Just looking for some feedback on my understanding of the charging/electrical system of the 1100.
When I bought my bike I was concerned about the stator as it seems to be the weak link in a most durable bike.
Some thoughts.
Our bikes have permanent magnet generator systems. This systems output is directly related to rpm. Any excess output gets shunted to ground by the regulator.
The 1200's stators are more failure prone because in order to achieve more output from the system the engineers used a stronger magnet in the same stator. More current = more heat in the windings and a greater potential for failure.
The mosfet regulators are recommended as an upgrade to bikes with weak regulators. They are a more efficient regulator but they still shunt excess current, but in this case not to ground but out of phase back into the windings, perhaps not a good idea on a weak stator.
https://www.triumphrat.net/twins-technic ... heory.html
Current in the stator produces heat which is the source of failure. The maximum current possible increases with RPM. The higher the resistance/voltage at the output of the stator the less current will flow for any given rpm. The two extremes are
- with an open circuit or no draw at the stator wires all power generated will be voltage, no current will flow, no heat is generated, and the stator will never burn out.
- with a short circuit or massive draw at the stator wires all the power generated will be current, measured voltage at the stator will be near zero, excessive heat is generated and the stator wires will fry in short order.
We want to keep our voltage as high as possible to keep the current in the stator down. The limitation on this is that when our voltage reaches a certain level (~14.5v) the regulator shunts excess voltage to ground in order to protect the battery and circuits. It's a balancing act. If we use up too much current with accessories our system voltage is low and the stator puts out lots of current which is hard on the stator. If we use up too little current our system voltage goes to max (~14.5v) our stator puts out less current but our regulator can get too hot and fail as it has to continuously shunt excess current to ground.
A sensible solution is to adjust the load (accessory draw) of our bikes to maintain the maximum allowable voltage before the regulator has to get involved to bleed of current.
I've upgraded all my brake, turn, dash, and running lights to led's. I've installed a monitor to keep me informed of the voltage in the system. I've found with my headlight on I'm usually between 13.5 and 14.5 volts. I'm probably shunting to ground at higher rpm so at continuous speed on the highway I also run my two 35w driving lights to take the strain off the regulator and I still maintain 13.5-14.5 volts.
The ultimate solution would be to upgrade to a series regulator which momentarily opens the stator circuits as required to reduce power output as opposed to shunting to ground. An open circuit can’t have current and as a result won’t generate heat. That's probably as close to an automotive altenator system as we can get without useing and automotive altenator
Jorg
When I bought my bike I was concerned about the stator as it seems to be the weak link in a most durable bike.
Some thoughts.
Our bikes have permanent magnet generator systems. This systems output is directly related to rpm. Any excess output gets shunted to ground by the regulator.
The 1200's stators are more failure prone because in order to achieve more output from the system the engineers used a stronger magnet in the same stator. More current = more heat in the windings and a greater potential for failure.
The mosfet regulators are recommended as an upgrade to bikes with weak regulators. They are a more efficient regulator but they still shunt excess current, but in this case not to ground but out of phase back into the windings, perhaps not a good idea on a weak stator.
https://www.triumphrat.net/twins-technic ... heory.html
Current in the stator produces heat which is the source of failure. The maximum current possible increases with RPM. The higher the resistance/voltage at the output of the stator the less current will flow for any given rpm. The two extremes are
- with an open circuit or no draw at the stator wires all power generated will be voltage, no current will flow, no heat is generated, and the stator will never burn out.
- with a short circuit or massive draw at the stator wires all the power generated will be current, measured voltage at the stator will be near zero, excessive heat is generated and the stator wires will fry in short order.
We want to keep our voltage as high as possible to keep the current in the stator down. The limitation on this is that when our voltage reaches a certain level (~14.5v) the regulator shunts excess voltage to ground in order to protect the battery and circuits. It's a balancing act. If we use up too much current with accessories our system voltage is low and the stator puts out lots of current which is hard on the stator. If we use up too little current our system voltage goes to max (~14.5v) our stator puts out less current but our regulator can get too hot and fail as it has to continuously shunt excess current to ground.
A sensible solution is to adjust the load (accessory draw) of our bikes to maintain the maximum allowable voltage before the regulator has to get involved to bleed of current.
I've upgraded all my brake, turn, dash, and running lights to led's. I've installed a monitor to keep me informed of the voltage in the system. I've found with my headlight on I'm usually between 13.5 and 14.5 volts. I'm probably shunting to ground at higher rpm so at continuous speed on the highway I also run my two 35w driving lights to take the strain off the regulator and I still maintain 13.5-14.5 volts.
The ultimate solution would be to upgrade to a series regulator which momentarily opens the stator circuits as required to reduce power output as opposed to shunting to ground. An open circuit can’t have current and as a result won’t generate heat. That's probably as close to an automotive altenator system as we can get without useing and automotive altenator
Jorg
