Looks like a sure sign that a new series regulator should be put in..

Was riding into town this morning and I saw the voltage drop.

Got home and found this.

Changed mine in 2015, and haven't looked at it since.

It wouldn't hurt to use a series type, but that would have happened with either series or shunting type reg/rec.  The shunting to ground happens inside the reg/rec body.  It won't directly cause a melted ground like that.  That connector melted from a bad connection and the bike's load.  The bike's load is pretty constant regardless of regulator type.

Have you used a dielectric grease on the connectors?  Sometimes that can wick into the connection and cause a bad connection.  I avoid it as much as possible.

Your reg/rec might still be ok if you can restore a good ground connection.  And, of course, check the other connections as well.  I think Martin has some links to factory connectors, hopefully he will chime in.

Daveo's waterproof connectors look real nice too.  That might be a good upgrade.

loudhvx wrote: It wouldn't hurt to use a series type, but that would have happened with either series or shunting type reg/rec.  The shunting to ground happens inside the reg/rec body.  It won't directly cause a melted ground like that.  That connector melted from a bad connection and the bike's load.  The bike's load is pretty constant regardless of regulator type.

Have you used a dielectric grease on the connectors?  Sometimes that can wick into the connection and cause a bad connection.  I avoid it as much as possible.

Your reg/rec might still be ok if you can restore a good ground connection.  And, of course, check the other connections as well.  I think Martin has some links to factory connectors, hopefully he will chime in.

Daveo's waterproof connectors look real nice too.  That might be a good upgrade.

I thought dielectric grease was supposed to be used on these connections to keep them clean?

Dielectric grease is non-conductive, so if it gets on the connectors, it can interrupt the circuit. It is frequently used on sparkplug boots to help them seal against the plug, and to make sliding the boot over the plug easier. Also, it is often used on the seals of waterproof connectors for the same reasons. like Lou, I'd be reluctant to use it anywhere else.
A better choice for the connectors would be Deoxit D5. It is an electrical connection cleaner that leaves behind a corrosion inhibitor that does not inhibit the flow of electricity. Deoxit also sells a formula that is cleaner only, with no residual protectant.

Dielectric grease, in this application, is an insulator.  I think people use it to keep out moisture and to make the connectors easier to insert.  But if anything, it seems to attract and hold dirt.  The biggest problem I've seen with it (on quite a few bikes) is that with heat, the grease wicks into the contact area and reduces the area of metal-to-metal contact.  This reduces the area for the current to flow through and can lead to heating of the connector.  In low-current connections, it can sometimes cause a total disconnect at the connector.

I've spent quite a few hours trying to degrease connectors on bikes that had very flakey electrical systems after greasing.  It may take years for the problems to show up, but it's a nightmare when they do.  I often found it faster to cut off all of the connectors and re-crimp new ones.

It also depends on how the grease was applied.  If it was only applied to the outer plastic parts of the connector, it wasn't so bad, (but certainly no fun to handle when your hand comes back covered with grease).  The worst is when someone basically dipped each connector into a tub of grease.

EDIT: Looks like Texas beat me to it.    I like the idea of the Deoxit much better.

Here's a pic.......