Now THAT is some funny stuff!
Now THAT is some funny stuff!
elizilla
Guest
Hondas used to have a connector between the stator and the regulator, with three yellow wires and a plastic plug with three spade connectors in it. This thing was THE weak point in Goldwings, Sabres, Magnas, Shadows, many generations of VFRs. They kept using this design in all their bikes for decades, never admitting it was a problem. Maybe Honda still makes some that have it, I dunno. In my Sabre, the battery was under the rider's butt, the regulator was buried behind the battery, and the connector was next to the battery.
Anyway, the three yellow wires carry all the current in the bike. They could heat up, and the plug would get crispy. I have seen the charred corpses of bikes that actually caught fire, but it was more common for the connector to just melt and the bike stop running. There was an upgrade connector available but it still had the problem. List wisdom on the Sabre Magna list was to cut the connector out and solder the wires together, but I never did that. Instead I just made sure it was clean and corrosion free, and well coated with dialectric grease. And I kept an eye on it. One of my used Sabres arrived with enough corrosion that the yellow insulation on the three wires had some singed brown spots, but the problem didn't progress once I made sure the connector was clean and greased.
I didn't see this connector in my NT but I never specifically hunted for it either - it might have one. You could find the regulator and trace the wires from it to the stator, and see if there is such a plug. If the NT does have one, we probably have ten years before the issue will start showing up on this forum, because it's a corrosion related problem and our bikes are not that old yet. Someone who parks outside, rides in all weather, and lives near the ocean will be the first victim, but it may take a while yet.
Anyway, the three yellow wires carry all the current in the bike. They could heat up, and the plug would get crispy. I have seen the charred corpses of bikes that actually caught fire, but it was more common for the connector to just melt and the bike stop running. There was an upgrade connector available but it still had the problem. List wisdom on the Sabre Magna list was to cut the connector out and solder the wires together, but I never did that. Instead I just made sure it was clean and corrosion free, and well coated with dialectric grease. And I kept an eye on it. One of my used Sabres arrived with enough corrosion that the yellow insulation on the three wires had some singed brown spots, but the problem didn't progress once I made sure the connector was clean and greased.
I didn't see this connector in my NT but I never specifically hunted for it either - it might have one. You could find the regulator and trace the wires from it to the stator, and see if there is such a plug. If the NT does have one, we probably have ten years before the issue will start showing up on this forum, because it's a corrosion related problem and our bikes are not that old yet. Someone who parks outside, rides in all weather, and lives near the ocean will be the first victim, but it may take a while yet.
Yamaha has the same issue on some of their bikes. Specifically, Ventures suffer from the melting plug and the "fix" is as you described to cut the plug and use a soldered connection instead.
OP
OP
jukka71
Guest
Thank you all! 
It?s nice to have this community. Amazing how much knowledge you got out there!
I?ve been riding to work few days now. Bike works like a dream!
It?s nice to have this community. Amazing how much knowledge you got out there!I?ve been riding to work few days now. Bike works like a dream!
Still used on the NT. It caused me eighteen months of problems. The regulator is under the left side panel and slightly to the rear. Everyone is advised to check the wires are pushed tightly on to the connectors. The wires were dislodged when changing the battery and started melting. Whole bike could've gone up in flames.
[...could be a failing regulator/stator...]
I've never heard of any smoke being emitted if the stator or reg/rec fail. They just fail without any external signs and your battery starts to show weakness. A connection with high resistance could cause the plastic coupler to melt but I'm not sure if smoke occurs in that instance.
Sometimes a bad ground can cause all sorts of weird problems as the current tries to find another way to complete the circuit - often via an undersized wire.
I've never heard of any smoke being emitted if the stator or reg/rec fail. They just fail without any external signs and your battery starts to show weakness. A connection with high resistance could cause the plastic coupler to melt but I'm not sure if smoke occurs in that instance.
Sometimes a bad ground can cause all sorts of weird problems as the current tries to find another way to complete the circuit - often via an undersized wire.