Electrical rewire-overhaul

[oddcycle]

Frequent reader, first time poster. Working on a 79' GS850GN. I've seen Basscliff's super amazing hello a handful of times now and I've tried to absorb all I can from it. I have a few questions that I either didn't absorb before or haven't been able to find in the abundance of knowledge here.


My plan:


-Replace my crap OEM R&R with a Shindengen SH775. I found this fellow on Ebay selling them for cheaper than I have seen listed elsewhere on the site. Alternately I can go really sketchy and go with this guy's wares at a screaming deal of $34. How bulletproof are these R&Rs? Would you trust a used one? I haven't been able to find anyone buying anything but a new one here and I can't tell if that is for a good reason. Has anyone found a better place for connectors than D'Ecosse suggestion to source it from triumph?

-SSPB, as soon as Posplayr makes another run I will install one. I would like to wire to a fuse box in the meantime. Does anyone have suggestions that would make it easier to put in the SSPB later on down the road. I am debating cleaning, polishing the OEM fuse box and buying a new one that I will be replacing in the not too distant future.

- High performance ground mod as seen in step 2 of GS charging health. Honestly a good chunk of this is above my understanding of electronics. I follow it most of the time but get lost in the technical woods. I may have more questions that would otherwise be self evident as some of the photos in these posts aren't rendering any longer. (Is there a way to access these photos in an older cached version of the forum?)

-Replace headlight with LED. The current bucket on my bike is a random item the PO put on there and I will need to be replacing it. Does anyone have suggestion for a bucket that would play well with these new fangled LED lights?

-Replace back turn lights with two circuit running light- turn light models. I think I will end up doing this by buying a two circuit fixtures and buying some of these for the back. I will need to do some rewiring in the back to the right flashing unit, I don't think my bike has wiring for dual filament lights in the back so I will need to do some mods.

- Replace front turn signals w/ LEDS. I haven't figured out which set of LEDs I will use for that yet. I'm open to suggestions. I'm also looking for suggestions on enclosures, I'm not planning on sticking with the stock hardware.

- Coil relay mod. If you were doing this would you wire it any differently in anticipation of a SSPB?

-AGM battery, anyone have a favorite model or vendor?

-Connectors, I'm planning on replacing any that are suspect. Do you guys like the OEM replacements primarily for the convenience or do you find them to be excellent connections on top of being the same as what already lives on the bike? I am trying to weigh whether the increased cost and time of using modern connectors is worth it or not. I have been considering replacing what looks bad with more modern connectors and leaving what looks suitable still. Any favorites for modern style connectors if you don't like the old style? Anyone of the camp that the only connection that should be known to man is a soldered one?

-Dyna-S, is it worth it's price? I'm trying to build my bike to be as maintenance free as possible later on, I'd like to do it right the first time. I'm just not sure if it's something worth doing right now.

What am I missing? My stator was replaced by a PO and I got the bike in barely running condition. I stripped much of the bike down before realizing I had made a new kid move. I should have done a lot more diagnostics before taking it all to bits. I didn't get a chance to do a charging health check before I tore it down. I'm currently working on getting the valves adjusted, carbs torn down, cleaned and built again. Is my plan way too overzealous until I know where I am living? If you were doing a electrical refresh is there anything else you would want done? Is there any one thing that you would start with first.

Cheers and thanks for reading!





Reference for myself for later:

Wiring for idiots
Bass cliffs electrical odd n ends

 

[tom203]

"....Is my plan way too overzealous until I know where I am living? "
I vote yes! You said bike ran poorly- is it mechanically ok? Tranny seem ok? I'd get it running right first before I spend lots of time/money on electrical upgrades.
that appears to be a used SH-775- so take a chance and save $40 off new, probably ok as Shindengen makes reliable stuff. I've been using one for two seasons and no complaints and no charging issues.

 

[Grimly]

-Replace my crap OEM R&R with a Shindengen SH775. I found this fellow on Ebay selling them for cheaper

I don't see any Shindengen marking on that. There's a flood of fake RRs on the market, that are actually shunt type, but cunningly masquerading as series, by the simple trick of advertising them as fitting the models that would have used the series type. The seller knows you'll just buy it, and your stator will last for long enough for them to shrug it off later.
I haven't seen a genuine SH-775 that doesn't actually say so on the casing.

 

[Guest]

I'll second that. Series R/R's have not been out long enough for there to be a used parts market. They can be had for about $75.00. At $35.00, you are the one being had.

 

[oddcycle]

"..I vote yes! You said bike ran poorly- is it mechanically ok? Tranny seem ok?"
Tranny was fine, worked fine when it was running. It was exciting riding the way it ran but the tranny was ok. Pressure is a little low on one of the cylinders but I haven't finished adjusting the valves yet. That will be item #1.

1. Valve shims and check compression. One of my cylinders was sitting around 60 or so when I did compression but I have not adjusted the valves and did not do it with throttle wide open. For no reason other than good luck I have high hopes that number will pop up after adjusting the valves. I just need to find where I hid that new OEM valve cover gasket.
2.?

I'm fairly dead set on rebuilding a GS. I feel it's likely even if the motor is bad I'd rebuild it or source a new one to put in this frame rather than switch the whole bike out.

After I get #1 done I'll revisit this post and see where else I need to go from there. I think if I have good compression it would make sense to start launching into some of these motor running critical electrical improvements along with getting my exhaust and carbs up to snuff.



Cheers and thanks!

 

[eil]

How bulletproof are these R&Rs? Would you trust a used one?

I did, I bought one on eBay which was described as a working pull. Installed it on my 850. Seems to keep the battery charged okay if I ride a lot but it's not quite putting out the voltage that I expect. I suspect this could be due to a dodgy electrical connection somewhere. I have a new spare R/R sitting on the shelf that I plan to swap over in the spring to help pinpoint exactly where the problem lies.

 

[Kyler]

the Dyna allows you to dump the points, etc. Do do get a stronger arc in the plugs and improved ignition. If you don't have a problem with burnt points then it may not be worth your while. On the other hand, it is bullet proof and you likely would never need to touch it again.

 

[tom203]

The listing has changed since this morning at 7am est - where pic showed a used r/r with clear SH-775 markings. Maybe the used one sold and these new seadoo parts appeared. They just might be sh775's- further research needed before we pass judgement .

 

[Guest]

Shendengen manufactures the SH-775. They also manufacture a lot of R/R's that are built in the same heat sink as the SH-775 that are Shunt R/R's. Unless you are absolutely sure it is that model, you are probably getting a Shunt instead of a Series unit. All the Shindengen R/R's were high quality. Any one of that style will charge the system, but the Series is the only one that switches on and off giving the stator rest periods. The Shunt unit is either charging or shunting through the Stator never giving it a rest. Why would Shindengen change the markings on the SH-775 for Seadoo and leave them on for Polaris? You might want to check out this URL and make your mind up considering the newness of the Series R/R and price:http://www.shindengen.co.jp/product_e/electro/beware.html

 

[Grimly]

The listing has changed since this morning at 7am est - where pic showed a used r/r with clear SH-775 markings. Maybe the used one sold and these new seadoo parts appeared. They just might be sh775's- further research needed before we pass judgement .

If those are genuine Shindengen SH-775, you can paint my arse blue and call me Claude.

 

[eil]

They may be genuine, but they are not the series-type R/R. Have to pay attention to the part numbers.

This is NOT the right one: (EDIT: Actually, it might be fine. See additional comments below.)

THIS is the right one:

 

[tom203]

You guys are too skeptical! Only Polaris has the brains to use a series r/r? Not likely! Seadoo makes some pretty sophisticated (and expensive) watercraft, I think they might have discovered the series advantage. And I wouldn't expect them to be using Polaris part numbers- they'd insist on their own scheme.

 

[mikerophone]

They may be genuine, but they are not the series-type R/R. Have to pay attention to the part numbers.

This is NOT the right one:

THIS is the right one:

Wow one digit difference (SH775AA vs. SH775BA) makes the difference, eh?

I'll be picking one if these up soon, good to know!

 

[eil]

I also meant to say that the part number on top is the vehicle part number (Polaris 4012941) while the large middle number is Shindengen's part number (SH775BA).

Hmm, now that I take a closer look, perhaps all SH775 R/Rs are series regulators after all? http://www.shindengen.co.jp/product_e/electro/catalog.html If so, the Sea-Doo SH775AA would be a good buy after all, as long as it's not counterfeit.

 

[eil]

And here's a guy who installed an SH775AA on his SV650: http://web.ncf.ca/ag136/SV650/seriesRegulator.html

 

[Grimly]

They may be genuine, but they are not the series-type R/R. Have to pay attention to the part numbers.

This is NOT the right one:

THIS is the right one:

Interestingly, Shindengen's site draws no distinction between SH-775s, lumping all the SH-775s together as series types.
http://www.shindengen.co.jp/product_e/electro/catalog.html
Only way to be certain is get an ammeter on one of the Can-Am take-offs and see what its load/unload current is.

 

[Grimly]

You guys are too skeptical! Only Polaris has the brains to use a series r/r? Not likely! Seadoo makes some pretty sophisticated (and expensive) watercraft, I think they might have discovered the series advantage. And I wouldn't expect them to be using Polaris part numbers- they'd insist on their own scheme.

Missing the point, Tom.
Some unscrupulous sellers are promoting their wares - wares which they know damn fine are inferior shunt type and if you pay careful attention to the phrasing of the advert, you will see that they never actually mention the words "series" or "Shindengen", but simply say these R-Rs are for the watercraft, ATV, whatever mentioned in the advert. It's up to the buyer to make the leap that they will be the right part.
The water is full of sharks.

 

[tom203]

I have seen plenty of series imitations, but none had the SH-775 marked on them, like the OP's first link. Personally, I doubt that even Polaris dealers know the difference between series and shunt, so I ain't surprised that few others do and attempt to sell by shape/connector layout
at some point, these SH -775's will become noticed and appreciated, so buy now while they are affordable.

 

[tom203]

"Only way to be certain is get an ammeter on one of the Can-Am take-offs and see what its load/unload current is."

yes , this would be best ,but a crude test would be to do the diode test from Basscliff's

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/storagecliff/images/electrical_odd-n-ends.html#B01

a series unit would not conduct in either direction due to turned off SCR's

 

[t2098]

Wanted to add my 2 cents to this thread since it's one of the first ones that comes up on a Google search for SH775AA. I've been testing a bunch of these Shindengen regulators after retrofitting them to a number of bikes, and the difference I've managed to find so far is that there's a different voltage set point for each: (Note, these were all tested on the same day, same bike, same battery, same wiring, etc.)


SH775BA: 14.2V from 2000rpm to redline (3 samples tested, one brand new, two used - all identical)
SH775AA: 14.7V from 2000rpm to redline (2 samples tested, one brand new, one used - both identical)


Granted, I have a fairly limited sample set, but the trend is obvious and it makes sense given that the Shindengen part numbers are different. Shindengen does also note on their website that they will make these units custom for any OEM with whatever regulated voltage they want.


Your mileage may vary of course, as different bikes will have different voltage drops through the wiring, connectors, etc., but in particular if you're wanting to use a LiFePO4 (Lithium) battery in your bike, you might be better served getting the SH775BA - a little less voltage means a little less stress on the cells.