Ailog is exactly right. Every wire has some amount of resistance. The amount depends on the size of the wire, the length of the wire, and the number, type and quality of the connections. Smaller wire will have more resistance than larger wire when under the same load, and a longer wire will have more resistance than a shorter wire under the same load. Heat also is a factor in resistance.

Thus we derive the wiring of the LC. The main charge/feed wire is a 16 gauge wire and it should probably be a 12 or 10 gauge. Enter problem 1, the wire is too small. This became pretty evident to me when the main feed wire cooked off on my bike 3 months after I bought it and 400 miles from home (picture at right) due to a bad connector on the starter relay read here for more about that.

Now if the fact that the wire is too small is not enough, next factor in that the wire is running all over the place and making several connections. If you look at the factory wiring diagram you can see that the main feed wire has several branches.

Also consider that the wiring diagram is not locationally accurate in that they have depicted the starter and battery as being on the wrong end of the bike and they have placed it next to the regulator/ rectifier (RR) indicating a relative short path. This is not accurate. The battery and starter relay should be depicted on the lower left not the lower right.

Again Ailog makes a very astute observation. The RR is located at the end of the main feed/charge train, furthest away from the battery. I know that to be true from taking mine apart last summer trying to find the failure I had back then.

Next and again Ailog makes a good observation, there are several taps coming off the main power wire. One goes to the decomp relay, one to the ignition switch and one to the speedometer. Thus connection resistance.

Finally the last god of resistance is heat. According to a friend of mine that I talked to about this, and he is an electrical engineer, heat becomes a resistance factor in temps above 160 degrees. More heat, more resistance, more resistance, generates more heat in the wire.

The connectors for LC system are located under the false tank covers and under the rear left engine cover. Both of these places are heat prone. If you have ever been riding around in the summer and put your hand down on the false tanks you know what I'm talking about.

The wire gods are against us here in all aspects. We have a main feed wire that is too small, is too long between battery and RR, has several connections and is connected in heat enthused environments. Suffice to say there is resistance in the main feed wire.

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