Rectifier blower fan mod

[The Magic School Bus]

So as soon as I bought my 2005 a few months ago, the rectifier failed. I bought a new one and although I now think I should have bought one from Rick's or Electrosport, I bought a $30 model from an alternative American manufacturer only to later find out that they just resold this item from a manufacturer in Taiwan. So, in order to mitigate the risks of failing this el cheapo part and to mitigate the possibility of a failure damaging anything else or the harness, I installed two new mods. One voltmeter and a 12v <.05amp blower fan at 32cfm, which turns out to supply plenty of airflow, before the fan it got really hot after only a few minutes at idle, with the fan this thing doesn't even get warm! Here's a pic of the blower (looks cooler through the hole in the fairing - I removed the black cover- I'll post another pic when I get the fairings back on later).

Because I wanted the voltmeter to be accurate and reliable I designed a circuit for it on a DPDT switch, 3 wire voltmeter, and 9v lithium battery. This allows me to use the 9v to supply the voltmeter power, thus eliminating draw from my 12v battery for accuracy. Flip the switch two positions to the left to cut off the 9v and bridge the voltmeter test circuit with its positive power circuit making the voltmeter a 2-wire version, testing the voltage of the 12v while drawing it's power from it too in case the 9v is running low or I suspect any problems with it.

 

[rubbersidedown]

That's awesome.Looks like a mini turbo. Something about the Suzuki OEM reg/rec you don't like? I would like to know what the temp drops to with yer mod. I must get myself one of them hand held digital temperature infrared sensor thingies. Usually I just touch things to see if they are hot...

Rubb.

 

[The Magic School Bus]

That's awesome.Looks like a mini turbo. Something about the Suzuki OEM reg/rec you don't like? I would like to know what the temp drops to with yer mod. I must get myself one of them hand held digital temperature infrared sensor thingies. Usually I just touch things to see if they are hot...View attachment 1628467
Rubb.

I don't like that it stopped working lol and to replace it with OEM was stupid expensive $220, Rick's & Electro ~ $120 me thinks. Mine is "from" DB Electrical (USA) but made by "J&N" in Taiwan $30. Like I said, I thought what I was getting was at least made in the USA when I ordered it. If I did it again I'd go with the Rick's just for the peace of mind.

I don't have any fancy thermometers all I can say is with the fan off idle for 5 mins brings it up so hot that I can only hold the dandy back of my hand on it for a few seconds before it becomes uncomfortable. Now with the fan on idle for 5mins and it's about as cold as a dead body.

 

[rubbersidedown]

I don't like that it stopped working lol and to replace it with OEM was stupid expensive $220, Rick's & Electro ~ $120 me thinks. Mine is "from" DB Electrical (USA) but made by "J&N" in Taiwan $30. Like I said, I thought what I was getting was at least made in the USA when I ordered it. If I did it again I'd go with the Rick's just for the peace of mind.

I don't have any fancy thermometers all I can say is with the fan off idle for 5 mins brings it up so hot that I can only hold the dandy back of my hand on it for a few seconds before it becomes uncomfortable. Now with the fan on idle for 5mins and it's about as cold as a dead body.

"I don't like that it stopped working" ahhh a funny bastid eh.
Ya,they can get hot. The more accessories you add (like yer little turbo-fan) the less they will heat up as they don't have as much excess wattage from the stator to dispense with. Save yer reg/rec...add a mini-fridge...expresso maker...maybe hair dryer for the girlfriend... mr funnyman.
I'm sure the 30 buck'r will work out just fine...
I mean,what could go wrong...

Not to pry or anything...but how do you know how cold a dead body is? Actually...nevermind. My name is not Rubb,and I was never here.
Kiwi.

 

[Mythos]

I guess I've been lucky. Ten years on the very first rectifier zuk put on the bike. No problems. The battery is still kicking too. 16,000 miles.

 

[Kiwi Rider]

"I don't like that it stopped working" ahhh a funny bastid eh.
Ya,they can get hot. The more accessories you add (like yer little turbo-fan) the less they will heat up as they don't have as much excess wattage from the stator to dispense with. Save yer reg/rec...add a mini-fridge...expresso maker...maybe hair dryer for the girlfriend... mr funnyman.
I'm sure the 30 buck'r will work out just fine...
I mean,what could go wrong...View attachment 1628472
Not to pry or anything...but how do you know how cold a dead body is? Actually...nevermind. My name is not Rubb,and I was never here.
Kiwi.

Hey Kiwi, you are an asshat Canadian FAKE Kiwi!!

 

[Kiwi Rider]

Hey Kiwi, you are an asshat Canadian FAKE Kiwi!!

Will the real Slim Kiwi please stand up.

 

[rubbersidedown]

Well if I'm not Kiwi...and yer not Kiwi...then what have they done with the real Kiwi...

Riwi.

 

[The Magic School Bus]

I guess I've been lucky. Ten years on the very first rectifier zuk put on the bike. No problems. The battery is still kicking too. 16,000 miles.

Idk if there is a typical lifespan for the regulator/rectifiers. As far as it seems the one that failed me was the original which would put it at 16 years old and 36,000 miles. I consider myself lucky that it was the current rectification function that failed and not the voltage regulation. From what I understand if the regulator fails you very quickly risk overcharging the battery which could brick other electronics, the harness itself, and melt/ignite/detonate the battery.

 

[rubbersidedown]

Idk if there is a typical lifespan for the regulator/rectifiers. As far as it seems the one that failed me was the original which would put it at 16 years old and 36,000 miles. I consider myself lucky that it was the current rectification function that failed and not the voltage regulation. From what I understand if the regulator fails you very quickly risk overcharging the battery which could brick other electronics, the harness itself, and melt/ignite/detonate the battery.

16 years is pretty awesome for sure.(that was the OEM one right ) I guess if a guy was not cool...hahaha or smart like 601 and install a turbo-fan you could always relocate the thing...just hang it in the air.

Rubb.

 

[JeffSyh]

So as soon as I bought my 2005 a few months ago, the rectifier failed. I bought a new one and although I now think I should have bought one from Rick's or Electrosport, I bought a $30 model from an alternative American manufacturer only to later find out that they just resold this item from a manufacturer in Taiwan. So, in order to mitigate the risks of failing this el cheapo part and to mitigate the possibility of a failure damaging anything else or the harness, I installed two new mods. One voltmeter and a 12v <.05amp blower fan at 32cfm, which turns out to supply plenty of airflow, before the fan it got really hot after only a few minutes at idle, with the fan this thing doesn't even get warm! Here's a pic of the blower (looks cooler through the hole in the fairing - I removed the black cover- I'll post another pic when I get the fairings back on later).

Because I wanted the voltmeter to be accurate and reliable I designed a circuit for it on a DPDT switch, 3 wire voltmeter, and 9v lithium battery. This allows me to use the 9v to supply the voltmeter power, thus eliminating draw from my 12v battery for accuracy. Flip the switch two positions to the left to cut off the 9v and bridge the voltmeter test circuit with its positive power circuit making the voltmeter a 2-wire version, testing the voltage of the 12v while drawing it's power from it too in case the 9v is running low or I suspect any problems with it.

View attachment 1628462

View attachment 1628463

View attachment 1628464

I hope you don't plan on doing long trips with that setup it will leave you stranded! Had a buddy with his 08 gsx-r750 go through 3 cheapos in one year and he even relocated it to fresh air, told him spend the bucks and get an oem or better.

 

[rubbersidedown]

I hope you don't plan on doing long trips with that setup it will leave you stranded! Had a buddy with his 08 gsx-r750 go through 3 cheapos in one year and he even relocated it to fresh air, told him spend the bucks and get an oem or better.

Jeff might be on to something 601.

Is the fan wired up to run constantly? If not,that might be a good idea. Couldn't hurt right. Any additional draw on the reg/rec is just a bonus too. Put it on a circuit with something else,not directly to your battery,then there would be no need to monitor it or have a switch.
I like the mod thou. I think you could easily sell the idea,and sell it as a kit if you made it plug n' play with all the necessary hardware and wiring. Folks love mods,especially electrical ones and "low-dolla" mods have added appeal too. Heck...how much money was made selling TRE's. Ivan got rich off that shi7.
Rubb.

 

[The Magic School Bus]

Jeff might be on to something 601.View attachment 1628477 Is the fan wired up to run constantly? If not,that might be a good idea. Couldn't hurt right. Any additional draw on the reg/rec is just a bonus too. Put it on a circuit with something else,not directly to your battery,then there would be no need to monitor it or have a switch.
I like the mod thou. I think you could easily sell the idea,and sell it as a kit if you made it plug n' play with all the necessary hardware and wiring. Folks love mods,especially electrical ones and "low-dolla" mods have added appeal too. Heck...how much money was made selling TRE's. Ivan got rich off that shi7.
Rubb.

No switch for the fan, it's tapped into the license plate light wire, fused at 1amp, and grounded on the batt. The fan came with an alarm wire that I ran up to an led I mounted on the dash I fabbed for the voltmeter. The voltmeter is wired directly to the batt with it's own switch and if I were to sell anything I'd think the voltmeter since I don't see any other product like this out there. It's always measuring the 12v but the power for the voltmeter is on an on-off-on switch like this 12v<- OFF -> 9v. The fan I got turns out to be rather fancy shmancy, seems to normally sell online for $60-$90 but I somehow scored it brand new for $20 so if I wanted a decent profit margin I'd look for a cheaper fan which probably wouldn't be that hard tbh.

 

[The Magic School Bus]

I hope you don't plan on doing long trips with that setup it will leave you stranded! Had a buddy with his 08 gsx-r750 go through 3 cheapos in one year and he even relocated it to fresh air, told him spend the bucks and get an oem or better.

I am keeping an eye on it with this voltmeter mod. I'll probably end up buying a more trusted rectifier in the future and just swapping before departure or bringing it along for any long trips because part of the busa fantasy here is some long road ramblin'

Also here's a pic of the voltmeter dash I fabbed for anyone who's curious. See the red LED is for the fan, it only lights up if the fan is failing for any reason other than an open circuit.

 

[JeffSyh]

I am keeping an eye on it with this voltmeter mod. I'll probably end up buying a more trusted rectifier in the future and just swapping before departure or bringing it along for any long trips because part of the busa fantasy here is some long road ramblin'

Also here's a pic of the voltmeter dash I fabbed for anyone who's curious. See the red LED is for the fan, it only lights up if the fan is failing for any reason other than an open circuit.

View attachment 1628481

Not trying bash what you did, but to me seems more trouble then just getting a good reliable rectifier. I look at my time as the same as my wage and if I have to waste more time on making something work or ordering the right part I will just get the right part and save my time. I also would hate to rely on untrustworthy parts that can leave you stranded Cheap rectifiers get extremely hot if you took a temp reading of a oem and a cheapo there would be a big differnce in Temps. I would keep the cheapo and throw it in my bag if I went on a trip as a back up though.

 

[The Magic School Bus]

Not trying bash what you did, but to me seems more trouble then just getting a good reliable rectifier. I look at my time as the same as my wage and if I have to waste more time on making something work or ordering the right part I will just get the right part and save my time. I also would hate to rely on untrustworthy parts that can leave you stranded Cheap rectifiers get extremely hot if you took a temp reading of a oem and a cheapo there would be a big differnce in Temps. I would keep the cheapo and throw it in my bag if I went on a trip as a back up though.

No worries, that's exactly what I mean when I say that if I did it again or in hindsight I would have just spent the cash on a more reputable brand. I would not recommend anyone go the cheapo route when it comes to this part but people are still gonna do it and if they do then I'd at least strongly recommend a cooling strategy and a real-time monitoring device.

 

[shade]

Agreed with others...
All the time and engineering you could get a mosfet and it will always stay cool

 

[The Magic School Bus]

That said, I regret nothing and thoroughly enjoy the process of teaching myself new tricks.

 

[rubbersidedown]

That said, I regret nothing and thoroughly enjoy the process of teaching myself new tricks.

I have worked with some fine techs over the years. Guys that have forgotten more about bikes than I will ever know. Guys that would slap me in the head if I say...let my clutch and brake fluid get ugly...or had rust anywhere on my bike. Just sayin' bro,you can tell me to f-off...it happened once before. Yer brake master isn't as cloudy as yer clutch prolly because it had those aftermarket lines installed at some point. Rusty bolts...on a fine Gen I. no no no...
Stay up on yer routine maintenance bro especially if yer Busa is exposed to the elements. (looks like it is/or has been)
Rubb.

 

[The Magic School Bus]

I have worked with some fine techs over the years. Guys that have forgotten more about bikes than I will ever know. Guys that would slap me in the head if I say...let my clutch and brake fluid get ugly...or had rust anywhere on my bike. Just sayin' bro,you can tell me to f-off...it happened once before. Yer brake master isn't as cloudy as yer clutch prolly because it had those aftermarket lines installed at some point. Rusty bolts...on a fine Gen I. no no no...
Stay up on yer routine maintenance bro especially if yer Busa is exposed to the elements. (looks like it is/or has been)
Rubb.
View attachment 1628526

Yeah I appreciate the free inspection but first of all I have put less than 50 miles on the front brakes after a complete rebuild. That's RBF660 in there and it's not even slightly cloudy. Regardless, it's actually irrelevant because I've decided to sell this master and replace it with a zx14 radial that just arrived... The clutch master was emptied and refilled with rbf660 recently as well but has yet to be fully bled. Consider it on the list. Those bolts get cleaned and treated with rust-oleum rust reformer every few weeks, I don't like the look either but it's just the slightest surface rust, not an urgent important task. But since I'm apparently not doing enough about it, I am just about to use my glitter nail polish on them "bro"