[GoHamInHogHeaven]

I come to the top of a hill.... Burning plastic? I look down at my crotch, and there is white smoke pouring out. "THE RECTIFIER!!!" I jam the key in the latch and rip off the seat. it's on fire.. MY bike is on fire. While releasing a furry of fucks and curses from my swear-hole I disconnect the wires and blow on the fire like I'm the big bad wolf himself. It finally goes out. nothing majorly damaged as far as I can tell. I started it and limped to a friends. It ran fine. I've ordered a mosfet rectifier, bike had 24k miles on it. I've read that this can happen, didn't expect it to be so catastrophic... anything I should look for as far as electrical issues?

 

[scott]

Should we change your username to Sparky

Glad you didn't get hurt, I would have been a bit freaked out for sure.

 

[spinoli1]

Arriving home one night I was surprised to see what appeared to be a light on inside the fairing of my 998 - no light, but I WAS on fire. Promptly extinguished with minimal damage.
However - it wasn't the rectifier itself, it was the large connector block that attaches it to the alternator - I believe these gather corrosion, which ups resitance, which produces heat, lots if your lights are on, etc. - you can see where I'm going with this, expecially if there is some grease in there as well. So I suggest you check out the block connectors and maybe replace any that look corroded or not up to the job.

 

[GoHamInHogHeaven]

I'm certainly going to check and clean my connections, I know any corrosion can increase load. There were a few things at okay here that might be to blame.
1. It's been .. moist. And while my bike is clean and coated in ACF50 the extra humidity is begging for corrosion. 15 year old electronics.
2. I had a USB inverter running from the battery to charge my phone, which was at full brightness and running GPS.
3. It was hot out, sweltering midday heat.
4. Who's bright idea was it to sandwich the regulator between the seat and the oil cooler breather box? AND WHO'S IDEA WAS IT TO FAVE THE FINS RUNNING HORIZONTALLY???

I imagine all of these things contributed to my rectifier getting a bit... spicy.

 

[motoFiend]

This has been a known issue with the Sport Classics as well. I really need to change mine out to mosfet before I have the same thing happen to me.

 

[JonS2R]

This has been a known issue with the Sport Classics as well. I really need to change mine out to mosfet before I have the same thing happen to me.

I'm planning to do the same as well at some point. Granted I don't believe it's as much of an issue on the S2R from what I've read but I'm all about doing preventative maintenance. It's so much less of a hassle to just pay the money to replace something up front rather than wait for it to fail and deal with the headaches that come with it.

 

[Monster4Lee]

And I always thot they were called rectum fryers.
Good think it didn't go there.

 

[GoHamInHogHeaven]

Some pictures of the carnage. Slapped the new rectifier in. Fins still run the wrong way... After a 20 minute ride I popped off the seat and it was barely even warm. With the old.. haha ’rectumfryer' my butthole would be sweating before I got it up into second. Still seriously considering relocation underneath the oil breather box. The wires from the rectifier I got from RM stator are long enough to relocate it to damn well anywhere on the bike. Seems like a quality part. Wires are thicker than the ones on the stock part.
[edit]: Fixed images.

 

[DaveK]

Ghost chile's do that to me... rectu-fire.

 

[dspear99ca]

Ghost chile's do that to me... rectu-fire.

Just don't post any pics please...

 

[DuckMan]

Rectum-fire. Yep, when I was a sophomore in school I held the record for lighting 19 farts straight without a misfire.

 

[davy.j]

Rectum-fire. Yep, when I was a sophomore in school I held the record for lighting 19 farts straight without a misfire.

Why do I find that so easy to believe >
And why were you sending semaphore?

 

[C-simian]

Well, now if you want to prove to your lady that your nards are on fire, just point to the seat and tell her that she might need a cool bath when you're done.

Ron

 

[Dukerdr]

I come to the top of a hill.... Burning plastic? I look down at my crotch, and there is white smoke pouring out. "THE RECTIFIER!!!" I jam the key in the latch and rip off the seat. it's on fire.. MY bike is on fire.

/---/ I've read that this can happen, didn't expect it to be so catastrophic... anything I should look for as far as electrical issues?

Italians and electrics...

Shouldn't we expect more from the land of Marconi?

The first "recti-fire" I ever had was in '88, while on the track at Mosport. I was coming up the long back straight, tucked into the paint when a thick plume of white smoke came up over the front of the fuel tank and hit me in the face. WTF? (The rectifier on the F1 is on a plate behind the headstock, right under the tank)

I'll tell you, for a split second, I thought about hitting the eject button at 100mph...but I was so close to Pit-in that I just sat up and cruised into the pits looking like an injured Sopwith Camel coming in for a landing while streaming smoke.

I had another one burn out 2 years later while out on a Sunday ride...
.

 

[Hndymn]

No actual flames, but I’ve had this happen twice, on 2 different 06 Sport 1000’s. First time stranded me on rt 236 in Maine, second time I was a few blocks from home.

- Michael

 

[orionengnr]

"I don't believe it's as much of an issue on the S2R from what I've read"

First time I rode my 800 S2R, when I pulled into the garage I pulled the seat off for whatever reason. The R/R was so hot I couldn't believe it hadn't burned a hole in the seat.

There is a good thread somewhere on the MOSFET conversion. Triumph harness costs about ten bucks, used MOSFET (from any number of Japanese bikes) on eBay, about $20.

Easy conversion, cheapest insurance around.

 

[Monster4Lee]

Shit fire. Saves matches.
Nothing new here. Move along. :laugh: