New stator and RR..?????

[Hacked850]

I just bought a 82 850 to replace my 07 DL1000 that had charging issues and left me stranded one to many times.Now I find out that the GS's have a history of the same problems !!!!!.So here is my question...My 82 is all stock and does not seem to have been tampered with and has 21,000 miles on it and is charging good and has no noticable electrical problems.I bought the bike ( and the DL ) to build the ultimate RTW ( round the world ) sidecar rig so reliabilty is the most important thing.Should I go ahead and replace the stator and RR with the ones that are recommeded in the "Stator Papers" as a prevenative maintence measure OR should I wait and see IF I have a issue.??.Also does anybody know what % of these bikes have a stator/RR failier??.Replacing the stator and RR is not a big deal ( except for the $$) since I took out and put back in my stator and RR in my DL atleast 6 times in the last 2 months..

[1_v8_merc]

The GS'es only have a problem with the "factory" charging units.
So once you replace them with aftermarket...you won't have any more problems.

I would replace the Stator and R/R BOTH at the SAME time.

If you replace just the Stator, and the R/R malfunctions, it could destroy the new Stator or vice versa.

You can get an Ebay stator for $99.
R/R's are all over the place from $50+
(just ball-parking it)

[posplayr]

[QUOTE]
The GS'es only have a problem with the "factory" charging units.
So once you replace them with aftermarket...you won't have any more problems.

I would replace the Stator and R/R BOTH at the SAME time.

If you replace just the Stator, and the R/R malfunctions, it could destroy the new Stator or vice versa.

You can get an Ebay stator for $99.
R/R's are all over the place from $50+
(just ball-parking it)[/QUOTE]


I dont think so.................................

if it were only so easy

[keman]

Sort of related, but if you do go a trecking on the bike, add a hand impact driver and a hammer to your tool kit. Trying to open ANY part of the case or covers without one could make for a nightmare roadside stripped screw removal. Make sure you get a JIS tip for the driver. These bikes have Japanese phillips, not american #2 or #3 like thay appear.

[tom203]

Why don't you run the charging system tests on your present setup, so you know how well it's doing. If all tests good, I'd just replace the R/R with a used Shindengen and keep original R/R as a backup- don't forget to test this setup too. Carry a spare stator as insurance and think about having a gauge to monitor system voltage to possibly give you a early warning device. Recently, my onboard voltmeter behaved oddly while on a ride - still showed charging, but R/R was hotter than normal. i switched out to a spare R/R , and happy motoring returned. Without this warning, I might have cooked my stator an hour later.

[trippivot]

6 times on a 2007 DL 1000?? really? 6 TIMES?

That makes me 100% positive you are going to have electrical trouble.

better apoligize to your local dealer and get a regional service manager to RESOLVE your modern M/C issue before you jump into another wiring nightmare.

it's not a question of-- if -- it is when with a 80's GS. same with the ignition system.

hearing of your previous trouble, I suggest you buy doubles of everything never leave home without them.

[jbs80106]

I think if you pass the stator tests and are getting good voltage back at the battery, maybe buy new stator/reg-rect when you have the $$$ for future use. Clean all the connections and check your grounds. Should/could be good to go for years. I am sure that somewhere out there are GSes with 5x your mileage running original equipment. Not quite luck of the draw IMO, parts wear out, electrical parts fail eventually.

(Kind of like how in my 6 yr old house I have original lightbulbs the builder put in still working fine, but also have replaced some with CFLs (supposedly with 7 yr lifetime) that have since been replaced 2-3 times.

[bakalorz]

My $.02

If you read the stator threads, there are also people who have original stators and R/Rs that have lasted all this time with no problems.

Most of the people who do have problems have them start with bad/corroded connections somewhere in the R/R to battery connections. (especially (but no only) the ground path) This leads to the R/R not properly sensing the battery voltage, thinking it is too high, and regulating (shunting) too hard, which stresses both the R/R and the Stator. Thus causing one or both to fail.

If your R/R and stator currently pass the stator pages tests and all the connections are good, they are unlikely to fail.

To insure that the charging system remains troublefree, I would recommend:

Go through the entire wiring harness (or at least the charging section) and disconnect every connector, inspect to make sure it is not corroded, goop it in dielectric grease, and reconnect it.
When you reconnect it, make sure it makes a good firm connection.
Replace any loose or corroded connectors.

Although not "connectors", the above goes for the fuse box and ignition key connections too.

The ground path in some (all ???) GSs goes through the battery holder box. I consider this to be particularly prone to corrosion (its thin sheet metal, right near the battery which can at times give off corrosive gasses ...) My grounds were intially trashed in this area.
I would recommend bypassing this part of the path at least.

Replace the bullet connectors in the stator to R/R connections with spade connectors. (and any other bullet connectors on the bike for that matter)

Install a voltmeter. If something goes kerpluey and you catch it early, you may just be tightening up a loose connection ... ride it like that for long enough and you'll be replacing the R/R, stator, and STILL have to troubleshoot to find the loose connection that caused the R/R and stator to eat themselves.

The R/R is a weak link ... while it is likely to be fine as long as your connections are good, a normal shunting honda unit is likely to survive abuse that an OEM one would not.
For $30-40 on e-bay it may be worth upgrading as a preventative; but consider this optional, not required if the OEM one has made it this far and your connections are in order.
A FET R/R is more modern, but not necessarily any better. In fact, a FET R/R will stress your stator a little bit more because it shunts a little bit more effectively.
A series R/R will relieve a fair amount of stress from the stator, but it is a lot of $$

I would not replace a working stator. The aftermarket ones are not neccessarily any better, and many people have had problems with them as well.
If you are going around the world on the bike, it may pay to take one
along as a spare, but otherwise ... If it aint broke, don't fix it.

Search the forums and you will find tons of more detailed info on all these topics.

But for my money, if everything is working now, make sure your connections are good and you likely won't have any trouble.

[850 Combat]

What Balalorz says is great advice. I personally like to solder the connections in and out of the R/R as well. If you look at the three connectors between the stator and the R/R, they are either showing signs of overheating, or they are recently replaced. Possibly both. The main power out will be the same. Make sure that upo have good ground from the battery to the frame and from the R/R to the battery, and the starter solenoid to the frame/battery. I have never upgraded a fuse box, but I will in the future. The crimps in it develop high resistance. I think an R/R with a sensor wire is a good upgrade as well. If the sensor is hooked to a switched lead with resistance, you may overcharge the battery and toast it pretty quickly, so beware. Volt meter is a good idea.

[Hacked850]

The reason I had the DL open so many times was because I fried the stator at 13,000 miles.Then about 2 months ago I thought it happened again,opened it up and took out the stator and it looked good and back together it went.Then I replaced the the RR with a mosfet unit and that didn't solve the problem.I did ALL the stator checks and it still tested good.I opened it up and and checked the rotor magnets ( I should have checked before !!) they were good so back together it went. so I borrowed a NEW stator from a fellow stromtrooper and opened it up and put it in.I rode it for 1 day and it started to have the no charging problem again.I opened it up AGAIN and took out the new one and put back the old one.I took off the sidecar and tested it again and still no charging( new battery also).Then I put the old RR back on and it started charging and it still is.I think the problem was that I had 5 LED lights on all the time on the sidecar ( when the bike was running) and I did not use a relay and I think I might have been putting power to ground.
I think I will get a new stator and RR for the 850 and install them before the next long trip BUT keep the stock ones in the sidecar for a back up.I did check the charging on the 850 and it's charging just fine..I also plan to replace all the phillips head hardware with allen head.

[Nessism]

The number one GS charging system problem is the WIRING, not the stator or R/R (although the R/R's are weak).

First thing, bypass the factory harness and wire the stator directly into the R/R. Keep the wire runs as short as possible.

Second, make sure the R/R has a good ground. Many people split the factory ground and take one leg to the battery and the other to the frame.

Third, find Jim's electrical test info and run it to check for resistance in the power path. Simpler still, run the R/R power out wire though an accessory 15A fuse and take it direct to the battery.

Regarding the parts, I'll take a Suzuki stator over an aftermarket. A Compufire R/R is technically superior, with the FET type second. Tons of info in the archives on this subject so PLEASE....use the search feature.

[Hacked850]

So here's what I did on my DL.I bought a Mosfet RR,I wired the stator direct in to it (3 wire plug from stator in to the 3 wire plug on the RR).I then ran the 2 output leads from the RR ( 1 black,1 red) to the positive and negative battery posts.I just put electrical tape over the old 3 wire plug from the bike and tucked it up out of the way.Is that the same way I would do it on the GS ??.Also what kind of voltage should I see comming from the stator??,on my DL I saw about 80V ( @4,000 rpm's) each on all 3 legs.So I assume that if I see the proper voltage from the stator I'm safe to just replace the RR??.And yes before I go off on any long trips I will carry a spare stator and RR.

[Hacked850]

I finally tested the charging system a little today,like any good suzuki owner I have several multi meters ( a small one from harbor freight that I carry in my tank bag !!) and at idle with a warm engine it's putting out 12.75V and at about 4,000 rpm's it's putting out about 14.25V.This seems a little low to me,BUT I'm comparing it to my 07 DL1000 that puts out 13.10V @ idle and 14.65V at 4,000 rpm's.

[Nessism]

Fix the wiring and most likely you will see the voltage come up.

[Hacked850]

Is there a list on here of RR's that will work ( and cure the problem) on a 1982 850??.