blew another stator

[DimitriT]

This was an electrosport. Got about 10K miles out of it.

The R/R is a Ricks which I've had for 20K miles. I have
a much beefier Honda R/R which I will try out once I replace
the stator.

I have a voltage indicator on the bike so I can monitor it
all the time.

The current problem showed up when I tried to start it
cold one recent morning. I forgot to put the bike on the
battery tender overnight as I usually do in the winter.
And it had trouble starting in 30 degrees (I'm a cold weather
rider).

I'm wondering if the poor battery state somehow affected
the stator.

The odd thing is that even with a blown stator if I ride
the bike for 10 minutes the voltage will suddenly go from
mid 11s to 13.5. As if some heat expansion or something
is perhaps fixing the short somewhere.

Oh well, time to order parts. Another electrosport I guess.

[tom203]

On your last ride, did you get any strange readings on your voltmeter? You did do some tests to determine it is a stator problem and not connections or an r/r that doesn't like the cold?

[Nessism]

In order to judge the stator you need to measure the AC voltage across the various three legs - there should be at least 50 volts. If it's below that point the stator is weak/gone. If the voltage is above that level the issue is with your R/R and/or wiring (grounding).

Regarding stators in general, I'm not a fan of the high power stators being sold by various mfgers since that just adds extra heat when the extra current is sent back to the stator. Posplayer will be along shortly to explain further...and most likely pitch you on one of those new fangled R/R that don't over heat your stator.

[posplayr]

If your stator is bad, please make a contribution

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=167978

[DimitriT]

The voltage readings didn't look unusual on the ride before the failure.
Everything looked normal.

I tested the output from the RR using a multimeter - which I calibrated using a known
source - a new 9v battery

I got 5-7 V from the RR at 5K RPM.

I also tested the AC coming from the stator and got about 15V.

The RR I am planning on using to replace the Rick's is a Shing-dig-en (or whatever)
from a Honda CX500. It's about 50% larger than the old one and has six wires. I'll
have to figure out how to wire it.

So which stator should I buy? the Electrolux or the Rick's?

[DimitriT]

If your stator is bad, please make a contribution

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=167978

Yea I already voted on that one.

It seems I'm on a 10-15K miles replacement schedule. The last one (original) blew after
15K miles. I replaced with it with the Electrex which lasted 10K.

<edit - come to think of it, the original blew after running 10K miles with the Rick's RR
so maybe it the RR which cooking them - I replaced the original Suzuki RR after 5K miles
because it failed>

During this time I've been running with a Rick's RR. The RR appears to work fine but I
don't know what its doing to the stator. Maybe its overheating it? I'm hoping the Honda
RR I have will prolong the life of the new stator.

[BassCliff]

The RR I am planning on using to replace the Rick's is a Shing-dig-en (or whatever)
from a Honda CX500. It's about 50% larger than the old one and has six wires. I'll
have to figure out how to wire it.

So which stator should I buy? the Electrolux or the Rick's?

Hi,

Here's the wiring diagram we use when connecting the 6-wire Honda r/r units.



The sixth wire (or "sense" wire) can be connected to any 12v *switched* source. It's usually convenient to plug it into the tail light circuit at the brake light switch, as above. Some folks go so far as to use a relay.

I haven't tried the Electolux stator. But between RMStator, Electrosport, and Rick's, I like Rick's the best. It's well-made with a proper sleeve and grommet.

You might want to read Mr. posplayr's information about the Compu-Fire r/r units (series regulator) and how they allow the stator to run cooler.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[tom203]

"The odd thing is that even with a blown stator if I ride
the bike for 10 minutes the voltage will suddenly go from
mid 11s to 13.5. As if some heat expansion or something
is perhaps fixing the short somewhere."


Well, I find this disturbing. I'd double check my connections and testing before I assign blame. I'd also replace the r/r with the Shindengen in any event as posplayr's poll is giving these units good reviews.

[trippivot]

not all bikes run right in freezing weather

possibly sounds like it could be an intermittent "open" in the stator. a weird/ frozen battery can do this fooling the voltage sensor too. your system could be just fine but the temperature of the components is causing the malfunction. then it warms up hmmmmm

but doing a ohm test on your stator when the engine is completely hot and again when completely cold could help you more about the stator when engine is at freezing temperatures.


next load testing the battery when cold and when hot.


stators are not fun to blow - they'll cut your lips.

keep the bike warmer 1 or 2 nights and see if there is a change before you go buying parts... man, stators last longer than 10K miles if you have fixed all your problems. little batteries very fragile and sensitive, especially if you buy the cheapest you can find.

[posplayr]

possibly sounds like it could be an intermittent "open" in the stator. a weird/ frozen battery can do this fooling the voltage sensor too. your system could be just fine but the temperature of the components is causing the malfunction. then it warms up hmmmmm

but doing a ohm test on your stator when the engine is completely hot and again when completely cold could help you more about the stator when engine is at freezing temperatures.


next load testing the battery when cold and when hot.


stators are not fun to blow - they'll cut your lips.

keep the bike warmer 1 or 2 nights and see if there is a change before you go buying parts... man, stators last longer than 10K miles if you have fixed all your problems. little batteries very fragile and sensitive, especially if you buy the cheapest you can find.

I need to update the stator pages on the stator tests because unloaded tests can only confirm a bad stator NOT confirm a good stator. That is because unless you are running full loaded current, you are not testing the insulation./


So if you see a short at 15 milli amps it will most certainly be a short at 15 amps (confirming a bad stator).

But an open an 15 milli amps (suggesting good), may well turn into a short at 15 amps (which invalidates the supposition).

[Matchless]

I need to update the stator pages on the stator tests because unloaded tests can only confirm a bad stator NOT confirm a good stator. That is because unless you are running full loaded current, you are not testing the insulation.

Theoretically maybe, but in practice a bad R/R may then point to a bad stator and cause confusion.

[posplayr]

Theoretically maybe, but in practice a bad R/R may then point to a bad stator and cause confusion.

I'm only refering to Test Phase B of the stator pages which are all open circuit stator tests. This has nothing to do with R/R's in this phase of the fault finding diagram.

http://www.thegsresources.com/garage/gs_statorfault.htm