Be Aware-reducing loads by converting to All LED AND keeping the OEM SHUNT regulator is a REALLY BAD idea
Explanation below;
So some times too much information and too much reading, and key information is lost. New posts are made and misinformation is posted and the end result may be $$$$, and find you walking.
One thing I failed to mention, and warnings about switching to a series regulator, I didn't emphasize how important it is NOT to convert to LED lighting, if the PRIME purpose is to reduce loads, but you intend to first try this reduction but stay with your SHUNT regulator.
Two things, the electrical output of the stator is designed to provide power for ALL loads with a small allowance for added lighting and heated grips. The 2007 MK-1 had no auxiliary output. Later, MK-2 2010 had provisions for auxiliary power, and the MK-3 2015 also had the bullet connectors and socket for the auxiliary relay.
From 2007 through 2015, no change to stator power output, parts # apparently changed for the 2015 stator-I own a 2015 and don't see any difference-My point, Kawasaki realized accessories were being added but my 2015 still had a shunt regulator.
So as I said, the stator and regulator were engineered to meet the loads of the Versys-Stick coils, fuel pump, injectors, lighting etc. The FAN is not a continuous load and probably is engineered at half watts. The point I am trying to make-
The shunt regulator is 3 phase rectification with a SHUNT circuit. It does nothing until the volts DC reaches about 14.5 to 15 volts DC, At that point, the shunt turns on, what it is, is a electronic load, something like a car block heater, the greater your RPM above idle = greater output watts available, at roughly 3500 RPM the stator output is at maximum, from 3500 to redline 10,500 RPM. So what happens, say your actual load is 200 watts and you are just above idle, VDC is possibly 14.4 VDC, at that exact time, the stator is outputting 200 watts .
Next you start accelerating, say at 2500 RPM , the load may increase to 220 watts as the ignition is faster and the injectors are faster-so a 20 watt increase on the stator.
HOWEVER the stator at 2500 RPM has increased volts DC-incandescent light bulbs ( halogen are also ) are rated at 12 volts DC-when the voltage increases, that is that bulb rated at 55 watts at 12 volts, is closer to 75 watts at 14.5 volts DC.
So actual output at 2500 RPM is closer to 275 watts -WHAT?? Yes, even though you are using 220 watts - 55 additional watts are being used/ shorted through the shunt circuit-to maintain / LIMIT Volts DC below 15 VDC.
OK you are now on the highway and well over 4000 RPM, the stator is at full output, 330 watts, the shunt regulator is now carrying 110 watts ( NOTE 1 below ) -HERE is the math -Stator output of 330 -220=110 Watts in the form of heat, dissipated by the regulator.
You put on your high beam light, the shunt circuit may drop to 60 to 70 watts-
Here is the problem, first at or above 3500 RPM your stator is running at 100% load or 100% output-exactly one and the same. By converting to LED lighting, say that Note 1 above, you just reduced the headlight watts by say 50 watts ( I have SafeGo LED lights drawing 36 watts MAXIMUM). Your shunt circuit load is now 160 watts, did Kawasaki engineers design this to handle that extra load? I converted my City lights which were 5 watt=10 watt total to LED ( actual 11.8 watts at 14.2 VDC ) , my LED city lights draw something like 1.8 watt total, so I gained a additional 10 watts. I also replaced my license plate light that was 10 watts with LED at 2 watts-You get the picture, on my bike I freed up almost 100 watts, no way that shunt circuit could handle 180 watts.
A Series regulator is like a light dimmer, it switches rapidly and actual load is == to actual stator output. So if I have a toatl of 230 watts and am at 6000 RPM my stator is outputting 230 watts of the maximum available of 330 Watts . So bottom line, when I come off from ridding say a hour at or above 100KM/HR and come to a full stop, my idle drops to 1500 RPM, my stator load drops to say 210 watts as the stick coils and injectors have reduced load as with the fuel pump-not long after my fan will come on, but basically if I got going within say 3 to 5 minutes, got up to or above 60 KM/HR -at that point I have enough air flow to cool the motor. That stator would never see a change of more than 20 watts.
Contrast that with the shunt regulator, going froim above 3500 RPM to idle, that stator goes from 330 watts to say 190 watts at 1500 RPM- a reduction of 140 watts of heat on the stator-TRUST me-not good. More explanation below.
So the shunt regulator and stator are always going through a heat cool cycle as you go from idle to 5000 6000 RPM, so this eventually causes the magnet wire coating to fail --hence Burnt stator
Explanation below;
So some times too much information and too much reading, and key information is lost. New posts are made and misinformation is posted and the end result may be $$$$, and find you walking.
One thing I failed to mention, and warnings about switching to a series regulator, I didn't emphasize how important it is NOT to convert to LED lighting, if the PRIME purpose is to reduce loads, but you intend to first try this reduction but stay with your SHUNT regulator.
Two things, the electrical output of the stator is designed to provide power for ALL loads with a small allowance for added lighting and heated grips. The 2007 MK-1 had no auxiliary output. Later, MK-2 2010 had provisions for auxiliary power, and the MK-3 2015 also had the bullet connectors and socket for the auxiliary relay.
From 2007 through 2015, no change to stator power output, parts # apparently changed for the 2015 stator-I own a 2015 and don't see any difference-My point, Kawasaki realized accessories were being added but my 2015 still had a shunt regulator.
So as I said, the stator and regulator were engineered to meet the loads of the Versys-Stick coils, fuel pump, injectors, lighting etc. The FAN is not a continuous load and probably is engineered at half watts. The point I am trying to make-
The shunt regulator is 3 phase rectification with a SHUNT circuit. It does nothing until the volts DC reaches about 14.5 to 15 volts DC, At that point, the shunt turns on, what it is, is a electronic load, something like a car block heater, the greater your RPM above idle = greater output watts available, at roughly 3500 RPM the stator output is at maximum, from 3500 to redline 10,500 RPM. So what happens, say your actual load is 200 watts and you are just above idle, VDC is possibly 14.4 VDC, at that exact time, the stator is outputting 200 watts .
Next you start accelerating, say at 2500 RPM , the load may increase to 220 watts as the ignition is faster and the injectors are faster-so a 20 watt increase on the stator.
HOWEVER the stator at 2500 RPM has increased volts DC-incandescent light bulbs ( halogen are also ) are rated at 12 volts DC-when the voltage increases, that is that bulb rated at 55 watts at 12 volts, is closer to 75 watts at 14.5 volts DC.
So actual output at 2500 RPM is closer to 275 watts -WHAT?? Yes, even though you are using 220 watts - 55 additional watts are being used/ shorted through the shunt circuit-to maintain / LIMIT Volts DC below 15 VDC.
OK you are now on the highway and well over 4000 RPM, the stator is at full output, 330 watts, the shunt regulator is now carrying 110 watts ( NOTE 1 below ) -HERE is the math -Stator output of 330 -220=110 Watts in the form of heat, dissipated by the regulator.
You put on your high beam light, the shunt circuit may drop to 60 to 70 watts-
Here is the problem, first at or above 3500 RPM your stator is running at 100% load or 100% output-exactly one and the same. By converting to LED lighting, say that Note 1 above, you just reduced the headlight watts by say 50 watts ( I have SafeGo LED lights drawing 36 watts MAXIMUM). Your shunt circuit load is now 160 watts, did Kawasaki engineers design this to handle that extra load? I converted my City lights which were 5 watt=10 watt total to LED ( actual 11.8 watts at 14.2 VDC ) , my LED city lights draw something like 1.8 watt total, so I gained a additional 10 watts. I also replaced my license plate light that was 10 watts with LED at 2 watts-You get the picture, on my bike I freed up almost 100 watts, no way that shunt circuit could handle 180 watts.
A Series regulator is like a light dimmer, it switches rapidly and actual load is == to actual stator output. So if I have a toatl of 230 watts and am at 6000 RPM my stator is outputting 230 watts of the maximum available of 330 Watts . So bottom line, when I come off from ridding say a hour at or above 100KM/HR and come to a full stop, my idle drops to 1500 RPM, my stator load drops to say 210 watts as the stick coils and injectors have reduced load as with the fuel pump-not long after my fan will come on, but basically if I got going within say 3 to 5 minutes, got up to or above 60 KM/HR -at that point I have enough air flow to cool the motor. That stator would never see a change of more than 20 watts.
Contrast that with the shunt regulator, going froim above 3500 RPM to idle, that stator goes from 330 watts to say 190 watts at 1500 RPM- a reduction of 140 watts of heat on the stator-TRUST me-not good. More explanation below.
So the shunt regulator and stator are always going through a heat cool cycle as you go from idle to 5000 6000 RPM, so this eventually causes the magnet wire coating to fail --hence Burnt stator
