Alternator Wiring Question

MFolks wrote: The regulator/rectifier plug on the 80’s bikes usually has six wires in it:

A. One (1)WHITE with RED stripe, this is the bikes main power wire usually 12 gauge in size.

B. One(1) smaller Brown wire, probably 18 gauge or so, the voltage sense wire for the regulator/rectifier, helps keeping it from overcharging the battery.connect it to a steady 12 volt source(like the running or tail light circuit).

C. One(1) BLACK with YELLOW stripe wire, part of the ground circuits, maybe 16 gauge in size.

D. Three(3) YELLOW wires, maybe 14 gauge in size, the alternator output wires going to the regulator/rectifier which converts the Alternating Current(A.C.) to Direct Current(D.C.) using rectification, producing the power to run the motorcycle and charge the battery.

Does this help?

TomW wrote: I'm going out on a limb here for a moment. While connecting the brown voltage sense wire to the tail light circuit will work normally, what would happen if the fuse blew in that circuit? Would the sense wire read 0 voltage and increase output to the battery and possibly fry it?

TomW wrote: Just thinking out loud here. I would think about connecting the sense wire to the hot coil terminal. If you lose power there the bike is dead anyway, no over voltage problem.

loudhvx wrote:

TomW wrote: I'm going out on a limb here for a moment. While connecting the brown voltage sense wire to the tail light circuit will work normally, what would happen if the fuse blew in that circuit? Would the sense wire read 0 voltage and increase output to the battery and possibly fry it?

YES

TomW wrote: Just thinking out loud here. I would think about connecting the sense wire to the hot coil terminal. If you lose power there the bike is dead anyway, no over voltage problem.

That's a better choice, but if the kill switch is used to turn off the ignition while the bike is coasting in gear, the same thing will happen... overvoltage.