Dave’s RC45

A very special bike with a very ordinary problem: a hastily-removed alarm, and the regulator rectifier starting to burn its connectors. The bike had just been to the Isle of Man where Michael Rutter had had a go on it for an article in Performance Bikes magazine.

Ditching an alarm is quite easy as long as you aren’t in a rush. The main thing is to find the speaker unit and drill it to stop the damn thing going off while you evict it. After that it’s just as case of following all the leads into the main body of the loom, cutting it open and restoring the original connections with solder and heat shrink.

Most of that had been done, but the injector and indicator wiring under the seat needed a bit of tidying. The reg rec worked fine with new cables and connectors, and the live and earths wired directly to the battery, Ferret-style. Old looms build up resistance and their feeds to the battery usually go round the houses. Going direct boosts charging voltage and reduces heat build-up.