So this is gradually driving me to new levels of geekiness. I need a new battery as after somewhere between 4-5 years the Shorai is starting to misbehave and I no longer have any faith in it not letting me down catastrophically miles from home. Getting replaced with a Motobatt So at the same time I was going to replace the Reg/Rec which is an original but still behaving (so far) There seems to be 2 types available the Shindengen FH20AA which is the recognized "GoTo" and it operates in the same manner as the OEM but uses MOSFETs. That is a shunt type it shorts all excess current to the frame via the Reg/Rec so they get hot Now there is a growing number of people installing a Shindengen SH775 or SH847 these are SCR (same as OEM) BUT are series controlled so they open when the excess current is not required. The idea is that they run much cooler and give the alternator an easier life. Now I need @Denzel and co here. I'm in a bit of a quandry, I don't know how these operate on a bikes alternator. I have seen large generator tests in power stations and know when you short circuit (shunt type) you get lots of amps (heat) but if you open circuit you get lots of volts. Just like too much current in a shunt type, too much voltage when open circuit (series type) can also be bad as it can cause insulation breakdown through arcing, at least on commercial generators. I know just enough to be dangerous!! So I'd be interested if anybody had an opinion or could assist. The series type are also very hard to find and more expensive too boot.
Hi Boots You have a good point @bootsam I'm doing research and in the meantime I'm whacking in a Motobatt BQ041 MBYZ16HD as they appear to be the best and quality I can find. I'm just thinking Reg/Recs are a well known weak point so over the Winter I'd replace. I'm getting on and time is more important than money so I'd just rather get it done, so the next time the sun shines up here (not often) I've eliminated one more potential weak point
Eliminate them all and buy a Honda. Your money would be better off saved to pay for your care home needs in a wee while.
Hondas are not immune to charging problems and burn out regulators and alternators too. Just last month I diagnosed a burnt out stator on a VFR800. In theory a series regulator should give your alternator an easier life. With a shunt reg the alternator is putting out is whole output and what isn't required by the bike is burnt off as heat. So the alternator is working hard and so is the regulator. A series regulator will only sufficient current to maintain the bike's working voltage, so the currents are much less and there is less energy burnt off as heat. The hysteresis losses in the stator winding will be much reduced also. These create heat within the winding which can lead to the stator burning out. A series reg should be a big benefit on the older single-phase alternators where the currents are much higher.
