Expanded charging system guide (In progress)

I wouldn't order the combo unit, or any unit for matter, from Mike's. They're very expensive and many report problems with them. Honestly, I think they're expensive junk. You can replace those components with a separate auto regulator and a 3 phase rectifier from the electronics industry. Cost will be less than $20.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/122128766123?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151314178350?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Would this work? http://m.ebay.com/itm/290798826230
 
For someone who's trying to save money, you're certainly not trying to save money, lol. I can't say for sure if that unit will work on your 650 model or not. The model range they list can't be right. '78 and '79 models don't use the same regulator as the '80 and newer models. That listing says it works on both and that's just not possible. Personally, I wouldn't buy that Chinese junk.
 
Sito......................I agree with 5twins. Stop buying that low quality crap that Mikesxs sells. I would not buy that Caltric rec/reg unit from E-bay, because its a low quality part also, and likely will not last.
NOS automotive regulators such as the VR295, that was used on 1970 to 1989 Chrysler cars/trucks, will work very well on 1980 to 1984 XS650s. The Chinese rectifiers, such as 5twins listed, while inexpensive, seem to work well too.

Besides the VR295, you can also use AL154CS or NAPA # MPEVR38SB. These are regulators only..................must use a separate rectifier.
 
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Had a member show up with his bike in a truck, we went through and in his case found a defective mike's regulator was not an improvement over a dead stocker. A good stocker from the bins had him back on the road in minutes. RIP Jim Crowley.
 
If I bought the things that you said for 20$ how would I wire that up though?
I'm not familiar with the Fiat regulator that 5twins listed, but if you decide to buy anyone of the 3 automotive regulators that I listed, we can show you how to wire them. Its very simple, just 2 wires and a ground wire from the regulator case.
 
The Fiat regulator wires in the same as the others, red to power, green to brush, case grounded. It is the same ground switching type A regulator as the others mentioned. It's just more compact and I think much cooler looking, and probably a little cheaper too.



The rectifiers are easy to connect up as well. You should find all the wires in the original plug that connected to your combo unit. All you need do is make some new wires to run from the plug to the rectifier.

 
You guys were right! I have a 82 xj650 in the garage and took the regulator rectifier off of that and hooked it up and it is great! Only problem, now when I run the bike the fuse running the headlight keeps blowing? Any idea where to look for that? But it's charging!
 
Alright retiredgentleman, ready to help me now?! Lol. I have a 1980 xs650 it is 100% stock. This past summer I accidentally put jumper cables on the bike backwards and it blew a couple of the fuses. I replaced the fuses and I noticed it was not charging, sometimes it would charge and sometimes it would not, it was all over the place. My first thought was the regulator. So I replaced that. When I took it off, the connector was burnt. So I got new connectors and attempted to check for charging and now there is no charging at all. I checked the stator and that seemed fine, all of the white wires tested correctly. The rotor tested good as well. On the stator plug, one of the prongs for the white wire was burnt, and I replaced that plug. The brushes are new and I just have no clue what to do. I have checked everything that I can think of. I have been messing with it since august and am lost. I am a college student and cannot afford to take it to a shop. Any ideas??!!

Seems your problems started way before you bought your first Mikes Regulator, (or was it really the combined Reg/Rect), it is very important to clarify exactly what has been bought. Burnt wiring connectors and blown fuses then intermittent charging then no charging when the new Reg, (your words again needs to be clarified), was installed and then a connector was replaced due to a burnt prong.

Clarification of a 7 wire Reg/Rect bought from MikesXS is the correct one for your model XS650.

I think taking a step back to asses what has been said and what needs to be done would be a good thing to do before continuing forward. Information given is subjective and biased to an extent where i think it is becoming a bit confusing for you. making a mockery of the cost of parts based on where they come from is wrong and goes against advice that has been given. A big fat NO on Buying cheap Chinese parts and then advocating buying other cheap Chinese parts is.......................?????

Question............Why is one part dismissed because a seller states the part will work on 78XS650 when it wont............... but these same people allow a Yamaha parts supplier to State the same information, (OEM combined solid state Reg/Rect will work on all XS650's from 78SE/79SF - 83SK), when it is clearly wrong.

Take what you will from this post, but i urge you to slow down and go through the information posted and asked some questions about some of the answers given for clarification.
 
Seems your problems started way before you bought your first Mikes Regulator, (or was it really the combined Reg/Rect), it is very important to clarify exactly what has been bought. Burnt wiring connectors and blown fuses then intermittent charging then no charging when the new Reg, (your words again needs to be clarified), was installed and then a connector was replaced due to a burnt prong.

Clarification of a 7 wire Reg/Rect bought from MikesXS is the correct one for your model XS650.

I think taking a step back to asses what has been said and what needs to be done would be a good thing to do before continuing forward. Information given is subjective and biased to an extent where i think it is becoming a bit confusing for you. making a mockery of the cost of parts based on where they come from is wrong and goes against advice that has been given. A big fat NO on Buying cheap Chinese parts and then advocating buying other cheap Chinese parts is.......................?????

Question............Why is one part dismissed because a seller states the part will work on 78XS650 when it wont............... but these same people allow a Yamaha parts supplier to State the same information, (OEM combined solid state Reg/Rect will work on all XS650's from 78SE/79SF - 83SK), when it is clearly wrong.

Take what you will from this post, but i urge you to slow down and go through the information posted and asked some questions about some of the answers given for clarification.
The charging system works now, it was a defective regulator rectifier.
 
What one...................The original or the one you bought from MikesXS..............How did you solve the problem and what was it??
 
I have a 1980 xs650. My original regulator went bad, and the one I bought from mikes was defective as well. I have an 82xj650 that I'm restoring to flip and took the regulator off of there to see that would work and now it's working great.
 
But the fuse for the headlight keeps blowing, so I have to figure out what is causing that.
Pretty old but did you figure it out Sito? I'ma gonna guess a missing or worn grommet in the headlight shell cut the insulation on a wire that (was) shorting to ground.
 
I've read all 19 pages and haven't seen anyone with the issue I'm having. I have a 1980 XS650SG with stock electrical. A few years ago I replaced the rotor with a rewind from 650 Central. Bike has run great until now. I'm getting a lot of hesitation off idle until about 3000 rpm when I first leave the driveway, but the problem goes away after a few miles as long as I keep the revs up. Charging/low voltage is the first thing that came to mind. With the headlight fuse pulled I'm only getting 13.5 - 13.8 volts at 2500 - 3000 rpm. Brushes were replaced at the same time I replaced the rotor. I checked them and they were well within tolerance but I replaced them again anyway and voltage was the same. Any ideas what could be causing the low voltage?
 
What voltage with the headlight fuse in? We are starting to run into electronic voltage regulator failures, just on age I guess. Do the regulator diode check. Here's some more ideas, Check voltage drops, running at idle, across each fuse, voltage drop across the ignition switch. Check the back of the headlight bucket at the 3 grommets for cut or scraped wires. Check connections and battery ground strap. How good is the battery? Ohm the rotor. ohm the stator yellow wires. Guess what I am saying is check everything looking for a smoking gun.

An 81 was in rough shape electrically, but found this when changing the harness to a better one. Grommet was in place but the shell had worn through the thin rubber edge.
20170526_164118.jpg
 
Oooooh thats going to give me nightmares G :eek:
Sliced like a knife through butter. It would be good if we found a thin section bead that would fit around those sharp edges instead of fighting with those rubber grommets but then i suppose it wouldn't be water-tight grrrrr
 
What voltage with the headlight fuse in? We are starting to run into electronic voltage regulator failures, just on age I guess. Do the regulator diode check. Here's some more ideas, Check voltage drops, running at idle, across each fuse, voltage drop across the ignition switch. Check the back of the headlight bucket at the 3 grommets for cut or scraped wires. Check connections and battery ground strap. How good is the battery? Ohm the rotor. ohm the stator yellow wires. Guess what I am saying is check everything looking for a smoking gun.

An 81 was in rough shape electrically, but found this when changing the harness to a better one. Grommet was in place but the shell had worn through the thin rubber edge.

Thank you Gary. I'll start testing when I get home tonight...can hardly wait. :(
The reg/rec was replaced by a dealer about 25 years ago. One thing I haven't done yet is clean the battery ground. I'll try that first...I cleaned as many of the plugs/connectors as I could get to with electrical contact cleaner. Will check the headlight bucket too.
 
What voltage with the headlight fuse in? We are starting to run into electronic voltage regulator failures, just on age I guess. Do the regulator diode check. Here's some more ideas, Check voltage drops, running at idle, across each fuse, voltage drop across the ignition switch. Check the back of the headlight bucket at the 3 grommets for cut or scraped wires. Check connections and battery ground strap. How good is the battery? Ohm the rotor. ohm the stator yellow wires. Guess what I am saying is check everything looking for a smoking gun.

I was able to do some testing tonight but didn't test anything with the bike running because it was getting late. Here's what I got with the headlight fuse in:
After sitting for 24 hrs battery voltage is 12.2v with the key off, 11.39v with key on. Btw...my headlight comes on as soon as the key is turned on...always has.
Key on - voltage at the brushes is 10.3v
Key on - brown wire at ignition switch is 10.5v
Rotor slip rings test at 4.6 ohms

I did the diode test. When the reg/rec was replaced eons ago, the factory connector was replaced with bullet connectors and each white wire was labeled 1, 2, 3.
Diodes 1, 2, 3:
Positive (red) probe on the red wire, Negative (black) probe on the three white wires = no continuity
Negative (black) on the red wire, Positive (red) on the three white wires = W1 8.84 ohms, W2 10.28 ohms, W3 8.76 ohms

Diodes 4, 5, 6: (for this I tested both the brown and black wires and got identical results)
Positive (red) on the black wire, Negative (black) on the three white wires = W1 10.19 ohms, W2 9.57 ohms, W3 10.23 ohms
Negative (black) on the black wire, Positive (red) on the three white wires = no continuity

I checked the wiring running in/out of the head light bucket and didn't see problems with cut wiring.

I'll do some more tests tomorrow with the bike running and post those results.
 
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