Topic: AC/DC needs a wiring guru, or just somebody smarter than me. Not a high bar.

[greenjeans]

I know this is kinda the wrong place, but it's still a Honda and I need some eyes on this.   I'm wiring up my silly XR600R flat tracker project.   And, I'm making it "street legal".

Anyway, the XR is AC and has a very simple wiring harness (see below).  I want to try and use the existing stator (most guys when they add dual-sport lighting etc get a rewound stator)  The stock stator puts about 45-50 watts, so I'd like to try this before blowing $200 on a rewound stator.    The new lighting that I'll be using is all LED and would be under 40 watts total.     Since the LED lights need DC power,  I will eliminate the AC lights (headlight & tail light) from the stock harness and add a combo regulator/rectifier unit  to make the DC power on a separate harness and add a small re-chargeable battery.    Below is what the stock harness is, and below that, is what I'm hoping will work.    I have a few questions:   The stock wiring diagram shows that the stator is grounded to the frame, but, it has a ground wire coming from the stator.  3 wires:  black/red, blue, and green. 

Does that wire count as the ground, or do you think it is also grounded to the cover/frame internally?

Do I eliminate the stock AC regulator when I add the combo unit?

Since the coil, CDI etc is AC, would I have to  isolate the ground in my lighting circuit?   Instead of a frame ground, the only ground would be to the battery? 

Am I correct in thinking that the wires that I have going to the combo rec/reg are correct?    Or, would I have to "float" an additional ground wire from the stator?   


Any help is greatly appreciated.  I have a feeling that I'm over-complicating this as usual, but I just don't want ruin my new lights.

[540nova]

Can't help with your wiring,  but bike looks great!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[scottly]

From what I can gather, the stator has a common ground for both the ignition and lighting coils, so that should remain as is. One reg/rect yellow should be be grounded, as well as the black reg/rec wire, and the other yellow wire connected to the stator blue wire. The red reg/rec wire would be connected to the white(?) wire that powers the lights, and also the battery positive terminal, if a battery is used. In this case, there also needs to be an on/off switch between the battery plus and the reg/rect red, or the lights will stay on and drain the battery. Is there a requirement for the lights to remain on without the engine running there? There used to be in CA.

[greenjeans]

The top diagram is the stock harness.  The bottom is what I want to do - provided it works.   I'm eliminating the AC lighting from the top diagram.
There will be an on/off switch to the DC lighting circuit.  I can figure things out when it gets to DC current.

I am still unclear if I am getting power to the rec/reg correctly.   I have read several posts regarding "floating" grounds.   As I understand it, the stock stator only has 1 lead for a lighting coil and is internally ground to the stator plate.  Mine actually has a 3rd wire coming out of the stator.   The only photos that I can find online of stock XR600R stators (91-2000) have 3 wires as well.   I need to confirm that the third wire is a ground or if the stator plate is still ground to the case.   

it's shocking to me that in a couple weeks of scouring the interweb, I have not been able to find anyone that has done this exact thing to their XR600R.

Here's a modified diagram of what I think I'll try.   The ground for the DC light portion of my harness is separated / floating.   Meaning:  No ground to the frame at all.  Just to the + post of the battery.

[scottly]

I need to confirm that the third wire is a ground or if the stator plate is still ground to the case.   

  The ground for the DC light portion of my harness is separated / floating.   Meaning:  No ground to the frame at all.

That third wire is the ground for both the lighting coil and the ignition coils in the stator; it needs to stay grounded!! If you float it, you might not have a spark, and worst case you may let the magic smoke out of the CDI!
What LED lights are you planning to use? Depending on the specs, you may be able to plug-and-play; Light Emitting Diodes will, by nature, only use 1/2 the AC wave, but will still work when fed AC.

[greenjeans]

I need to confirm that the third wire is a ground or if the stator plate is still ground to the case.   

  The ground for the DC light portion of my harness is separated / floating.   Meaning:  No ground to the frame at all.

That third wire is the ground for both the lighting coil and the ignition coils in the stator; it needs to stay grounded!! If you float it, you might not have a spark, and worst case you may let the magic smoke out of the CDI!
What LED lights are you planning to use? Depending on the specs, you may be able to plug-and-play; Light Emitting Diodes will, by nature, only use 1/2 the AC wave, but will still work when fed AC.

Just got of the phone with a tech support guy at Ricky Stator - he tells me it's as simple as removing the AC regulator and replacing it with the Rec/reg unit.    Then, the 3 wires coming out of my stator:   Blk/red to CDI (as before)  the white (or blue) and the green go to the 2 yellow (input) wires on the rec/reg.   So, I guess the stator is internally grounded to the frame.    He also mentioned that I would not need to "float" the ground coming from the reg/rec unit.   I could use the frame as ground.

So simple, but why is there so much conflicting infomation ??/

[greenjeans]

I think I just confirmed that the 3rd wire coming out of that stator is the ground for the lighting coil & ignitor coil.   That makes the most sense to me.  The only diagram I have shows an internal ground making me think that someone already did some witchcraft to the stator, but it just looked SOOOO untouched and stock that I wasn't trusting the diagram.   

Would also like to confirm that I could run a frame ground.  Makes the new harness much simpler as well.

[scottly]

I think I just confirmed that the 3rd wire coming out of that stator is the ground for the lighting coil & ignitor coil.

Yes, this is what I was trying to tell you. One of the yellow rectifier wires also needs to be connected to frame ground, as well as the reg/rect ground wire. The other yellow wire is connected to the blue(?) wire from the stator. The positive terminal from the reg/rect should be connected to the white(?) wire that powers the lights.
Since this is a permanent magnet charging system, a battery isn't strictly required for the lights to work. 

[greenjeans]

I think I just confirmed that the 3rd wire coming out of that stator is the ground for the lighting coil & ignitor coil.

Yes, this is what I was trying to tell you. One of the yellow rectifier wires also needs to be connected to frame ground, as well as the reg/rect ground wire. The other yellow wire is connected to the blue(?) wire from the stator. The positive terminal from the reg/rect should be connected to the white(?) wire that powers the lights.
Since this is a permanent magnet charging system, a battery isn't strictly required for the lights to work.

Thanks Scottly, as many CB harnesses, as I've gone through I'm still over thinking things I think.   Now, does it look like I'm on the right track?  I think the stator is internally grounded, but it wouldn't hurt to add a frame ground at the connection to the rec/rec.   As I understand it, there is no polarity going into the reg/rec.    Then, I'll add my frame ground coming off the battery negative post.   
Hopefully, this will work... the little hamster on the wheel in my brain needs a break

[scottly]

This help?

[greenjeans]

This help?

Yes, I think it's getting there.  I have confirmed that my stock stator has 3 wires coming from it - not shown on any wiring diagram that I could find, but now have a few knowledgeable XR guys confirming  .  Every used stator I was able to find, looks like mine - 3 wires.    I just need to make sure that the green one is in fact a frame ground.  Then my latest diagram pretty much matches yours, but yours uses a frame ground for everything instead of isolating my DC wiring for the lights.  That makes the most sense to me.

I have also found out that there are AC and DC CDIs to further confuse me.  The XR600R has an AC CDI and the 650L has a DC CDI.  The Ls are more of a dual-sport, so they came with turn signals, horn etc. etc.   hence the DC CDI.   

So, if that green wire has continuity to the frame, I think that I'm good.  It would be the same as your diagram.    Just overthinking.