dwade71

So Friday I rode my bike to work, speed for gas and the bike wouldn't start, battery was drained. Put a new battery in, then this morning it was drained again. I read as much as my brain could handle about the r&r. I went to take mine of and these pics are what I found. Two yellow wires were corroded. Trying to remove it, the yellow wires came out. I tried for a half hour to get the connector off. The top middle connector was burnt and stuck. I'm going to solder and rewire the connections. Do you think it's just a case of bad wiring, or a bad regulator burning it up? Thanks.

Stumpy

There is a lot about R/R on the sight suggest dong a search and some reading before fixing it as the forum has done a nice job of fixing this problem.

dwade71

Thanks Stumpy. I have read a ton, just wondering if it's an easier fix to replace the connections instead of buying a new RR. I can't really afford one at this moment and it's my main mean of transportation.

Tweety

Yeah sure... When you have a splinter in a finger and infection in your body killing you, you take pain pills so it doesn't hurt... It's a much better fix than antibiotics to fix the infection... Or taking the splinter out to stop the source of the infection... Much cheaper to... And smarter...

Good luck using the bike as transportation... It'll take a new battery once a week or so, and re-soldering the wiring at about half that interval, but yeah, you could skip replacing the R/R... Really... You could...

Really, if there was a better way, don't you think you would have found it by searching? Whit a big neon sign? I mean, everybody and their aunt is looking for the cheaper, easier, less time consuming, less labour intensive way of fixing their R/R issues... You aren't the first to ask, nor are you the 999'th...

If I where to call you names, I'd have a long list of non flattering one's... I'll settle for silence...

dwade71

With all due respect, Tweety, I searched and read for over an hour your posts and others about the replacing the RR and the hows and whys. My post, with pics included was to ask you guys for advice, if it was a bad RR or just faulty wiring from the previous owner. Yeah, I get it, I'll replace the RR. It's a shame you guys are so quick to attack people. I've searched these forums time and time again, it's hard to find a direct answer. Funny, I really looked up to you as one of the most informative hawk posters. Didn't mean to strike a nerve.

smokinjoe73

So that wiring job is nightmareish. Those scotch tap connectors are no where near robust enough to handle this job. Look for good connectors on the eastern beaver sight. Looks like someone who is sorta a hack did that job (sorry if it was you but it is a real mess).

That burnt connector cant be re-used.

Just replaced mine last nite but soldered and shrinkwrapped all wire connections and used the EB plug which is really good quality. You could get a cheaper one from molex or corsica connectors but would take some searching.

dwade71

Thanks, Joe. It was the previous owner. I can't tell if it's the stock RR or not, there's no markings or numbers on it. I'll do a little more searching to see if it is. I'll park it and order a replacement mosfet one.

jerryh

Better check mine this week. The R/R on your bike is finned so you either have a later model hawk or its been replaced. I think I read where Jaime Daughtry suggested running a separate good sized ground direct to the negative on the battery. Good luck man. Only a jerkoff would suggest someone sincerely needing help be called unflattering names. Not everyone is technical in all aspects here and certain people need to be mindful of this.

7moore7

Doesn't matter if it's the stock one or not, it's a shunt-based R/R.

Here's what you need to know solidly before Tweety's comment makes sense: that R/R is toast and you need a new one (along with the wires that are fried). There's no way around it, and unfortunately it's going to cost money to fix (which you have figured out already )

The good news is it's relatively inexpensive. This is no $500 top end rebuild or some Ducati valve job. You can get the whole kit new (connectors and R/R) as a MOSFET upgrade for less than $150. If you want to piece together your own with used e-bay parts than it's even less. A used MOSFET is still better than a new stock unit. Keep in mind, this is an upgrade, so you won't have to worry about it failing like this again.

At least it's not a BMW adventure bike with a swingarm prone to cracking!

Shindengen FH020AA Mosfet Regulator/Rectifier

Scott Shand

dwade71, I agree with some others here that replacing the R/R and some of the wiring is best. I wish there was a cheaper option but I'm afraid there isn't. As already stated, replacing this smoked stock unit should be a one-time required fix for you. But as always eventually there'l be something else! Good luck with the repair and hope you're on the road again soon. As an aside I am always amazed that there's some folks who seem to exist only within the confines of a web site. What a pathetic existence in my opinion. Maybe I'll check in again in a few months to see what else may be new. Blessings, Scott

dwade71

Here's the latest. I was doing some voltage testing of the wiring of the RR after I fixed the corroded wires. The positive wire going to the RR was also running a second wire straight to the positive terminal of the battery. I dont think it came that way, lol. I disconnected that additional lead from the battery and all power to the bike was gone. That additional lead is running everything and tying into the RR. Just for testing purposes, I reconnected the RR and the new.connections, along with the additional lead to the battery, and all tests looked good. The voltage was around 12 with the bike off and ran up to 13.5 when I ran the rpms up to 5000. I have no idea why that is running to the battery. I'm hoping someone can shed some light on why this was done and where I can look to correct it.

comedo

Your tests show that all is not good. A fully charged stock battery should produce 12.8v with the key off. 13.5v at 5,000 rpm. from the r/r is not sufficient to charge the battery. Stick with your plan to replace the r/r.
Some r/r vendors, such as Shindengen FH020AA Mosfet Regulator/Rectifier referred to above, suggest wiring the r/r directly to the battery. However, in your case, the previous owner may not have included a fuse in the direct connection from the r/r to the battery which is essential.
Tweety made available a very clear wiring diagram for 97 to 00 VTR's at Tweety's Wild Thinking There is also a service manual available through the Knowledge Base.
The problem is with the component. Cleaning up the wiring alone won't fix the problem. Tweety is far kinder than you might think.

dwade71

Yeah, I'm buying a new RR. I needed to see what I was working with, since it wasn't following the wiring diagram you mentioned. Thanks for the tips.

Tweety

Well... If you want too consider it an "attack", that's up to you... But I have never wanted to be "looked up to", that was your choice...

The reason I said what I said is proven in your post as you defend yourself...

NO, it's not at all hard to get a definitive answer... It's been posted half a gazillion times that once the wiring starts looking like in your images you need to throw away the R/R and replace the burnt wiring and connectors, and either go for an OEM, (NOT 3'rd party) or Mosfet R/R from other OEM manufacturer... And also several times by me, that that still is only putting a band aid on a broken bone, as it doesn't fix the other half of the issue, namely corrosion on ground points and connectors... But again, that takes effort, so most disregard it, and swap R/R's a few times instead...

There has never, ever been any posts that have been even remotely ambiguous or less than crystal clear on any of this... And if there was such a post, the post made in direct reply to it, will have been as you put it an "attack"... If you still feel otherwise, please point out the ambiguous post(s) supporting that, and I will offer you a complete apology for my actions... I however very much doubt you will find one... Hence why I chose to party ridicule your post, as I find it tragicomic when people try to find a way of avoiding the inevitable...

You say you have spent time searching, and then ask for a magic bullet that will fix your issue without effort/cost... There is none, never was, which is why you didn't find it when searching... Which was sort of the point of what I posted...

However, whether you find that ambiguous post or not, how about this... My apologies that you ended up taking the brunt of my repeated annoyance to people not wanting to hear or understand the information about fixing R/R and electrical issues... It wasn't really you that annoyed me, but the repetition of people asking the same question over and over, wanting a different answer than they have already been given more than once... It wasn't fair to ridicule you... I know how it is being tight for cash, fixing things with hope and a shoestring to get by... Not fun...

Peace...

Tweety

Eh... nope... I'm a grumpy old fart... That's what I am... But then again, I'm happy being grumpy...

FTL900