alternator rewinds

[Jim Hyman]

Rich, My 1st reply accidentally ignored your question about stator rewinds. A rewind is just that, the shop removes the stock wiring from your stator (or rotor) and rewinds all the coils. For increased output, they use more wire coils (if possible), sometimes with thinner wire. The increased wire length (or more coils) provides more electrical output (more amps). Some shops require you to mail your unit to them for the rewind. If they have 'core' units in stock, they may ship the new rewind piece to you and bill you for an additional core-charge. When they receive your stock unit, they will refund the core-charge. Our KLRs use a permanent magnet rotor. Short of buying a more powerful magnetic rotor, the only way to increase alternator output is with an upgraded stator. It is very unlikely that the stock regulator/rectifier can reliably handle a significantly more powerful alternator. I'll be running a test for the maximum charging system output by hooking up 1,2, &3 additional headlights on my stock A9. I'll be measuring the charging system's voltage and amperage at road speeds for 10 - 20 minute intervals with these additional electrical loads to find out how many amps can be powered before the battery is no longer being charged. Engine rpms will be from 3000-6000 rpms, with each test done at a constant engine speed. The stock alternator is rated at 14 amps @ 8000 rpm with 14 volts, yielding 196 watt maximum capacity. More rpms = more wattage, this is why the headlight dims at idle. Realistically, most riders won't sustain engine speeds above 5000-6000 rpm. Professor A9 Federal Way, WA. [USA] ps: don't worry about my fuses, I followed Arnie's suggestion & substituted 25 amp circuit breakers for the stock fuses, and relocated both breakers in front of the airbox, next to the rear shock. Rich Kickbush wrote:

> Jim, > I'm sure you'll let the list know if you're successful, but can you > let me know how you go with the rewind? I'm in Vancouver and was inches > away from ordering the Electrex unit until Dash reported problems. We > should bug Electrex about this - with 600 listers, they stand to lose a lot > of potential sales if their product isn't up to scratch. Could be worth > pointing out to them... > > Rich >