Should I worry about my stator GS250T

[solarae]

Hi folks, been enjoying riding my little cafe bike. It's a GS250T with just under 5k miles. It's very quick for it's size with pods, lifted needle and larger main. Typical rides are are spirited and usually about 5 miles one way. Never over 20 one way. Speeds up to 80 but usually 30-50. Should I do the R/R swap? No problems so far.
Thanks, Edy

 

[Brendan W]

Wouldn't do any harm to go to the top of this, electrical, section and do the charging system quick checks.
Depending on the results you could consider setting aside time to worry.
Nothing lasts forever so a new r/r is in the future anyway.
Stators are expensive so a switch out is insurance if in any doubt about the old unit which may or not be the original.

 

[Guest]

true, never hurts to do some tests and see where you are and be prepared.
then the other side of me says if it aint broke, dont open up the can of worms....

 

[solarae]

There's nothing wrong with my charging system at the moment. I'm just wondering how much likelihood of overheating the stator there is on this particular bike under the conditions I ride at. From https://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?191795-GS-Stator&p=1630965#post1630965
"It should be mentioned that some SHUNT regulators having been working for years, but that is generally limited to the smaller bikes that don't have the same heat problems as the bigger bikes. For anything at 1000 cc and above a SERIES R/R is a must. 750 cc is borderline I have little experience on bikes below that but there are many reports of no issues.", it seems I don't really have much to worry about. The other issue is that my electrical parts plate has been relocated to under the seat so space is at a premium. Maybe I'm answering my own question but just wondered if anyone had actually burned up a stator on one of the smaller GS's .
Thanks for the replies.

 

[tom203]

"usually about 5 miles one way. Never over 20 one way. Speeds up to 80 but usually 30-50. Should I do the R/R swap? No problems so far."

your bike is barely getting warmed up...so I'd not worry about charging issues yet. As to little bikes being kind to stators , forget it, as I smoked two stators on my 650. The upgrade to the SH-775 unit six years ago solved my issues.

 

[Redman]

....................ZTypical rides are are spirited and usually about 5 miles one way. Never over 20 one way. ..................

if only ever going only that distance, you dont really need a charging system. just put it on a battery tender when get back,.. or put it on a charger a several hours before you go.

.

 

[Steve]

You have a couple of things in your favor:
1. smaller bike, less heat
2. shorter rides (won't call them "trips"), less time for overall heat

You also have one thing against you:
1. smaller bike higher revs

What kills the stator is the amount of current going through it. Since current is generated by engine rotation, more rotations means more current. The operation of a shunt regulator means that the charging system is producing as much as it can, all the time. Since your smaller bike is running at higher engine speeds (necessary because of its smaller displacement), you are producing more current.

Depending on your riding schedule, you can do two things.
1. If you don't rely on the bike for daily transportation and can wait a week for parts to arrive, set aside about $100 for parts. The parts will be stator, R/R, gasket.
2. If you do rely on the bike for daily use, get the parts now. Having them on-hand or installing them now will be your choice, but I would at least upgrade the R/R now to avoid having to change the stator, too.

.

 

[LAB3]

I'd asked a similar question after replacing my regulator with an SH775. After now putting about 12k miles since installing it I'm not too worried about my stator going bad, my charging system seems to be bulletproof.

 

[solarae]

OK that's about what I thought. I do rev the heck outa the little thing. The shorty mufflers sound amazing. Really not loud either with the stock baffle, just a really fun sound. I'll investigate space I have available for a series R/R. Gotta be room under that seat somewhere even if I have to move it from the stock electrical plate I have stuffed between the frame, horizontally.
Thanks again for all the well considered replies.