35 A 200 PIV BRIDGE RECTIFIER

Most motorcycles made prior to the mid-to-late 1970's use a selenium rectifier to convert AC from the alternator to DC to charge the battery. These solid-state rectifiers are about 7% more efficient with zero current loss and are less fragile (both physically and electrically). This allows you to run the headlight during the daytime for safety--and to comply with the newer laws--without running the battery flat. For smaller bikes, such as my '73 Honda CB350 twin, this is a direct replacement and takes about 5 minutes to install. If you have a three-phase alternator (generally 550cc engines and above), you'll need two of these components wired together in parallel (wiring diagram: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/frank.cooper1/rectifier.html) One caveat: Make sure that the device you're replacing isn't a combination regulator/rectifier or you'll overcharge the battery and boil it dry. Or, alternately, you can build a replacement, solid-state regulator too.