1982 GS550L R/R & Stator Question

[tolduso21]

I am new to this site, but have already made use of the great info in the stator papers. Like everyone else, I'm having charging problems. So far I've replaced the battery and went through the troubleshooting chart only to find out that at the very least my stator is gone. I tried to find the electrex r/r and stator for my bike, but for some reason I can't find anything for the 82 GS550L. Am I missing something or is there just no good replacement parts for this year? Or will another year fit the 82? If anyone has any input on this I'd really appreciate it!

[duaneage]

I have a Regulator from a 650G that should fit yours. It has a sqaure connector for the stator wires and the red output. If yours has individual bullet terminals I can change it for your.

15 bucks + shipping and it's yours.

[Boondocks]

It looks like the model G01 stator at Elextrex World Ltd. is the one for your bike. You can confirm this with them by email if you wish.

The price direct from the U.K. manufacturer is $89.10 delivered as opposed to the same part ordered domestically for $166.00 delivered.

[DimitriT]

Do you guys see any advantages to using the heavier duty G101 model? Do you need an upgraded R/R to make use of it?

[Boondocks]

Do you guys see any advantages to using the heavier duty G101 model?

Not unless you are running a lot of accessories (Gold Wing style), so much so that the output of the standard stator is not adequate to charge the battery under full load. This is unlikely, and I wouldn't do it unless I was certain it was necessary. I don't think heated hand grips would make that much difference. If I plug in my electric vest (about 35 watts), my bike still charges normally.

Do you need an upgraded R/R to make use of it?

As far as I know, Electrex doesn't even offer an upgraded R/R for the heavy duty stator. On the downside, if a heavy duty stator is putting out more current that is not being consumed by the bike's electrical loads, this would put an additional heat load on the R/R and might contribute to an earlier R/R failure than would occur with less charging current.

[duaneage]

Stators do not put out current, they put out voltage. The bike DRAWS current based on the voltage it is presented with. The limiting factor in a GS electrical system is the stator. It provides a certain amount of power and that is it. Some models do 250 watts, some 350. That is 18 - 25 Amps approximately at 14 -14,5 volts.

Your not going to get more power from a GS stator. These bikes were not designed with electrical accessories in mind. You could try an auxillary gel battery under the seat ( like those car starter things you see advertised on TV) to provide a little more capacity for surges but that is it. A larger battery system provides extra current capability for turn signals and idling, one case that spikes the current draw and another that loads the charging system down because of low RPM.

A heavier duty RR will not hurt anything nor wil it gove more capacity. It will just manage the charging better and limit current properly to protect the stator.

[Boondocks]

duaneage,

If you go to the Elextrex link I supplied, you will notice that they offer an option to the G01 stator, the G101 - Hi-Power Generator. Their description of the heavier duty stator is as follows:

Hi-power Generator
Provides at least 30% more power than the standard generators and is essential where there is extra demand on the electrical system i.e. fitted heated handlebars, extra lighting, communications and GPS.

Power (watts) is defined as volts X amps (current). Stators supply both voltage and current when they are connected to a load through a R/R, or there would be no power.

Either Elextrex is lying or their high power stator is generating 30% more power.

If their stator is generating at least 30% more power either the voltage or current (or both) is increasing to supply more power compared to the standard G01 stator.

Since the standard test for these permanent magnet stators expects about 80 volts AC at 5,000 RPM, it is reasonable to assume that this would also pertain to the G101 stator. If so, then the load current supplied would have to be higher to achieve 30% more power, no?

Elextrex has offered a GS stator with more power, and I see no reason to disbelieve them.

[duaneage]

I see a reason to suspect their claims. Unless it is verified by independant testing it sounds like marketing to me. Electrix has been sited on these pages lately for quality control issues and availability problems. They have to do something to stand out from Ricks regulators.

Unless they plan to change the rotor in the engine they are not going to get more power from the system. This system is limited by the magnet strength and other factors such as the air gap between the stator and rotor, the number of stator poles, wire size, temperature, etc.

If 30% more power was to be had it would have been there already from the factory, take advertised claims about anything with a grain of salt. If someone here can attest to 30 more current capability from one of their deluxe stators at the same voltage I'd be more than happy to admit I'm wrong, but I'd like to see how it was tested and compared to OEM on the same bike.

Faraday's law of Electromagnetic Induction stands firm.

[AOD]

How did you verify the stator was bad and that it's not the R/R? I had no charging at my battery last year and it was only the R/R causing the problem, which should happen more often because the stator just provides voltage, whereas the R/R has to regulate and manage it.

I used a Rick's Electrics part from CycleRecycle2 and it's worked great.

~Adam

[tolduso21]

Actually now I believe they both are bad. I've tested this a few times now and from the start I can't get to 13.5 volts. It's not a bad connection from the r/r to the battery so I went on to the stator. I get 1.3 ohms on the first test, infinite resistance on the second, but I cannot seem to get equal or any volts above 60 on the last test. Then I tested the r/r and I get nothing on the first and third tests, but get .5 on the second and fourth tests. I tested everything just to see what I got, but if I go strictly by the charts that tells me they are both bad. Unless I'm doing something incorrect? By the way, thanks for all the responses on this and special thanks to Boondocks for the direct link to the manufacturer.

[Boondocks]

...Then I tested the r/r and I get nothing on the first and third tests, but get .5 on the second and fourth tests. I tested everything just to see what I got, but if I go strictly by the charts that tells me they are both bad. Unless I'm doing something incorrect? By the way, thanks for all the responses on this and special thanks to Boondocks for the direct link to the manufacturer.

First, your're welcome.

Concerning the disconnected R/R test, the readings that you received are the correct results. The problem is that the test instructions are unclear. These tests check the diodes, which should flow current in one direction but not the other (like an electronic check valve). The expected .5 V reading on the second and fourth test indicates that the diode is allowing current to flow in that direction. The instructions say that 1.5 V or higher should be received on the first and third tests, but this is misleading and just represents the results expected on one type of digital tester. The 1.5 V on that tester represents an open circuit (overrange) on the diode check. Other testers might return a 1, a 3, or an OL (over limit), but they all mean overrange or open circuit (or nothing in your words).

Your R/R checks O.K. in the disconnected test, but this still doesn't mean that it is good. Until the R/R is tested on a running bike, it is not certain that it is performing properly.

You still might have a bad stator and maybe the R/R too, but here are a few more thoughts and considerations. The PDF file ElectroSport's Fault Finding Chart (from which this site's instructions were derived) is not Suzuki specific, but I think the instructions are better overall. The stator AC voltage check requires equal readings of 50 volts or more in these instructions. The shop manual for my 1980 GS1100ET requires 80 V or more. The point is that different bikes might return different AC voltages, so the best source for the correct voltage for your bike is a shop manual. If you are receiving unequal AC voltage readings this may be the problem, but an equal 50 V might be adequate.

Sometimes when the stator or R/R at first seem to be the culprit, it turns out to be a problem somewhere else. Often, the biggest problem with these old bikes is the wiring itself. If the connections are burnt, corroded, or not properly grounded it will cause charging problems. I was having low voltage charging conditions similar to yours, except that my stator tested OK so I suspected the R/R. As a last resort check I disconnected the stator wire routed to and from the headlight. If your headlight is on all the time this is a redundant connection. This stator wire was connected directly to the R/R. Then all I did was clean all the charging and ground connections and reconnect with a little noncorrosive electrical grease to help prevent future problems. It's been correctly charging at the rated voltage ever since with the original 25 year old stator and R/R.

[jimg]

duaneage
I see a reason to suspect their claims. Unless it is verified by independant testing it sounds like marketing to me. Electrix has been sited on these pages lately for quality control issues and availability problems. They have to do something to stand out from Ricks regulators.

Unless they plan to change the rotor in the engine they are not going to get more power from the system. This system is limited by the magnet strength and other factors such as the air gap between the stator and rotor, the number of stator poles, wire size, temperature, etc.

I'll second this. With a fixed number of magnets and a fixed number of stator poles, the only way to get substantially more power out is to increase the number of windings on each stator pole. This will give you more voltage and thus more current into your motorcycle's load (battery, accessories, etc.). The downside is that your rectifier/regulator must dissipate more heat because the voltage is higher.

Increasing the wire size on the stator windings may reduce the resistive losses in the windings and allow a minimal gain in current capacity. Perhaps 5% at most. This would normally be done to reduce the heat generated in the stator, not to gain current capacity.

[xcutnr]

It can be done

The RR10 R&R from electrex is a much larger unit, about 4 times the surface area for dissipating extra heat. Increase the number of turns by using smaller poles, but with the same number, then the output increases, requiring more heat dissipation on the R&R or a greater load. I'll be testing a high output Stator with an RR10 R&R in a few weeks, so we'll see if the stator does have greater output, but it's not theoretically impossible. The extra turns on each pole creates an exponential increase, not linear.

[rckrzy1]

Stators do not put out current, they put out voltage. The bike DRAWS current based on the voltage it is presented with. charging system down because of low RPM.

Well Ohms law states E=IxR and if the I=0 so does the voltage.

[AOD]

I have a stator from a 77-82 GS550 if anyone is interested...looks to be in great shape.

~Adam