Category: Motorcycle

MOSFET Regulator Rectifier Upgrade

Posted on April 21, 2020 | By jeff | 2 comments

Motorcycles from around the early 80’s until the mid 2000s generally used shunt-type regulators. Newer bikes tend to use MOSFET regulators. The MOSFET type are more efficient and run much cooler (this video does a good job explaining why). The good news is that virtually any older bike can be upgraded with a newer, MOSFET-type regulator/rectifier.

The units to look for are the Shindengen FH020AA or the FH012AA. From what I can tell, the only difference is that the FH020AA is newer. No FH012AA’s were made after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Both are rated to 50 amps max and 35 amps continuous.

The regulator/rectifier units will always have FH012AA or FH020AA stamped on the bottom, as shown here:

Option 1 – More Money, Less Work

RoadsterCycle is a reputable company that sells brand-new, genuine Shindengen MOSFET regulator/rectifiers, along with a kit containing the correct connectors, wire, and crimp terminals. As of 2020, it’s priced at $142.70 shipped. If you don’t want to do any crimping, they sell a pre-crimped kit for $162.70 shipped.

Option 2 – Less Money, More Work

If you’re competent at wiring and willing to do some work, you can find a used regulator/rectifier on eBay.

The FH020AA is found on:

2013 – 2015 CBR500R (Honda part number 31600-MGZ-J01, according to MegaZip)
2015+ Yamaha FJR1300 (Yamaha part number 1D7-81960-01-00, according to MegaZip)

The FH012AA is found on:

2007 – 2014 Yamaha FJR1300
2006 – 2014 Yamaha R1

Of course, they’re also found on many other makes and models, but those are some common ones I’ve found.

Other Donor Bikes

To find other potential donor bikes, search Megazip for those part numbers. Honda, Yamaha. Be sure to pay attention to the listed year.

Connectors

In addition to the regulator/rectifier itself, you’ll need a pair of Furukawa 3-pin connectors to adapt your older-style wiring. Cycle Terminal sells a connector kit for $15.95.

eBay and AliExpress Fakes

There are numerous sellers of fake Shindengen FH- regulator/rectifier kits. They’re actually old shunt-type technology repackaged to look like like the newer MOSFET Shindengen units. The giveaway is the back side, which will have black potting compound or epoxy on the fakes. The real deal will use a stainless steel plate.

Knockoff	Genuine

2024 Update:

I’ve come across some details about additional options. The FH008 and FH012 have the same mounting holes. The FH008 is 35A, while the FH012 is 50A. The FH016 (found on the Kawasaki ZX6) is supposed to be even higher capacity, but I can’t find a specific number.

SH775 – MOSFET series – 35A (14A w/o cooling), 15V max

FH020 – MOSFET shunt – 35A (30A w/o cooling), 14.8V max

SH019 – MOSFET shunt – 50A (41A w/o cooling), 14.2V max

FH012 – MOSFET shunt – 50A (41A w/o cooling), 14.8V max

Jaiwen T10 SMD5050 Instrument Lights (DX.com)

Posted on December 12, 2016 | By jeff | No comments

Here are two photos comparing OEM Honda Transalp instrument lights with the Jiawen T10 1.5W SMD 5050 LED instrument lights from DealExtreme (DX.com SKU 394964):

Both photos were taken at 1/4 second at f/5.6, ISO 800.

The bright spot in the lower (LED) photo is because the Transalp instruments call for one lower-wattage bulb, which I didn’t have on hand.

Is TheRideStop.com Reputable?

Posted on March 10, 2009 | By jeff | No comments

I was looking for an EBC rear rotor for an RD04 Africa Twin, a bike which was never imported into the USA. No online shops in the country sold them, except, seemingly, one: TheRideStop.

I put the item in my shopping cart and was shocked to see a shipping price of several hundred dollars. This alerted me that the site might be a scam.

A few days later, I happened to look at the site again. This time, adding an item resulted in more normal fees. Something still seemed fishy, so I did a search on the name. I found only this:

DON’T use the Ride Stop! I was just ripped off by them and am having my CC co. charge back the money.

Also, this thread mentions:

Unlike the folks at theridestop.com where I ordered some W&M bags. It’s been a week now and I still don’t have a tracking number, let alone my bags!

To boot they stated (after I complained about the lack of shipping confirmation) “you paid less than anywhere else so this is the trade-off I guess.” Go figger.

Seating Tire Beads

Posted on November 20, 2008 | By jeff | No comments

I was putting new tires on my 1977 CB750. The rear tire went on and the bead set without too much difficulty, but the front tire was proving more troublesome.

Previously, I had been running the Comstar wheels without tubes — something not officially endorsed until, I believe 1982 — and had used a bit of tire sealant to help the bead seat. Over the years, this liquid sealant had hardened into a concrete-like state, and despite my best efforts I believe a bit of it was impeding the process of seating the tire bead.

I tried all the usual steps to get the bead to seat. I lightly inflated the tire, then methodically bounced the wheel against the ground. I wrapped a tie-down strap around the circumference of the tire, which deforms the tire and forces the bead outward. I even tried inflating the tire as high as 80psi, all to no avail.

Incidentally, do not inflate tires to such high pressures, people really have been badly injured doing this.

After more than an hour, I gave up and left the tire overnight with around 50psi in it. The next day, I was happy to see that the bead had seated itself.

Sometimes the solution is simply to have patience.

Gummycarbs