Regulator / rectifier mod
Mileage: ?
I did the famed regulator / rectifier mod. As standard, the r/r is connected to the loom, and travels all the way around the bike before getting to the battery, losing a volt or two en route. This mod connects the r/r directly to the battery via a big fuse, reducing any lost charge. Detailed thread here. I also fitted an LED voltage indicator, thusly:
It’s pretty simple to do – I got a ‘maxi’ fuse holder from Halfrauds, did the relevant chopping, soldered and heatsynced everything up and reconnected. Works fine.
That’s the ‘maxi’ holder under the battery strap, containing a big 30Amp fuse. That other red lead you can see there is the feed for the LED voltage indicator, and heads up under the dash directly to the switch.
I then decided I wanted to be able to review my handiwork whilst on the move, so I bought one of these LED charge/battery indicators. The guy was uber-helpful, and I had my LED programmed with an extra ‘function’ to flash green when the system gets above 14 volts. When I installed it the first time, I spliced it into one of the switched connectors behind the dash, but when I measured the voltage, I was losing about a volt in exactly the same way as the original wiring of the r/r was. So I bought a nice switch with a waterproof cover from Maplins and rewired it direct to the battery. Much better, I’m now showing a green flashing LED much of the time, indicating that my charging system is on top form. The only thing I wish I had done is bought the smaller LED rather than the standard size – it’s a bit big.