I was afraid that would be the main option. I love the inconspicuous LEDs (when the bike is off) I put in my frame (cut off the loop and put the LEDs there), plus the brightness is unbelievable. I am trying to research how to avoid this abundant amount of heat though, without having to use it with lighting. Are there any other options for this dissipation of heat?
On a side note, my points and ignition are not giving me any problems, yet....knock on wood.
"other options for dissipation of heat".............yes, just don't generate more heat than is needed by the bike's electrical load.
weaselbeak hit the nail right on its head. As I explained earlier, a PMA generates uncontrolled amps. from its stator. Lets say as an example; a bike with a PMA going down the highway is generating 14 amps. Many bikers use LED's now which use very little amps. So, maybe the bike is actually only using 7 amps. The extra unused 7 amps has to go somewhere. The rec/reg units job is to dissipate that 7 amps (98 watts). If the rec/reg has the ability to shed the 98 watts of extra heat, then all is well. However, if the rec/reg can't handle the extra heat, then bad things happen.
I like LEDs. I use an LED taillight/brake light and licence plate light. My bike uses about 8.77 amps when driving down the road. But because my alternator has
controlled amps coming from the stator (regulator has reduced the rotor current and reduced the magnetic field in the rotor), my alternator is only generating 8.77 amps.
My stock system is balanced, only producing enough amps as required. The PMA is over producing, so its not balanced.
For guys that want to strip the bike down as much as possible and use LEDs etc. , then the stock alternator system is a better way to go.
I don't know what modern bikes do as far as a PMA system. Logic tells me that if the bike consumes say 7 amps, then the designer likely designed the PMA to generate only 7 amps. Then the system would be balanced. 7 amps produced and 7 amps consumed.
No excess heat to worry about.