Question on the GS charging system in general- trying to avoid a possible problem

[80GS850GBob]

Hi folks, I have a left field question here since I'm still trying to wrap my head around what causes the demise of the typical GS bikes charging system-
As I recall- the system sends back excess unused wattage to the stator, which can cause added heat to whats already there....bad connections, poor battery, and the like can eventually cause a failure.
I see folks occassionally swapping out old school bulbs for LEDs...gauges, turn signals, brakes....wouldn't that just add to the excess wattage going back to the stator thus trying to overheat it? I'd worry about that happening...maybe too much so and for little good reason.

Myself, I'm trying to figure a way out to add running lights front and rear to my cycle - not just for added nighttime visibility but it might lessen the stator heat problem, though that 2nd one isn't the main reason for my wanting running lights, just icing on the cake along the way.

Am I worrying over nothing....I'm not pro LEDs nor am I against them....I just want the best possible senario for my bikes healt- and mine.

Thanks for looking-

[tkent02]

You are right, but with a little maintenance there will be no problems. Clean the connections once a decade or so, keep a good battery in it. Easy stuff.
I still haven't had a GS charging system fail on me, but I have bought a bunch of dead bikes with charging systems which failed due to neglect.

If you are worried, get a series regulator, redo all of the connections and forget about it.

[Brendan W]

The rectifier/regulator is a shunt type which sends excess current back to the stator. When they fail they can result in a fried stator. Current thinking ( no pun intended) is to use a series type r/r such as the SH775 to reduce the amount of current to the stator. In addition to this the earthing needs re-organising to reduce currents doubling back on themselves. Check Posplayrs sig for details.
Once you have this sorted you can replace lights with lower power leds without risking stator damage.

[posplayr]

The rectifier/regulator is a shunt type which sends excess current back to the stator. When they fail they can result in a fried stator. Current thinking ( no pun intended) is to use a series type r/r such as the SH775 to reduce the amount of current to the stator. In addition to this the earthing needs re-organising to reduce currents doubling back on themselves. Check Posplayrs sig for details.
Once you have this sorted you can replace lights with lower power leds without risking stator damage.

I agree except, it is normal SHUNT operation that stresses the stator that can result in either R/R or Stator) or both being fried. The dirty connection as a general rule limit the charging output, however in an extreme case of loose connections I've seen the SHUNT R/R can fooled into thinking the battery is full and it will SHUNT full ON blast. The R/R got very hot very quickly just at idle. I dont know about the stator but it was probably getting hot as well.

Smaller bikes have more capacity to absorb heat from a shorted stator. Bigger bikes do not have as much excess capacity to dissipate heat and are more likely to burn a stator. How you ride (air flow v.s. hp generation) can also be a factor which contributes to some of the varied perspectives.

And yes if you switch to LED's and reduce the loads on the electrical system, the SHUNT R/R has to work harder and it takes it out on the stator. The mechanism is the same reason for the headlamp switch to remove a stator leg when the headlight was off. With Headlight off there is too much excess power for the R?R statro to handle. so the 3rd leg is removed. Of course the current running through all of those dirty contacts and crimps eventually melts those headlamp connectors. Which gets back to another reason to have the SERIES R/R.

[80GS850GBob]

Thanks for the valued input folks! I'm reworking a broken tail piece at the moment {taking two bad ones and making one good one}, and when thats done I'll start the complete wire/connector checking process and go from there.