ok so am I going to fry a stator, no matter what I do?

[reckon]

electrical is BY FAR my weakest motorcycle repair/restoration skill set, so bear with me when I ask a bunch of stupid questions after you nice people answer the folowing:   :D

I have been reading, and reading AND reading about the electrical/charging systems on the V

it seems lots of people fry stators, CDI's, and rectifier/regulators.

the rectifier is in a horrid spot, so I made a heat shield out of aluminum and some insulating material designed for hot rod exhaust systems where you have wiring inches away from headers, and it dropped the temp back there ALOT, I didn't have the IR thermometer with me, but after a ride it was MUCH cooler.
as soon as I get my camera back from my girlfriend, I'll post a how to, so people can make one, it's about as easy as making a bowl of cereal. you COULD also wrap the rear pipe for the first 6", but that could cause some corrosion over time.

I understand about cutting the rev limiter wire from the CDI, is there anything else I can do to help prolong it's life?

and lastly the stator, I was reading a few threads and it seems that I will fry my stator, no matter what I do, is that right?  so I should buy working ones, to have handy for when mine takes a crap.  is there anything I can do besides cutting out the connector, and soldering the connection to prolong the stators life?.

my V has only 12K on it, so everythings still in really good shape, and obviously I would like to keep it that way as long as possible, as it just runs awesome right now, and I can feel murphy lurking somewhere out there

[ps2/bikevision]

most of us have moved the r/r to the passanger foot pet. that seems to help alot.

making sure that all your connections are clean will prolong the life of your stator. also keeping your battery in tip top shape will also help reduce the work load of your charging system. i know someone on here still has the orginal stator in there bike.

[h2olawyer]

Some of us have mounted a 12V CPU fan to our R/Rs.  I still have the connector which I clean every spring.  I have just over 11,000 miles on my V and am on my third stator.  The first lasted through about 6,000 miles.  Number two went for 13 months & 1100 miles.  Just long enough to be out of warranty.   >:(  It was when I replaced the second stator that I made the fan modification.  The first stator fried about 500 miles after I eliminated the connector & soldered the wires.  Made diagnosis a real pain in the @$$.  Replaced both stator & R/R at that time.  Still have R/R #2 installed.  R/R #1 tests fine so I keep it as a spare.

The oil cooler Lucky designed is likely the best preventive solution for our stators.  It's just one of the quirks of the V that we're generally willing to put up with.  That said, a permanent solution to the problem would be nice.  Many bikes fry their stators.  It's just that most of them take tens of thousands of miles to do it.  The V seems to eat them at a little faster rate.

H₂O

[reckon]

most of us have moved the r/r to the passanger foot pet. that seems to help alot.

making sure that all your connections are clean will prolong the life of your stator. also keeping your battery in tip top shape will also help reduce the work load of your charging system. i know someone on here still has the orginal stator in there bike.

well thats encouraging, I thought that the stator lasted about 20K, and then you replaced it, so it's just delicate, and you can't neglect the electrical system? or is it just bad design? b (see here come the questions  :D)

I have a GIANT tube of dialectic grease, and enough emory cloth to sand a google of electrical connectors.

I replace batteries every couple of years anyway

[Paul_Jungnitsch]

I don't think it has ever been sorted what exactly fries the stators. I got 50,000 km out of my second OEM one, and it was still good enough when the engine went out that I could sell it. Someone mentioned that it is possible Yamaha went to a more heat resistant insulation for its later batch of stators. I cleaned the stator connectors and greased them, but didn't direct wire, and never moved or modified the R/R.

I do notice that Suzuki put an oil cooler on my V-strom though, and I've never heard of one eating a stator yet.

[Walt_M.]

Paul, I think you probably got one of the upgraded OEM units and it really was an improvement. Suggest anyone with a bad stator and an otherwise sound bike go for the OEM. It will likely be worth it.
Oh, and for everyone who has soldered his stator to R/R connection. Some day you will be sorry you did. It WILL eventually fail.

[Lucky]

Oh, and for everyone who has soldered his stator to R/R connection. Some day you will be sorry you did. It WILL eventually fail.

not a big deal, just snip snip snip,or  unsolder unsolder unsolder... it's certainly the easiest part of the replacement.  sealing that stupid case is the pain (unless the Cometic gaskets are better)

[supervision]

  the one i'm using this time is honda oem, i chose it at a junk-yard because i liked the oem cream color of the insulation. i also put a larger size r/r for the extra cooling and have it mounted out in the fresh air. mine is hard wired but my stator wire connector never showed heat. what i do think is a good idea is a proper r/r ground wire. and in my bike's case sience i always over charged every battery i ever put on the bike i hooked the sence wire to the pos direct.  sv

[NewVisionGuy]

  the one i'm using this time is honda oem, i chose it at a junk-yard because i liked the oem cream color of the insulation. i also put a larger size r/r for the extra cooling and have it mounted out in the fresh air. mine is hard wired but my stator wire connector never showed heat. what i do think is a good idea is a proper r/r ground wire. and in my bike's case sience i always over charged every battery i ever put on the bike i hooked the sence wire to the pos direct.  sv

How long have you been using the OEM Honda stator?  I'm about to put a new one  in  that I got from Ebay.

[Cdnlouie]

Hey Reckon,

Here's some advice  ::).  You need to join a 12 steps program like the rest of us to get through the shock of replacing stators   :o. I am just finishing the program myself. Once we make our peace with the issue life is much easier for us  :-[.  A spare cover with a backup stator (used or new) needs to be sitting on our shelf and then when the old girl frys you just pull it out and get back on the road in an hour or so .

Stators are pretty cheap all things considered and if you buy one when a deal comes around (like the guy offering a rebuilt one on ebay now for $50) then you can sleep easy at nights  :-\ (.  I don't think TCI's and R/R are any real problem so that's kind of a bonus, not to worry!  Although, a spare sitting on the shelf does guarantee you will never need one.

The problem with the stator is the high output and the enclosed rotor design, simply not enough cooling and that is the primary issue, everything else is secondary.  It has a shelf life. OEM's do perform better and that is one reason we get a bit more repeat business these days with the rebuilds.

So you can start the 12 steps now with the rest of us and continue to enjoy your vision for many years to come or succumb to the deep, dark pit of stator despair  :'( from which few have ever returned  :-\.

There is a great expression that comes from the good book, "perfect love casts out fear" and that pretty much says it all for the committed Vision owner.

We be chill'in now  8),

Louie

[don_vanecek]

Did you hear about the new motorcycle oil from the I-ts Ntrel company? Guaranteed not to damage/dissolve what ever gunk is put on the wires of stators that share the same oil as the engine, no mater how hot the oil may get!

Hummm, so why doesn't my car have an internal stator, would save acouple of belts and pulleys won't it??

Must be these winter blues, I think I'm loosing it!

[h2olawyer]

Oh, and for everyone who has soldered his stator to R/R connection. Some day you will be sorry you did. It WILL eventually fail.

not a big deal, just snip snip snip,or  unsolder unsolder unsolder... it's certainly the easiest part of the replacement.  sealing that stupid case is the pain (unless the Cometic gaskets are better)

I found the sealing problem is those damn split rubber grommets that the wires run through.  Thet's where I had leak problems the first time I did my stator.  The Cometic gaskets don't address that issue.  However, those Cometic gaskets look & feel pretty substantial, and according to Tdub are reusable.  That's the real benefit - not having to make or order a new gasket every time you open up the sides of the engine.

Glad my truck uses a standard alternator - the ones for early 90s Fords are notorious for going bad.  I've owned the truck for around 9 years & put 3 alternators in it.  Glad I bought the first one from NAPA with a lifetime warranty.  The warranty passes from unit to unit so I keep replacing it for nearly free.  Just the pain of going to get it & trading the old one in.

H₂O

[QBS]

Reckon, some thoughts in no particular order.

1.  Aquire and always carry a spare TCI box.  They fail with zero warning, but are small enough to carry in the tool storage area, and can be swapped out in ten minutes using only the phillips head screw driver in the tool kit.  In the last 22 years and aprox 85k miles, my '83 has needed two TCI boxes.

2. TCI translates into Transister Controlled Ignition.  CDI translates into Capaciitor Discharge Ignition.

3.  A TCI is basically a common points and coil ignition system where transitor circuitry replaces the points.  A CDI uses a capacitor in place of a spark coil and generates a lot more voltage in the process.  Don't know the exact numbers, but a 100% increase sounds about right.

4.  If not already reattched, your starter clutch will definately sound like your worst rod/main bearing nightmare by no later than 27k miles, but in reality, probably closer to 20k miles.  No V escapes this OEM assembly defect.  Early preemptive reattachement saves $.  Maybe you can do it in conjuction with your first stator replacement and save 45% of the labor.

5.  If not already swapped out, your OEM starter oil seal will fail at about 10K miles.  Again, another OEM design fault.  Yamaha specified the wrong starter for the V under oil level operating environment.   Remove the starter, clean its' insides, probably replace its brushes, and replace its oil seal with either a single or double spring lip design.

Welcome aboard, glad you're here.  Cheers.

[Night Vision]

here's a good resource for the Xz electrical system

stators in particular - http://www.jetav8r.com/Vision/Stator/Stator.html

and leather's home page - http://www.jetav8r.com/

Vision button is right under "warthog". warthogs are very cool! Ive seen them up around Fort Drum

[George R. Young]

I used the Vision as a mini-tourer, numerous trips of 1200 mi. one way. On a couple of these, the stator died. The absolute cost isn't high, it's about like tires. Learned how to run without lights and bump start to get home from 500 mi away on the remaining charge in the battery.

Anyway, I started carrying a spare stator. The idea is that you can lean the bike against a handy tree, pop the cover off and plunk in the new stator, without even draining the oil. Wasn't that thoughtful of Yamaha.

[Cdnlouie]

Now you see fellows, George is a fine example of how endearing the stator is to all us Vision owners. I can tell you really miss those days.  I wish you had a pic of that tree event, just to put in the Vision archives.

Of course, you are making "the good times roll now" on that Concours.

Glad to see your still kicking around,

Louie

[Kenny]

-Just one item to Add-use a Semi or Full Synthetic Oil !  In the eighties I put in three stators in  the green Hannigan "V" in 76,000 kms. ( no synthetics around then)
    I have not replaced another in  50,000 kms. Could be just Luck, but that expensive oils has got to count for somthing!
                           Stay Warm  Ken S ;) 

[jasonm.]

I have my original stator. I have only ~25k because I have another bike. I do not do short trips or idle in traffic or other things that cause excessive heat build up. I did solder my connections@15k and relocate the R/R@20k.  My '82 had the R/R go bad suddenly. But I had an indicator light that warned me I was not charging the 14vdc+.  So 50 miles home and replaced it.  Basically the more you idle hot or ride @85mph+ in 100F heat, the more chance the stator will die. These run hot...electrically speaking.

[Kenny]

  "Learned how to run without lights and bump start to get home from 500 mi away on the remaining charge in the battery."
   I'm with George on this one-in the middle of the night halfway between Banff  & Yak my stator on the Hannigan V packed it up  # 2 if memory servs. I xchanged batteries with Dorothy's  V  unhooked the headlight & off we went.
   These days I don't ride all night & have a voltmeter so I can read /plan ahead for the next Canadian Tire (charge & solar panel) if my charging system act up.what the heck life is an adventure-Ride On.
                                Cheers Ken S
                                                                  Ken S