e-bay VFR rectifiers for $15-17

Hello all - I'm new to the forum, but have been riding "Pretty Red" '97 VFR since March of '98 when I bought it new. Around 5k on the clock the rectifier went out and I replaced it with a OEM unit. I don't remember how much it cost, but I have no doubt it is more than the ~$15-$17 dollars this Hong Kong company is listing them for. I've been reading this forum and am seriously considering getting an R1 rectifier and putting that on instead. Prices on ebay range from $25 to $85 for a used one.

Pretty Red's electrical system died last weekend while on a ride in the foothills. I'll run tests this weekend, but smart money is ont he rectifier, again.

I"m thinking, how bad can these HK co. units be? My sense is to be cautious, but my practical side is to buy three of them, install one, keep one on the bike as a spare and one in the garage. Anybody have any experience with these? This link is to the company's website. You can also see these items on ebay.

http://showcase.inkf...=title&fnd_act=

ebay:
http://motors.shop.e...45&_sop=1&_sc=1

Any and all thoughts and comments would be greatly appreciated.

thanks
Bill

[image: View Post]EldoradoBill, on 02 September 2010 - 06:05 PM, said:

Hello all - I'm new to the forum, but have been riding "Pretty Red" '97 VFR since March of '98 when I bought it new. Around 5k on the clock the rectifier went out and I replaced it with a OEM unit. I don't remember how much it cost, but I have no doubt it is more than the ~$15-$17 dollars this Hong Kong company is listing them for. I've been reading this forum and am seriously considering getting an R1 rectifier and putting that on instead. Prices on ebay range from $25 to $85 for a used one.

Pretty Red's electrical system died last weekend while on a ride in the foothills. I'll run tests this weekend, but smart money is ont he rectifier, again.

I"m thinking, how bad can these HK co. units be? My sense is to be cautious, but my practical side is to buy three of them, install one, keep one on the bike as a spare and one in the garage. Anybody have any experience with these? This link is to the company's website. You can also see these items on ebay.

http://showcase.inkf...=title&fnd_act=

ebay:
http://motors.shop.e...45&_sop=1&_sc=1

Any and all thoughts and comments would be greatly appreciated.

thanks
Bill

I'd say there is a fair chance thaey are better than OEM.

[image: View Post]RolandHTG, on 02 September 2010 - 06:28 PM, said:

I'd say there is a fair chance thaey are better than OEM.


That is truly LOL funny. Sad, but funny.

[image: View Post]EldoradoBill, on 02 September 2010 - 10:27 PM, said:

[image: View Post]RolandHTG, on 02 September 2010 - 06:28 PM, said:

I'd say there is a fair chance thaey are better than OEM.


That is truly LOL funny. Sad, but funny.



Indeed Honda's Achilles heel. I'd be inclined to put the R-1 or Tightwad's unit on a be done with it - well at least as "done with it" as one can be on a VFR's charging system. I'm pretty sure that over the years every inexpensive part or accessory I ever purchased ended up in the trash. Quality costs money and since this is key to the health of your wiring harness (and getting home) I'd pass. Just my $.02.

If you do got to the r1 r/r just realize the cooling fins on it are larger then the Honda and you will need to cut them down about an inch or relocate it to a better mounting location I went with a r1 r/r 3 or 4 years ago now and have never had to look at it again. I did install a volt meter so I could be warned if it failed again. I have a lot of useful info on the swap if you need it just PM me and I will post it here for you. George :beer:

[image: View Post]Silver#788, on 03 September 2010 - 01:23 AM, said:

If you do got to the r1 r/r just realize the cooling fins on it are larger then the Honda and you will need to cut them down about an inch or relocate it to a better mounting location I went with a r1 r/r 3 or 4 years ago now and have never had to look at it again. I did install a volt meter so I could be warned if it failed again. I have a lot of useful info on the swap if you need it just PM me and I will post it here for you. George :beer:


Thanks much. It was 105 here yesterday and expect more of the same today. To hot to work int he garage. I'll run tests tomorrow or Sunday and confirm the source of the problem. I'll circle back with you next week if it is the rectifier.

[image: View Post]Silver#788, on 03 September 2010 - 01:23 AM, said:

If you do got to the r1 r/r just realize the cooling fins on it are larger then the Honda and you will need to cut them down about an inch or relocate it to a better mounting location I went with a r1 r/r 3 or 4 years ago now and have never had to look at it again. I did install a volt meter so I could be warned if it failed again. I have a lot of useful info on the swap if you need it just PM me and I will post it here for you. George :beer:

The R1 R/R that I use is actually smaller than the OEM Honda unit. I bought it on Ebay and I am fairly sure it was advertised as being from an 07 R1. It fits easily without any modification.

Please note it depends which R1 unit you are referring to. If it has 2 connectors, that is the desirable unit. The only with a single 5 wire connector may not be any better than what you have...and may actually be worse as it could be designed for a lower output charging system.

I bought one of the China versions to look at it....I don't plan to install it ever, although it would be interesting to subject it to the 6th gen load to see what happens...might do that for fun.

Well to no surprise, if I am to believe the symptoms, history, and test results per the maintenance manual, the R/R is bad. I think I'll go the eBay R1 route. Still curious about those cheap Hong Kong R/Rs. I may get one and just keep it with the bike as an emergency backup unit if the replacement fails. Also, I noticed some odd discoloration on the inside of the bodywork that lines up exactly with the R/R. I suspect it's heat damage.

Next comes new front brakes (EBC HH) and a new rear tire (I'm thinking Sportmax RoadSmart) but that's for another discussion group. Thanks for the info and feedback.

Bill

[image: Attached Image: FILE0003.JPG]

[image: View Post]RolandHTG, on 03 September 2010 - 02:30 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Silver#788, on 03 September 2010 - 01:23 AM, said:

If you do got to the r1 r/r just realize the cooling fins on it are larger then the Honda and you will need to cut them down about an inch or relocate it to a better mounting location I went with a r1 r/r 3 or 4 years ago now and have never had to look at it again. I did install a volt meter so I could be warned if it failed again. I have a lot of useful info on the swap if you need it just PM me and I will post it here for you. George :beer:

The R1 R/R that I use is actually smaller than the OEM Honda unit. I bought it on Ebay and I am fairly sure it was advertised as being from an 07 R1. It fits easily without any modification.


It would appear that there are two types of R1 R/Rs with varying lengths of heat sink fins

Attached thumbnail(s)

• [image: Attached Image: RR1.jpg]
• [image: Attached Image: RR2.jpg]

[image: View Post]Silver#788, on 03 September 2010 - 01:23 AM, said:

If you do got to the r1 r/r just realize the cooling fins on it are larger then the Honda and you will need to cut them down about an inch or relocate it to a better mounting location I went with a r1 r/r 3 or 4 years ago now and have never had to look at it again. I did install a volt meter so I could be warned if it failed again. I have a lot of useful info on the swap if you need it just PM me and I will post it here for you. George :beer:



I used a Gixxer 1K on my 4th gen, manly fins and all, still had room to install a pc fan on top of it. No problems with the fairing. Tested with a temp-meter over a wire; always 10-12c higher than ambient.

I'm running a R/R from a Blackbird. No issues so far (2 years, about 8K miles).

[image: View Post]EldoradoBill, on 05 September 2010 - 03:42 PM, said:

[image: View Post]RolandHTG, on 03 September 2010 - 02:30 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Silver#788, on 03 September 2010 - 01:23 AM, said:

If you do got to the r1 r/r just realize the cooling fins on it are larger then the Honda and you will need to cut them down about an inch or relocate it to a better mounting location I went with a r1 r/r 3 or 4 years ago now and have never had to look at it again. I did install a volt meter so I could be warned if it failed again. I have a lot of useful info on the swap if you need it just PM me and I will post it here for you. George :beer:

The R1 R/R that I use is actually smaller than the OEM Honda unit. I bought it on Ebay and I am fairly sure it was advertised as being from an 07 R1. It fits easily without any modification.


It would appear that there are two types of R1 R/Rs with varying lengths of heat sink fins

m ine:


http://www.lamsta.com/gallery/r1-rr02.jpg

http://www.lamsta.com/gallery/r1-rr01.jpg

[image: View Post]RolandHTG, on 05 September 2010 - 07:02 PM, said:

[image: View Post]EldoradoBill, on 05 September 2010 - 03:42 PM, said:

[image: View Post]RolandHTG, on 03 September 2010 - 02:30 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Silver#788, on 03 September 2010 - 01:23 AM, said:

If you do got to the r1 r/r just realize the cooling fins on it are larger then the Honda and you will need to cut them down about an inch or relocate it to a better mounting location I went with a r1 r/r 3 or 4 years ago now and have never had to look at it again. I did install a volt meter so I could be warned if it failed again. I have a lot of useful info on the swap if you need it just PM me and I will post it here for you. George :beer:

The R1 R/R that I use is actually smaller than the OEM Honda unit. I bought it on Ebay and I am fairly sure it was advertised as being from an 07 R1. It fits easily without any modification.


It would appear that there are two types of R1 R/Rs with varying lengths of heat sink fins

m ine:


http://www.lamsta.com/gallery/r1-rr02.jpg

http://www.lamsta.com/gallery/r1-rr01.jpg

emmkay, here I am being ignorant now, but where are the three yellow wires?

[image: View Post]EldoradoBill, on 06 September 2010 - 11:41 PM, said:

[image: View Post]RolandHTG, on 05 September 2010 - 07:02 PM, said:

[image: View Post]EldoradoBill, on 05 September 2010 - 03:42 PM, said:

[image: View Post]RolandHTG, on 03 September 2010 - 02:30 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Silver#788, on 03 September 2010 - 01:23 AM, said:

If you do got to the r1 r/r just realize the cooling fins on it are larger then the Honda and you will need to cut them down about an inch or relocate it to a better mounting location I went with a r1 r/r 3 or 4 years ago now and have never had to look at it again. I did install a volt meter so I could be warned if it failed again. I have a lot of useful info on the swap if you need it just PM me and I will post it here for you. George :beer:

The R1 R/R that I use is actually smaller than the OEM Honda unit. I bought it on Ebay and I am fairly sure it was advertised as being from an 07 R1. It fits easily without any modification.


It would appear that there are two types of R1 R/Rs with varying lengths of heat sink fins

m ine:


http://www.lamsta.com/gallery/r1-rr02.jpg

http://www.lamsta.com/gallery/r1-rr01.jpg

emmkay, here I am being ignorant now, but where are the three yellow wires?

Sorry, they were being repaired when the picture was taken:
http://www.lamsta.com/gallery/3yellowires.jpg
I neglected to take a pic of the repaired harness.

I now have in my possession, the R/R on the right (i.e., the one with the very tall fins). The model # is FH011AA, which appears to be the correct unit per researching this forum. The only issue I think I have is mounting the unit to the frame. While the mounting holes are the same distance, the shear bulk of this considerably larger-than-the-OEM-unit negates using them - there's just no way to line them up due to the peg-frame mount and the rear brake-fluid reservoir mount being in the way. Also, I will have to cut off the stud, formerly used with a nut to mount the OEM unit and will have to drill and tap an upper mounting hole. Easy.

What I find most interesting, and haven't seen (or at least I've missed this part) is any discussion about simply releasing the existing wires (with attached female clip intact) from the original plastic housing (i.e., the plug) and simply connecting them directly to the male receivers within the two respective ports on the R1 R/R. The clips are the correct sizes. No muss, no fuss. What am I missing here?

Also, just to see if it fits, I attached the respective wires to the unit then duct-taped it in place before replacing the body work. It would appear that there is about 1/4 inch of space between the top of the fins and the inside of the body work. Given the apparent heat damage from the OEM unit, I'm concerned about how hot do these fins get?

Attached thumbnail(s)

• [image: Attached Image: RR1.jpg]
• [image: Attached Image: RR2.jpg]

[image: View Post]EldoradoBill, on 09 September 2010 - 04:16 PM, said:

What I find most interesting, and haven't seen (or at least I've missed this part) is any discussion about simply releasing the existing wires (with attached female clip intact) from the original plastic housing (i.e., the plug) and simply connecting them directly to the male receivers within the two respective ports on the R1 R/R. The clips are the correct sizes. No muss, no fuss. What am I missing here?

That's what I did, but I didn't have any heat damage on my connectors. You can use R/R's from a couple of different Honda's ~ they switched suppliers around 2000 which is why they have fewer failures after that time.

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/uploads/1177711941/gallery_654_2921_483808.jpg
cbr600rr regulator swap 001.jpg