Are the leads to the regtifier/regulator on my zxr400h supposed to get very hot when the bike is running?
Answers:
thats a bad reg/rec sexypants!
try these: http://www.electrexworld.co.uk/#home. they do a new one for £45 fooooooookin bargin! shabba
what kind of air filter do you use? can you tell me?
No they're not supposed to get hot. They'll get warm but at any time you should be able to grasp the wires with your hand indefinitely. This can be caused by a number of different things such as a short in the wiring a bad reg/rect unit, bad connection at the battery terminals, or a bad ground to the frame. The simplest way to check the regulator itself is to start and run the bike in neutral on the side stand. watch either the headlamp or the dash lights and slowly turn the throttle up a bit and back down to idle a few times. You should notice the lights get a little bit brighter when the motor rpm's increase from idle then dimmer again when the rpm's return to idle. If your not sure that you see this happening it'd be a good idea to verify with a volt meter. If you have a meter connect it to the terminals of the battery on a medium DC voltage scale of at least 15V. You might need a friend to help you out if your volt meter only has probes and no gator clips. Do the same test you did before except rev the motor up a little higher say to 5 or 6000 rpm's. the voltage should climb to around 14-15 volts by 3000 rpm's and also shouldn't rise any higher than that. If the voltage doesn't move or goes quite a bit above 14 volts than you've probably got a bad rect/reg.
Agh that's about all I feel like typing here. Hopefully someone else can fill in more information.
It would be good to know though what wires exactly are getting hot. And also if the reg/rect is getting hot as well.
The rectifier/regulator unit and wiring should get warm but not hot. The connection between the unit and the frame is supposed to act as a heat sink. There is special high temperature grease to put between the frame and the rectifier unit before bolting the unit to the frame. Take the unit off, clean the joint, put in new grease (available from Radio Shack - used in heat sinks) and do the bolts up tight. Check the torque settings in your manual. If there is still a problem, the unit has fried and must be replaced.
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