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Last December I rewound the stator coil for my '79 GS1000L, following the instructions in "The Stator Papers". First off, I searched on the internet until I found an electric motor repair business that would sell me the required quantity and gauge of wire. I requested 2 pounds of 17AWG, high temperature insulated copper wire, and they sold me some, rated class "H" insulation and specifically intended for rewinding motor armatures, for around $14.00 plus shipping. One note: be careful with class "H" insulated wire, as the insulation can be somewhat fragile (I didn't have too much trouble; this is just what the seller told me). When I actually got started on the project, I found that the 17AWG wire is actually heavier than the original wire (whether due to the actual wire thickness or the insulation I don't know). This meant that I was only able to get 6 turns LESS wire per core than what was originally on the stator. The 2 pounds of wire, BTW, was actually enough to wind another stator, if need be. I then took it to a local electric motor shop and paid around $15 to have the coil varnish-dipped and baked, and the 3 center wires silver-soldered together and insulated, and 3 new leads with cloth insulation attatched to the output wires. So the project was accomplished for a total cost of around $35 (vs. $80-$100 or so for an Electrex). I checked for shorts between the coils and the core - no problem. The resistance between leads was around .02 Ohms, if I remember correctly - much less than the troubleshooting charts say it should be. I attribute this to the larger diameter wire, as wall as the reduced quantity used. This isn't a bad thing, in my opinion, as resistance equals heat, and the less heat, the better. I then re-installed the stator in the bike, but had to leave it at that as our northern Michigan winters are just too cold to start a bike easily in an uninsulated garage.
A couple days ago, the weather finally warmed up enough to start the bike. I let it warm up, and while I didn't check the actual output of the alternator, I checked across the battery terminals. My bike is equipped with the following "extras": am/fm/cassette stereo, Vetter Windjammer SS fairing with running lights/turn signals, 60/55 watt H4 headlight, and Vetter tail trunk with 4 2" LED lights (3 LED's per light), and a CPU fan attatched to the regulator/rectifier unit for extra cooling. With all accessories and lights turned on, and the headlight on high beam, and with the bike idling at 1500 RPMs, I still got 13.8 volts across the battery terminals with no sign of dropping, and no change in engine speed as I turned accessories and lights on or off. We'll see how it performs long term, but for now I'd call it a success.
A couple days ago, the weather finally warmed up enough to start the bike. I let it warm up, and while I didn't check the actual output of the alternator, I checked across the battery terminals. My bike is equipped with the following "extras": am/fm/cassette stereo, Vetter Windjammer SS fairing with running lights/turn signals, 60/55 watt H4 headlight, and Vetter tail trunk with 4 2" LED lights (3 LED's per light), and a CPU fan attatched to the regulator/rectifier unit for extra cooling. With all accessories and lights turned on, and the headlight on high beam, and with the bike idling at 1500 RPMs, I still got 13.8 volts across the battery terminals with no sign of dropping, and no change in engine speed as I turned accessories and lights on or off. We'll see how it performs long term, but for now I'd call it a success.
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