Mosfet Regulator Conversion - Lithium Battery Safe

I've decided to reproduce an article I originally posted on The Ducati Forum as it's a one that keeps getting referenced by others a bit when looking into installing a Lithium battery into an older Ducati that wasn't intended to be equiped with one originally, as it usually preceeded the technology.

So............I've got round to fitting the Mosfet regulator to the 1098R today. As I was a complete novice as to doing this conversion, I've decided to post this, in case it's useful to others doing the same.

Time -
  • Approx 2 hours
Parts -
  • Mosfet regulator. I got this 2nd hand from a Ducati breaker for about £40. It's a part common with a load of bikes that Ducati make and fitted as std to the LiPo equipped Panigale R.
1.JPG

  • Triumph conversion lead. About £28 from eBay, but I believe it's quite a bit cheaper from a dealer.
2.png

  • Bikesport Developments RHS regulator conversion bracket, £100 (optional if you want to move the reg away from the exhaust). The original regulator is just above the exhaust and I imagine there's a lot of heat in the area. In fact, the heat shield on my bike has bubbled up as it's close to the 70mm system. This comes with extension leads and bolts / spacers.
3.png


So, here we go.........

Select your favourite 848, 1098, 1198.

4.JPG


Fairings and belly pan off.

5.JPG


Disconnect the battery negative cables.

Remove the ECU (2 bolts). I have read that people remove the battery box. I didn't need to.

6.JPG


Remove the regulator located behind the ECU (2 bolts)

7.JPG


8.JPG


My 2 regulator electrical connectors showed no signs of heat damage, so I could proceed. If yours do, rectify them. (no pun intended)

9.JPG


Before fitting the regulator to the Bikesprt Developments bracket I had to modify it to accept the Mosfet regulator. The bracket is manufactured for the original regulator, which has fixing centres of 80mm. The Mosfet unit has 70mm centres, so I had to drill an additional hole on the bracket.

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Fit the bracket and regulator the the RHS horizontal cam belt cover. Remove the 3 corresponding bolts from the cover and fit with the replacement bolts and spacers from the BS kit.

11.JPG


There was nothing in the kit which said where to route the cables to link with the loom on the LHS of the bike, but everything lent itself well to going under the horizontal cyl adjacent to the starter motor.

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Difficult to tell in this pic, but I had to cut into the tape on the ECU loom to pull the original regulator connector backwards slightly to allow it to join the new wiring. Then taped the loom back up.

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Refit the ECU. Ensure to connect the earth cable (C) to the RHS bolt of the ECU. The bike will not run without it, it's hidden behind the loom and easy to miss.

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Cable tie everything back up.

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Refit the bodywork to your favourite 848, 1098, 1198.

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The regulator looks to be in a nice cool place once the bodywork is refitted.

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Employ your original regulator as a paperweight.

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it’s my next project for the s4r , but limited for space, do you think inside The rear mudguard would work, weather wise
 
I try to help the great unwashed when they play with wires. Mainly to avoid costly mistakes i may have already endured.
 
Markduc said:
it’s my next project for the s4r , but limited for space, do you think inside The rear mudguard would work, weather wise
Click to expand...
That's a good airflow, but make sure the connectors have extra waterproofing, like this....
1604172029544.png
 
Oooo like the lunch box thing on the race bike seriously though , it’s a bit beyond my skills
 
Markduc said:
Yes that’s what worries me but I’m stumped for anywhere else
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it's in a low pressure wake area which will help with the airflow like wot the Lithium love machine says.
If it gets covered in crap just wash it - it's hardly a big deal.
Please don't put a cover on it unless you can duct air to it, as if you shroud it you'll mitigate the heat rejection capabilities of the heatsink. - in fact if you're going to cover it just leave it where it is.

Also please if you do the conversion make sure it's a proper shindengen reg rec and not a mickey mouse copy otherwise you get this:
You're always better off getting the genune panigale or yamaha item if you can.
And check the quality of the wires in the kit. The sheathing may seem thick, there's no guarantee the core will be.
You're better off going to someone like Kojaycat etc buying the connectors and getting some proper cable from a reputable source and making up your own.
1615383778742.png
 
sev said:
it's in a low pressure wake area which will help with the airflow like wot the Lithium love machine says.
If it gets covered in crap just wash it - it's hardly a big deal.
Please don't put a cover on it unless you can duct air to it, as if you shroud it you'll mitigate the heat rejection capabilities of the heatsink. - in fact if you're going to cover it just leave it where it is.

Also please if you do the conversion make sure it's a proper shindengen reg rec and not a mickey mouse copy otherwise you get this:
You're always better off getting the genune panigale or yamaha item if you can.
And check the quality of the wires in the kit. The sheathing may seem thick, there's no guarantee the core will be.
You're better off going to someone like Kojaycat etc buying the connectors and getting some proper cable from a reputable source and making up your own.
View attachment 13762
Click to expand...
That what I did in the end , made my own leads and just used silcone , as boots and braces on the rubber cable seals where the cable enters the connector
so far so good it’s had a couple of runs out and all good
 
AirCon said:
I assume this is aimed at me?
"Lithium love machine"....loving the new nickname, however I'm worried that it could be interpreted
as my required medication rather than my proven concerns of the element's fiery potential when incorrectly applied..
Click to expand...
damn right. You love a bit of it, and really think you should just do a sticky so that you don't have to repeat yourself over and over again.
Aircon's definitive guide on upgrading to a lithium system.
After all, when you chime in and people get the hump, what they're really saying is "why aren't you telling me that its all going to be fine and I haven't lauched 200 quid down the pan." so they ask again until someone tells them it's going to be ok.
Anyway... the tutorial / article / upgrade knowledge centre sticky...
make it so. Me old Lithium Long John. (y)

Markduc said:
That what I did in the end , made my own leads and just used silcone , as boots and braces on the rubber cable seals where the cable enters the connector
so far so good it’s had a couple of runs out and all good
Click to expand...
Yup, cheap cables - utter pants. when I took the sheathing off there was a handful of cores if that, and the sleeve wasn't crimped on the secondary crimp so there was no strain relief on the cable either. I didn't expect pigtails, but ffs.
The weather boots on the connectors are fine but silicon or proper potting compound won't hurt.
 
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Posts that do nothing to contribute to this article have been hidden from view. Please only post something that contributes, be it a correction due to inaccuracy of the authors article or be it adding further information which will help others.
 
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