or out on the road?

Two ways

1) One the road the Voltmeter: It is hooked directly from the RR. I read 14.5-14.7 volts with no accessories. One accessory is ok. but the second one brings it down to 13.5-14.0.

2) In the garage we read directly off the battery and various RPM. This is where I get the 15.5-15.7.

I agree with the monitor wire theory, the reg/rec has a switched 12v wire that tells it when to regulate; if that wire is not connected or is shorting somewhere then the regulator will just allow the entire output of the stator to go through to the battery.

Otherwise, it is possible that both reg/recs you're testing with are faulty... odds are against this, but it could certainly happen.

Was the stator oem?

I think the monitor wire fix eliminates the self adjusting RR circuit to a straight constant voltage , whether that reduces your 15.7v peaks is the question.

Id try the new RR and see.

[image: View Post]The Phantom, on 04 April 2010 - 07:39 PM, said:

Otherwise, it is possible that both reg/recs you're testing with are faulty... odds are against this, but it could certainly happen.

My thoughts exactly. It's possible, but the monitor wire just seems most likely. And, FWIW, Tightwad's VFRness is extremely well made with a surprisingly reasonable price.

It is an OEM stator. and will be putting in the new OEM RR this week.

If I am still reading 15.5-15.7 then I will give TightWads VRFness a try.

Eventually if I throw enough money at it, it should fix it. :goofy:

Thanks for the replys so far! If there are any ideas I am all ears.

BTW, since you seem to have accessories, tightwad makes a nice fuse block kit that compliments the VFRNess very well. I know you mentioned you have a fuse block but I thought I would mention this in case your set up has any shortcomings. Good luck finding a solution.

http://www.vfrdiscus..._1&#entry649682

see if the pictures aide with monitor wire fix

incase RR doesnt work

The recall actually hooks the monitor wire directly to the R/R output...so essentially it does away with it. I actually question your DVOM....what is the reading on the battery with the key off(after it stablizes)? Have you compare to another unit? Does the dash voltmeter read the same as the DVOM?

[image: View Post]Tightwad, on 05 April 2010 - 04:33 PM, said:

The recall actually hooks the monitor wire directly to the R/R output...so essentially it does away with it. I actually question your DVOM....what is the reading on the battery with the key off(after it stablizes)? Have you compare to another unit? Does the dash voltmeter read the same as the DVOM?


In that case, maybe thats why the 06 plus models havent had the monitor wire problem . The recall bringing the wiring up to 06 specs

[image: View Post]elevation, on 05 April 2010 - 11:00 AM, said:

It is an OEM stator. and will be putting in the new OEM RR this week.

If I am still reading 15.5-15.7 then I will give TightWads VRFness a try.

Eventually if I throw enough money at it, it should fix it. :goofy:

Thanks for the replys so far! If there are any ideas I am all ears.

A good test would even be a temporary monitor wire which you make yourself out of whatever you have lying around. Take the fairings off, find the connectors - as per the thread covering how the monitor wire works - and connect your temporary cable up to the R/R while you have a voltmeter connected. Hopefully, you will see an immediate drop in output voltage, and your problem will be diagnosed!

[image: View Post]kaldek, on 05 April 2010 - 07:06 PM, said:

A good test would even be a temporary monitor wire which you make yourself out of whatever you have lying around. Take the fairings off, find the connectors - as per the thread covering how the monitor wire works - and connect your temporary cable up to the R/R while you have a voltmeter connected. Hopefully, you will see an immediate drop in output voltage, and your problem will be diagnosed!

That's my plan kaldek. I have a long piece of heavy guage wire ready to go. If that solves it I will be thrilled.

Tightwad, I will do the tests that you suggested.

Between the information I have here I should have a final solution.

If the monitor wire doesn't fix the problem, then the next thing you should do is take a good look at your battery, because if it's suspect or won't hold a charge, then that might be the reason why the RR output is so high. And since I don't think I read anywhere in this thread about the state of the battery (or if it had been replaced recently), if it's the original then it's probably due for replacement.

As an FYI...before your can troubleshoot any vehicle electrical system, it's absolutely essential to ensure the battery is known to be good and is fully charged. If not or if it's suspect, then it should be replaced with a known good battery. Also, while I'm not a fan of Electrosport's products, they do have an excellent troubleshooting guide.

http://www.electrosp...ing-diagram.pdf

[image: View Post]NVR2L8, on 07 April 2010 - 11:51 AM, said:

If the monitor wire doesn't fix the problem, then the next thing you should do is take a good look at your battery, because if it's suspect or won't hold a charge, then that might be the reason why the RR output is so high. And since I don't think I read anywhere in this thread about the state of the battery (or if it had been replaced recently), if it's the original then it's probably due for replacement.

As an FYI...before your can troubleshoot any vehicle electrical system, it's absolutely essential to ensure the battery is known to be good and is fully charged. If not or if it's suspect, then it should be replaced with a known good battery. Also, while I'm not a fan of Electrosport's products, they do have an excellent troubleshooting guide.

http://www.electrosp...ing-diagram.pdf

I should have mentioned that the battery gets load tested everytime before we start work on the electricals. The battery is in good shape.

How I wish my problem was just a bad battery! :laugh:

ah, NVR2L8 I see you have the best fix for VFR electronics issues... a K1300S!!! :cheerleader:

[image: View Post]spud786, on 05 April 2010 - 06:58 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Tightwad, on 05 April 2010 - 04:33 PM, said:

The recall actually hooks the monitor wire directly to the R/R output...so essentially it does away with it. I actually question your DVOM....what is the reading on the battery with the key off(after it stablizes)? Have you compare to another unit? Does the dash voltmeter read the same as the DVOM?


In that case, maybe thats why the 06 plus models havent had the monitor wire problem . The recall bringing the wiring up to 06 specs

The recall wiring is not the same as on my '07 in that my bike still has the GND connection run through the blue connector, unlike the recall harness.

I can't say if or how the monitor wire was changed. I'm no expert on the wiring harness, but after looking at the recall schematic, I see the same potential for problems as the original monitor config, e.g. the R/W wire is still used, and has the same number of crimped connections (just moved to the other side of the connector) and still runs through a connector. Certainly not the same problem reducing path as a wire run directly from the battery to the RR, IMHO.

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/7520/vfrmonwirepp.png

The red and white wire used to be really puny in size , thats one difference I know of.

some guys that did the recall even had that wire begin to melt, I've never had issue with any of my electricals. I do ocassionly prep with wd on ocassion over the bike life, im at 70,000 mile right now.


But I did have a stator fail at 56,000 mile

Well on the 5th gen the monitor wire is connected to the headlight relay output, I removed it and soldiered mine to the 30 amp fuse from the battery, its a much more direct line to the battery voltage - which is what the rr is supposed to be monitoring in the first place. It also had the benifit of cutting the line from 2 feet to 3 inches less impedance to reduce the voltage.

Just went through this process and when we started up the bike for the first time it would not even turn over. So we went back to original setup and it would still not turn over. We did nothing and now the bike won't start.

Hopefully the electrical gurus are online right now as I need a fix ASAP!

thanks all

check your main fuse and all the others too.
make sure you grounded the green wire on the main harness to the frame..

I just fixed this exact same problem.. Tightwad knows his stuff and I would do whatever he recommends. I also replaced my RR with an Electrosport unit only to find out that it was bad out of the box. I ordered a Ricks RR and VFRness kit from Tightwad in combination with my sub harness recall it fixed my over charging problem. I've noticed that the 3 yellow wires comming out of the stator still get hot but they don't seem to get so hot that they melt. I'm told this is common and nothing to worry about so I've been riding it this way for about 1,000 miles. I've checked my charging system several times since Tighwad walked me through everything and all is working properly. The hot stator wires make me wonder what else could be going on that's causing them to get hot but if it ain't broke, I don't fix it.. I think the stator plug has less than perfect connection from overheating when the RR went bad and that's what's causing the extra heat. I cleaned and greased the connections well and I'm not really worried about it. But like I said, listen to Tightwad.. He really helped me a lot.. :fing02:

Yep, blew a fuse! Found it, replaced it, and she started up just fine. The new wire direct from the RR to the battery made a huge difference!

I put the brand new Honda OEM RR in and I read 13.5 volts direct to the battery. Before I was getting 15.5 - 15.7.

Now my volt meter reads 13.2-13.5. Before I was getting 14.7

Took it for a 240kms ride and everything was good. I was using the heated vest and heated grip most of the time and it lowers my voltage reading by about .3 to .4

Good stuff, glad to hear you got to the bottom of it.

On the direct reg/rec-battery connection - if you're supplying the reg/rec with 12.8v all the time (even with the bike parked away in the garage), will the reg/rec assume it's supposed to be on duty, and soak that 12.8v away? I always thought that you had to run 'switched' 12v (i.e. reg/rec active only when the ignition is on) for that reason.