Voltage Regulator Cal Vin

[antmanbee]

My bike stopped charging, had to bump start it but I made it home. Now on to the problem.
Tested the battery with my meter after recharging and got about 12.7V and a little bit less while running and no increase in voltage with higher RPMs.
Tested between the two yellow stator wires while unpluged and got .2ohms. Also no shorts to ground from the stator wires.
Green ground wire from regulator to battery ground or frame has continuity.
Red and green wires from regulator to fuse to battery positive terminal have continuity.
No charging light displayed on the dash.

This leads me to believe the regulator has gone bad.

I have read about the Shindengen FH020AA mosfet regulator which is a shunt type and superior to the oem one.
I have also read about the Shindengen SH775 series type regulator which is supposed to reduce stator temps and loads.

I have removed the two running lights so load is a little less. 

My questions are,
Is there anything else I need to check before assuming it's the regulator and how to test or what to inspect?
Which regulator is best advised and why?
Are there any other makes that will work fine that cost considerably less and are reliable?

[Kiwi Dave]

I had a similar problem with an EV Touring, so there's a possibility this may apply to the Calvin too.

Trace the cable between the alternator and the regulator.  In my case, there was a plug and socket join up behind the steering head somewhere.  It was covered with heat shrink which I had to remove to observe the plug and socket.

In my case, the connectors had simply corroded slightly and lost contact.  A bit of a clean-up, a new piece of heat shrink and it was a box of fluffy ducks.

Good luck with yours.

[antmanbee]

Kiwi Dave,

I didn't fall into a box of fluffy ducks.
The contacts on the connectors looked pretty clean on both the plug from the alternator to the regulator and on the plug from the regulator to the fuse/battery.
I cleaned them anyway and reconnected and fired her up. No charge.

[Wayne Orwig]

I had a similar problem with an EV Touring, so there's a possibility this may apply to the Calvin too.

Trace the cable between the alternator and the regulator.  In my case, there was a plug and socket join up behind the steering head somewhere.  It was covered with heat shrink which I had to remove to observe the plug and socket.

In my case, the connectors had simply corroded slightly and lost contact.  A bit of a clean-up, a new piece of heat shrink and it was a box of fluffy ducks.

Good luck with yours.

My 2004 had this issue. There is an adapter plug on the two yellow wires coming from the alternator. One of the connectors was failing. I crimped a new connector on and that cured that.
I think the Cal Vin has the same regulator and wires, so it may have that adapter in there. I haven't heard of any of those regulators failing. The older model Ducati Energia regulators where like flash cubes, they popped so often.

[Wayne Orwig]

Kiwi Dave,

I didn't fall into a box of fluffy ducks.
The contacts on the connectors looked pretty clean on both the plug from the alternator to the regulator and on the plug from the regulator to the fuse/battery.
I cleaned them anyway and reconnected and fired her up. No charge.

Do you have a high AC voltage on the yellow wires when it is running?

[antmanbee]

Yes I have 50-60+ ac volts across the 2 yellow wires as I rev it up.

[Wayne Orwig]

Since the original design was not a shunt regulator, I worry that the shunt regulator will over heat the stator. The stator is not oil cooled like a lot of Asian bikes. I have installed shunt regulators on Guzzis in the past with no problems. But in one case the owner complained about smelling 'burning wires' all the time. We switched back to a factory series regulator and he was happy.

[antmanbee]

Wayne,

How do you know what type of regulator is on the CalVin? I spent a lot of time on the internet researching this and did not find that info. The parts manual lists 883878 and 32703810 which superseded 03703870. Mine looks like 32703810 because the 2 plugs look identical.
http://www.euromotoelectrics.com/MG-VoltRectOE-p/mg-voltrectoe.htm This one from euromotoelectrics looks like the right one but looking at the schematic info sheet it says shunt on there.
The Shindengen SH775 is a series regulator and probably higher quality than the oem and maybe the euroelectrics one too but I don't know who actually makes it.
http://www.euromotoelectrics.com/product-p/mg-voltrect.htm There is this one too from euromotoelectrics and they state that it is aftermarket but not if it is shunt or series type.
I sure would like to find a less expensive alternative for what seems to me to be a part that should be a common universal type of part. After all, all bikes of every brand need one.

[antmanbee]

I think I am going to go with a Shindengen SH775. I have found one from Motosport that is a genuine oem Polaris unit for $81.24 shipped. From what I can tell, Shindengen is the oem supplier to Polaris. the Polaris part number is 4012941.
It's going to cost me another $20 to get the Furukawa 250 QLW Series R&R Connectors. http://www.cycleterminal.com/furukawa-qlw-250.html
The sites that sell these regulators recommend to bypass the factory wiring and run wires direct to the battery.
I think I may use the wire and connectors from the old regulator to make a harness with the new connectors for the new regulator and jut plug it in to the bikes wiring. 

[Sheepdog]

Great price...I paid $240 for an upgraded regulator for my Piaggio.

[Kiwi_Roy]

Is this the correct diagram for your bike?
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/guzzi007/schematics/2008_California_Vintage.gif

It shows two pairs of wires, 1 pair to battery negative the other pair to a 30 Amp fuse. On the VII spine frame Guzzis this fuse has been a problem, the contact between the
fuse holder and the fuse itself gets loose and overheats.
I have no experience with this type of regulator but it seems to be sensing Voltage before the fuse if that's the case it may be putting out the right Volts but it's getting
lost across the fuse, inspect it for any discolouration of the plastic a sign of overheating. 


Re Shunt Regulators
I was a bit dubious about using one also, I've been told the main cause of them failing is resistance in the leads between the alternator and the regulator, the system relies on
being able to prevent the coils building up any Voltage when shorted, without Voltage you have no Watts (Heat)
The earlier Honda Goldwings were well known for burning out the stator when the 3 pin connector exposed to road spray became corroded, the bad connection allowed the
alternator to build up Voltage and lots of Watts, Owners in the know would chop out the connector and make a soldered joint in its place.

Re earlier Ducati Energia Regulators
I believe these are good regulators but they get a bad rap because of the flakey wiring on the bike, the Voltage signal from the headlight circuit can be low by a full Volt so they
cook themselves overcharging the battery. If they had a direct reading of battery Voltage I'm sure they would last.

[Wayne Orwig]

How do you know what type of regulator is on the CalVin? I spent a lot of time on the internet researching this and did not find that info.

Again, I was talking about the original Ducati system. It was a series regulator, as I could easily tell with an o'scope.
On the current system, I can't be sure. I just know that the stator is identical. The shunt system will run the current a bit higher when it regulates the voltage, which will cause a bit more heat. I can't say if that is a bad thing.

[Wayne Orwig]

I think I am going to go with a Shindengen SH775.

Their site implies that it is only rated at 27 amps. Isn't the CalVin alternator 30 amps (or maybe a touch more)?

[antmanbee]

Wayne,
I read that the SH775 is a 35 amp unit.
The CalVin is a 350W alternator, which would put it at about 27-28A. The fuse is a 30A.

Kiwi Roy,
That is the correct diagram in your link. Same exact link I found for it.
All the contacts and connectors at the fuse box and other harness connectors look clean and good with no signs of corrosion or overheating.
I know that the oem regulator for the CalVin is also a Ducati part #434 40 6040 but no one references if it is a shunt or series.

I can't see a down side to using a series regulator, only positives. I know a lot of people use the FH020AA with good results on Guzzi's and many other bikes.
There was a long thread on WG not too long ago about this mostly for the newer V7s that were over charging. http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=81838.90