Charging System
Rectifier—Regulator:
A headlight dimming or speedometer fluctuation problem is usually an indication of your voltage regulator gone bad. You can check this yourself if you have a multimeter at home. Check the voltage anywhere you have unswitched line volts (battery). If your voltage is over approx.14.5 volts you have a problem, you will quite often see between 15 and 22 volts with this problem. Remember though that often this is an intermittent problem so you may want to leave the meter on while you rev the engine or your headlight gets bright again. If you leave this problem alone it will lead to destruction of your battery and possible failure of other electrical components.
You need to test both the battery and rectifier. Volt meter the battery, which should be about 12.5-12.8 volts. Test the battery~ hook up the voltmeter to the battery and start the bike (on draw test). If the volts drop below 10.5 at startup the battery is bad. Test the rectifier~ hook up the voltmeter at the battery while the bike is running. Twist the throttle. The volts should fluctuate between 12.8 (idle) and 14.6 (3000 RPM). If the volts are over 14.6 or the volt range doesn't change then the rectifier is cooked.
It is highly recommended to go with an OEM Yamaha brand unit if you need a replacement because reliability of aftermarket units has been exceedingly poor. All aftermarket (NON OEM) units have had an extremely high failure rate. They may be cheap....but in this case you most definitely get what you pay for.
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting the Charging System PDF file
Cranking Voltage Test Procedures
Heavy Duty REG/REC
Many riders have used the reg/rec from a 2005 Road Star. It is a heavier duty unit but the dimensions and plug ins are identical to the stock
V Star 1100 reg/rec. The Yamaha part number for this unit is 5VN-81960-00-0.
Voltage Regulator / Rectifier Cooling
This is a pretty darn good idea!
I drilled some holes in the cover on the front side. Don't know if they will help but seemed like a good idea to pull more air in around the regulator.
I laid out a line and made equal spaced marks then used a unibit to cut to 1/2". The unibit cuts cleaner than a regular bit as this cover is chromed plastic.
-ROGUE50
Many other riders have tried this cooling solution as well as Rogue50 and very few (if any) have had charging issues afterwards. The more holes the better.
Stator Installation
V Star 1100 Stator Change PDF file
Note: You will need left side Crankcase Gasket - Part Number: 5EL-15461-00-00
Note: There are 3 white wires coming off the stator. It doesn't matter what sequence they go in when you reconnect, as long as each has a solid connection. It is 3 phase AC.
High Output Aftermarket Stators
ElectroSport Industries, Electrex USA Ltd.
We've have not experienced a very long life from these or any aftermarket stators and recommend that you use the Stock OEM Yamaha Stator.
~ Link to thread on "Pinched Wires" Pinched Wires