Dissecting the ND 25 amp alternator

I thought I would spend a bit of my spare time while its raining outside to sit down and describe the 25
amp ND alternator as found on my 1998 Sprint Executive. Contrary to what’s been written before,
motorcycle electrics are not as mysterious as people would have you believe. With a good understanding of
the basic operation theory I’ll cover here, there isn’t anything complicated or mysterious about the charging
system on our Triumphs. Additionally, it’s my belief tha t anyone capable of reading this and understanding
it is capable of doing a teardown and component replacement on the ND 25 amp alternator…with one small
caveat. One component, the rectifier, is a soldered in component. To replace this item you’ll need a g ood 40
watt soldering iron. The other commonly failed components like the regulator and brushes are easily
replaceable with only a Phillips screwdriver. There are other components present that might be a bit of a
challenge to service. I’ll cover those item s and let you decide if you feel comfortable dealing with it, or if a
trip to the alternator shop would be better.

The ND 25 amp alternator overview

Most people probably already know most of what’s this section. On the off chance that you’re completely
unfamiliar with the alternator and how it works, here’s a close -up of what I’ll be describing.

The ND 25 amp alternator as us ed on various Triumph motorcycles is part number T1300000 -T0301. The
actual Nippondenso part number as shown above is 100211 -4950. As you can see, it’s a compact device
that can easily be removed and replaced as a complete unit.

The theory of operation i s quite simple. When you turn the ignition switch on, the alternator draws a few
amps of battery power to turn on its internal electromagnet, creating a magnetic field. The electromagnet is
comprised of many turns of thin gauge wire wound over special shap ed iron core mounted on a rotating
shaft, collectively called a “rotor”. When you start the engine, the rotor and its battery powered
electromagnet spins inside coils of heavy gauge wire called the “stator”. The mere action of rotating a
magnetic field within a coil of heavy gauge wire induces a voltage in the stator that can be used to power
devices. In essence, this is all the alternator does, however it does require a few other components to be a
reliable source of power on a motorcycle.

Because of the nature of the alternators design, the voltage induced in the stator windings is of an
alternating nature (AC) and it must be converted or “rectified” to a constant or direct (DC) nature for the

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devices on the motorcycle to use. This is done by the rectifie r which converts AC to DC by letting the
voltage only flow one way.

With nothing to control the alternator voltage output, the faster the engine turns, the more voltage the
alternator puts out. This unregulated voltage could exceed system design voltage if left unchecked, and
would cause serious overcharging issues of the battery and possible electrical damage to the igniter if not
for the intervention of the voltage regulator. It is the voltage regulators job to sense voltage output of the
alternator and hold the voltage as constant as possible given a varying engine speed and varying electrical
demand.

Once alternator voltage output reaches the voltage regulator set point (~14.5 V), the regulator responds by
reducing the amount of current passing throu gh the rotors electromagnets (which have been using full
current given to them up to this point). By giving the electromagnets less current to work with, the rotors
electromagnetic field becomes weaker. With a weaker magnetic force spinning inside the stat or, there is
less voltage induced in the stator coils and therefore less voltage out of the rectifier. Once the system
voltage drops below the voltage regulator setpoint, the regulator responds by allowing the rotor
electromagnets to use more current which makes the rotating magnetic field stronger, which makes
induced voltage higher. This is how the regulator regulates system voltage output and it has the ability to
regulate this up and down rotor current action (and therefore alternator output voltage) wi thin milliseconds
of a detected system change.

As you turn on electrical loads like headlights, the system voltage sags or drops as that device consumes
power. As described above, the voltage regulator senses this voltage drop and responds by allowing mor e
current to pass into the rotors electromagnets making the magnetic field stronger. This causes a system
increase in induced voltage, up to the regulators setpoint. In this way the regulator watches for system
voltage dips as you turn on electrical device s and responds by bumping up rotor current to maintain system
voltage at setpoint. As you shed load, the regulator reduces rotor current which drops system voltage to
maintain set point.

On the 25 amp ND alternator, the regulator is mounted internally. Co ntrast this to the other type of
alternator used on motorcycles that have windings mounted internally to the engine, use rotating
permanent magnets mounted to the crankshaft instead of electromagnets on a rotor and require an
external rectifier and regulat or units. In this respect, the ND 25 amp alternator is much more like an
automotive alternator, and that should come as no surprise. The ND unit as used on various Triumphs,
Kawasaki’s and other motorcycles actually is a much smaller version of the ND auto motive alternator. The
smaller motorcycle alternator however works exactly the same way as its larger automotive cousin.

Generally speaking, the faster the engine turns, the faster the alternator turns and the more “power” the
alternator is capable of pr oducing for things like charging the battery and running essential electrics
(essential electrics are the coils, the alternator itself, and the igniter). Because of the way that the
alternator is constructed (the size of the wires and electrical rating of the internal components used), it is
only able to produce approximately 25 amps at full output. If your electrical accessories demand more
power than the alternator is capable of producing, you will slowly deplete the battery and at some point,
there won’t be enough power to run essential electrics.

In cases where the electrical demand is more than the alternator is able to keep up with, it is sometimes
possible to replace the stator coil and rectifiers for upgraded units for more power, but I am not awar e of
these upgrades to the 25 amp ND alternator. There are documented cases of fitting the larger 45 amp ND
alternator in place of the 25 amp unit. With a bit of electrical wiring modification, it is possible and has been
successfully done.

Electrical Block Diagram

Electrically, the 25 amp alternator is simple with only three components that typically wear. The rectifier
has diodes that can short or go open, the regulator has pass transistors that can short or fail open and the
brushes wear over time and lose electrical connectivity with the slip rings. Each of these components is
easy to replace and the alternator does not have to be removed from the motorcycle.

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25 amp ND Breakdown

You know where the alternator is and you know how to remove it if need be, but for general testing and
minor component replacement, it is not necessary to remove the alternator from the motorcycle. I’ve
dismounted this one as to completely strip it down and test and measure various components. Depending
on what your intention is, you probably won’t have to be this severe.

Start by removing the rear cover from the alternator. It’s held on by three, 8mm nuts. Once you have the
rear cover off, you can access the important components. After removing the rear cover, here is what you
should see. I have labeled each component as to what it is and the picture als o gives you a good clear shot
of where the electrical connections go, so don’t be afraid to remove components for testing or inspection.

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For general component testing, I recommend removing ea ch component and test it off of the alternator. To
do this, start removing all of the Phillips head screws visible in the photo. They will all need to come off and
you really can’t mix up fasteners so there are no worries. You wont be able to completely re move the
rectifier unless you either clip the wires that are soldered on the rectifier or unsolder them. Unless you
suspect that the rectifier is bad, simply leave it in place and test it as described later.

Brushes

One of the first things you can check after disassembly is the brush length. Check the brush length against
service minimums. Triumph lists the acceptable range as 10.5mm to 4.5mm minimum. The brushes below
measured ~7 mm and had approximately 25k miles on them.

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Slip rings

I removed the rotor so it was easy for me to measure. It’s likely you’ll have to completely remove the rear
cover to get these measuremen ts, so unless you’re going further into the alternator, you may have to
assume that slip ring wear is acceptable based on the visual appearance of the brush tracks and if any deep
grooves are present.

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Regulator

There are three main terminals on the regulator: E, IG and F. The E terminal is the “Earth” terminal or
ground terminal. The screw that fastens through this terminal e lectrically connects the regulator to the
alternator chassis and ultimately chassis ground. The IG terminal is the “Ignition” terminal. This terminal is
connected to a +12 volt supply that is on when the key is in the ON position. The IG terminal supplies
power to the regulator. The F terminal is the “Field” terminal. The F terminal is the ground path connection
between the rotor and the regulator. As mentioned earlier, the regulator allows more (or less) current to
pass through the regulator and finally to ground.

To test the regulator, you need a multi meter set to read OHMS. I referred the Haynes manual for guidance
as the factory manual has no information on how to test this device. I have two functioning regulators that
I decided to test, and the results I obtained were significantly different from the Haynes reference table.
While I can’t tell you if the Haynes data is r ight or wrong I can positively say that the two regulators I have
are fully functional and work perfectly. After reading the differences between the two regulators, I actually
went out and swapped regulators into my Sprint just to confirm things. The end r esult was that the
alternator was fully charging and functioning normally with either regulator. As I can only comment on the
two regulators I have, I would have to say that there is a fair amount of allowable variance in the
resistance checks and still ha ve a functional regulator. Based on the magnitude of difference between my
data and Haynes data, I highly suspect the Haynes data is incorrect. You can draw your own conclusions
and use whatever data set you feel comfortable with.

Rectifier

There are four solder terminals on the rectifier and one screw terminal. Three of the soldered connections
are for the stator windings that connect the stator windings to the diodes. One of the soldered connections
is the main output “B” that connects to output of the diodes to the battery. The one screw terminal is the
“E” terminal that connects the rectifier case to ground.

You can check the rectifier while still attached to the stator windings (which is good) as to completely
remove it from the alternator, you need a good soldering iron. Set your multi meter to “diode check”
preferably, or if your meter does not have a diode check function, use the OHMS setting instead. Your
readings should be as listed below.

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For the average mechanic troubleshooting a charging problem, this is probably as far as you’ll ever need to
go, except maybe to perform a rotor and stator wiring check. I’ll des cribe those later into the disassembly
as it’s easier to show you what I am doing with things out of the way.

Digging Deeper

At this point in the disassembly, you need to have the alternator off of the bike, so if you’ve not done so,
complete the task so you can get the alternator on your work bench. You need to disconnect the stator
windings from the rectifier. You have a couple of choices here. One would be to clip the stator windings as
close as possible to the soldered terminal on the rectifier. Snip all three windings and you can also snip the
black wire that is attached to terminal “B”.

The other option is to use a soldering iron and unsolder the connections. You’ll need a good iron (I’d
recommend a 40 watt iron at a bare minimum) and it would be best if the iron is“ESD safe”. The particular
iron I am using is an ESD safe, analog controlled soldering station made by Circuit Specialists. This unit can
be had for about 35 US dollars. For those that deal with electronics, it is a HAKKO 936 clone and i t uses the
same tips and heating element. I believe the unit is a 40 watt unit and it’s just barely large enough to get
this job done. I’ve fitted the largest tip I had in my toolbox and cranked up the heat to 450 degrees C.

With the wires clipped or unso ldered, you can now remove the phenolic insulator from the stator windings
and then lift off the rectifier.

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Now that the rectifier is out of the way, you can continue disassembly of the alternator by removing the
rear half of the alternator housing . The only thing that is holding the housing on at this point is the friction
fit of the rear rotor shaft bearing where it presses into the rear housing. You’ll need to gently tap the rear
half of the housing with a screwdriver or mallet enough that you ca n remove the housing. Use even
pressure around the housing and tap gently and the housing should come off.

At this point, you can see the rear bearing, identified as a KOYO 83A837A

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Rotor removal

To remove the rotor, you need to turn your attenti on to the front of the alternator where the drive impeller
is located. The impeller is secured to the shaft with small bolt and what appears to be high strength
fastener securing compound commonly called "Loctite". Remove the bolt by holding the drive impe ller
steady.

Because the drive impeller is securely fastened with high strength compound, I had to use heat from a
propane torch to heat up the impeller enough to break the seal with the sealing compound. About 30
seconds of direct heat from a propane torch allowed me to lever off the drive impeller. Be careful as the
impeller is plenty hot!!

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Once the drive is out of the way, you can remove the three Phillips head screws that are holding the
bearing retainer and preventing the rotor from sliding o ut of the housing.

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 Now that the rotor is free, you can see the front rotor bearing, identified as KOYO 949100 -317

Not that you’ll ever have to replace one by scrounging through a junk box full of rotors, but on the off
chance that someone actually needs the rotor dimensions, the rotor length is 129.56 mm long and the rotor
itself is 76.4mm in diameter.

With the rotor is out of the way, the stator ID measures 76.87 mm. and the front oil seal is now visible and
listed as NOK BE2408F

Rotor and Stator Checks

You can do both the rotor and stator checks while the alternator is still on the motorcycle.

Set your multi meter set to OHMS and start off with the stator wiring checks. You are looking for low
numbers when checking between the wires. Less than 1.0 ohms is what you are after. Here, my stator
wiring measures 0.5 to 0.6 ohms on all three wires.

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Now check the wires for connections to the alternator case, which you don’t want. You want OL readings for
these checks.

Likewise, check the rotor with a multimeter set to OHMS. The first check is the stator resistance check. It
should measure between 4 to 6 ohm s when checked at the sliprings. The 4.2 ohm reading is a healthy
rotor.

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Check each slipring for shorts to the rotor housing , which you do not want. Check as shown below. Look for
OL readings which are good.

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Congratulations

If all of your checks are good and all of the seals, orings and bearings are good, you can now proceed to
reassemble all of parts you have on your tab le. I can honestly say that the assembly is straightforward and
goes as easily. The ONLY issue I can possibly think might cause some hesitation to the first time rebuilder
would be the replacement of the rectifier and having to solder in the stator winding s. If you're not
comfortable doing this (or lack the equipment, look for an electronics hobbyist or an amateur radio
operator. They should have no problems soldering in the appropriate replacement for you.

Confessional

You sharp eyed viewers have probably noticed that something isn’t quite right with this alternator. I’ve
given a few visual clues throughout the write -up that this isn’t a Triumph alternator. The parts look like a
Triumph alternator, but there are a few parts that look odd and out of place, most notably the drive
impeller is what gives the game away. I have to confess at this poin t that the alternator I’ve just taken to
bits is actually a Kawasaki alternator from a ZG 1000, so your first bonus is that Triumphs and Kawasaki’s
actually share the same alternator. This has been mentioned elsewhere, but I don’t think anyone has gone
into one to actually confirm it. In this photo, the Triumph alternator is on the left, and the Kawasaki ZG
1000 alternator is on the right. I’ve taken the rotors off and you can see the difference in installed height
and the reason you’ll need to swap drives. If you do nothing and attempt to fit the ZG 1000 alternator as is,
the drive impeller will bottom on the Triumph cushions which prevent the alternator from mounting up
completely. Mounting holes measure exactly the same on both units and the machined area where it fits
into the engine is the same diameter…they really are identical units aside from the drive.

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When I compared the voltage regulators earlier, I mentioned I had two. Regulator 1 is the actual Triumph
factory regulator as fitted on a Triump h supplied alternator. Regulator 2 is the regulator from the ZG 1000
that I bolted in to the Triumph unit to test its function. Both work perfectly. This is actually a good thing to
know as you can pick up ZG 1000 alternators off of Ebay for about 25 dolla rs. This means that for the price
of a nice dinner, you can have a set of spare parts for your existing Triumph alternator and not have to pay
the 800 dollars for a new alternator that the dealer charges.

Bonus Material

While playing around with alterna tors, I spent a bit of time to see what was available for replacement parts.
You’re probably not at all surprised to find out that alternators between Triumphs and Suzuki’s are not the
same, HOWVER the voltage regulator and rectifier used in Triumph 25 amp alternators IS common to the
Suzuki GSXR 1100, so hiding under the disguise of a different alternator case is the exact same voltage
regulator and rectifier that will work in the 25 amp Triumph alternator. The Suzuki prices are not much
better than Triumphs, but I’m sure the delivery time would be much better.

Regulator #: 32500-27A00
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Rectifier #: 31621-27A00
86-98 GSXR-1100
86-95 GSXR-750
96-00 GSF 1200

If those are still too pricy for your taste, there are aftermarket options available. Under the Tr anspro label,
the KNVR-900 is listed as a replacement regulator for the above mentioned machines IN ADDITION TO…

Kawasaki ZX10, ZX900, ZX1000

http://search.waiglobal.com/partnum.aspx?part=KNVR -900

A quick search on ebay has turned up a US supplier offering KNVR -900’s for 79 dollars, or about half of the
factory price.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve gotten a bit of useful diagnostic informa tion from this write-up. I had fun doing it and can’t
wait to tackle the next project.

Ride Safe,
N5XL-Dave
Thanks Dave, very comprehensive! I wish I'd known all this before I performed my 25 to 40A alternator

swap on my Daytona. Good to know now though how it all works.

dc
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