Self Combusting Rectifier - just caught it.

Everybody is so busy shouting, your missing key points in the discussion.

Seriously all I'm trying to achieve is improve the longevity / reliabilty of the rf on the Curvy SV.

I also wouldn't be making such a "song & dance" if what was meant to be a more robust unit (possibly only lasted 6K) hadn't spontaneously combusted.

3. Clearly we know that the SV is far from immune to RR failure

Exactly what I've been trying to say all along, you just need to add "premature failure".

When I look at the unit the epoxy has come away from the sides at the top, this could be as a result of the fire or it could be an indicator for failure. Heat no longer dissipating across the air gap, possible hot spots. You can have to same thing happen on the interface between processors and cooling vanes and which ultimately leads to early failure. Also indicates poor heat dissipation.

I would be quite interested to hear what the minitwin riders take on the reliability of the rf is ?

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by no_akira

Everybody is so busy shouting, your missing key points in the discussion.

I've not detected any shouting, and I guarantee you neither Chris nor I are missing anything, we've been here many times and understand both the problem and the solution well. I sincerely question whether your replacement unit was as 'robust' an item as you consider it.
Anyway good advice has been given, Chris has listed a number of suitable replacements, it's your decision whether you wish to act upon such information.

Originally Posted by no_akira

Everybody is so busy shouting, your missing key points in the discussion.

Seriously all I'm trying to achieve is improve the longevity / reliabilty of the rf on the Curvy SV.

Why? You're going to spend ages researching and trying to engineer solutions for a bike that's no longer in production, despite the fact that there are known better parts to use, based on your own bad experiences. I also find it funny that you state that everyone's missing key points when you've missed several times the people stating that the GSX-R reg-recs are also prone to failure.

YC et. al. have provided an answer to the problems you're facing: Get a CBR unit (or any similar MOSFET type). There's no need to start looking for complex solutions, just get a CBR unit and fit it. You could probably have bought and fitted one in the time you've spent coming up with theories on this thread

For the record, my reg-rec was still perfect after 32,000 miles, through two outdoor winters, three different engines, two different batteries and modifications to the wiring loom, all without ever changing its location.

My housemate's curvy reg-rec died at 11,000 miles having lived a much easier life.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by no_akira

When I look at the unit the epoxy has come away from the sides at the top, this could be as a result of the fire or it could be an indicator for failure.

I have seen a couple of failed reg recs. This is not a typical issue. As far as is practical there is no way to see any sign of failure. A good box looks the same as a bad one.

Originally Posted by no_akira

I would be quite interested to hear what the minitwin riders take on the reliability of the rf is ?

Why? They run the bikes flat out for short periods of time and then they spend a while laid up. They suffer about the same failure RATE as stock ones.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by no_akira

Seriously all I'm trying to achieve is improve the longevity / reliabilty of the rf on the Curvy SV.

Curvy or whatever, underlined or not, you still turning 3ph AC into DC 14v.

You saying you want to tell people to chop their fairings up to save the (POS!) reg rec due to heat?


What do you make of it when I tell you my reg rec failed while I was running the bike without any tail plastics fitted? You think it caught a chill

I would be quite interested to hear what the minitwin riders take on the reliability of the rf is ?

Because isn't it universally accepted in the motor industry that a good way to stress test production vehicles / components is through racing ?
It would just have been interesting to hear alternative solutions to this rf problem.

Q: Why did suzuki move the positon of the rectifier in the later model pointy.

A: Possibly heat dissipation & rectifier longevity, I've also noticed that my burning rectifier if left for much longer would have burnt through my rear brake reservoir brake line. Great my bikes on fire and i've got brake fluid running all over my rear tyre !

Perceived ideas and "groupthink" were a problem for Nasa, its always easyier to follow the herd.

I think the forum mummble about the more robust gsxr-600 (shunt type with heavy duty vains) maybe for some riders misguided or only short term solution. It may possibly lead to worsening heat retention. Its possibly fine if all your doing is a 40 minute commute twice a day, but if you do a sustained full days ride, over several days. Its possibly best to stick with the lighter flacky standard rf which just fails but doesn't ignite. This is what I think i've learned from this thread.

Apologies if i'm drawing this out but different people absorb things at different rates.

This is possibly a new thread. About 10 years ago "Electronics Today" magazine had the details for making the gear selector LED box, just wondering if anybody has found anything similar for a "Rectifier Status LED". A little idea i'd had for this is you get these led light toys lately that use a single multicoloured led going from blue - red - yellow - white perhaps these could be useful for showing charging status. Possibly you would only want it to work for the first few minutes after starting the bike. Also it would just plug in between the connector with a male/female type connector ala PC's. A small little hole in the back rump and poke the led through.

Found this link below
http://www.electro-tech-online.com/e...tor-light.html

Some enterprising engineer maybe...... could sell these kits on ebay.

As Sid says its my bike and if I want to tinker and try to improve rf longevity with a third solution, I can. I'm going to go with option 2 and try to repositon the rf perhaps to the triangle besides my left calf, underneath the carbon fibre cover using the CBR unvained type rf but then heat paste it onto a large triangle piece of aluminium as a heat sink. If nothing else at least it will be an easy to get at position.

NB: For the record I'm not suggesting people chop up there rear tails.

[dizzyblonde]

Originally Posted by no_akira

Q: Why did suzuki move the positon of the rectifier in the later model pointy.

.

Might do...but they still go bang in some cases.

I suppose in a way its a bit like me at work.
I shove out some 2500 tins of sweets an hour through a very large machine that runs 24/7. In those volumes of tins of sweets there are those that don't make the grade, come out damaged etc.

How many SVs are there in the land?, quite a lot, so there is always room for a certain few with reg recs that don't make the grade compared to the vast amount of others that work perfectly adequately.. They are designed to take a lot of different possiblities, but none are flawless.
Unfortunately as a reg rec thats knackered(apart from yours as I suppose it looks a bit like a burnt plastic spatula someone left in a frying pan) looks pretty much like any new or working reg rec, you can't be sure if its a goodun or one that just was flawed from the factory.....unlike my tins of sweets, that either are bashed, crashed or weigh too little, or don't have a date code etc etc.

I can pretty much say its down to luck if you reposition it, as to if it cures the problem for you....not because it was a fantastic idea that nobody else has ever thought about.

Probability mathematics anyone?

[yorkie_chris]

You could easily build some sort of logic circuit to detect the system voltage. It could be wired directly into any system of the bike.
Google it, there's a write up somewhere on how to do it. I looked at it, then decided it was better to just fit a reg rec that works.

What is this heat retention thing? I suggest you read a textbook on thermodynamics.

Also who is saying GSXR ones are more robust? They undoubtedly work...



I'm happy to theorise with you all day, but at the end of it, I'll still tell you to fit a CBR unit and ride the bugger.

What is this heat retention thing?

This was with regards to the gsxr600 rf which has bigger heat exchange vains compared to the standard rf. If they were types of crackers, the gsxr rf would be a cornish waffer and the sv rf would be a water biscuit.
Could it be larger vains retain more heat on longer sustained journey whilst the thinner rf is hotter to the touch but is working more efficiently at pumping away excess heat from the circuitry. Its just supposition but Suzuki engineers must have their reasons for staying with the water biscuit !

[yorkie_chris]

Like I say, go read a thermodynamics textbook. It's not possible for something to be hotter to the touch yet more efficiently removing heat given the same heat input.
Larger vanes will dissipate more heat, not retain it. More surface area.

You give suzuki engineers too much respect. They are some of the best, but they work down to a price, not up to a standard.

Suzuki engineers have same reason the 2010 SV has the same nonfunctional forks, prehistoric shock absorber and lacklustre brakes as the very first curvy.
(well, not exactly the same, but functionally, yes)