Another one bites the dust.

[h2olawyer]

Went for another fun 60 mile ride today.  Learned some great cornering techniques.  With some more practice, they will become second nature!

Now for the bad:  Another stator fried.  Like clockwork - I get 1,000 miles out of them.  The one before this made it 2500 miles, but I'm considering that an anomaly.   ::)  THIS IS GETTING OLD!!!!

Same failure as all others - no problem checking wire to wire, but wire to engine gives me continuity.  Another winding shorted to ground.

Last time, I was going to switch the flywheels, but didn't want to redo the starter clutch bolts at the time.  Lost the gamble.  Will swap flywheel & R/R with this stator change.

Not a temp issue on mine.  Today was in the upper 50s & my temp gauge never got above 1/2 way up.  All I've got left is faulty R/R or vibration.  Will try to take care of both issues before I put another 'disposable' stator in it.

So much for the CROV trip this fall.

H₂O

[inanecathode]

If you want/need a stator you can take the one out of my parts bike at kwellz house, just put it back together when you're done :D

[kwells]

dang man that's definitely no good.  seems odd that you dont notice the vibrations

[h2olawyer]

Thanks inanecathode - I'll probably get that stator one of these days.  Need to order a new R/R as well.  Not going used on that item.  I have a stator owed to me as well - I'll have it sent to me instead of my original plan to pick it up in California this weekend.

Sure wish I had a rideable spare bike . . . (anyone heard from Professor Rex lately)

H₂O

[Night Vision]

Sure wish I had a rideable spare bike . . . (anyone heard from Professor Rex lately)

H₂O

why? did he take off on your TracTor?   ???.................... sorry....   ::)

I haven't kept score, but I assume it doesn't matter if it's new/used/oem/or chinese... 1,000 miles and it's toast?

Have you thought about disconnecting your odometer?......oops 2x sorry....    ::) ::)

in all seriousness, and not to mention I have no support from others on this, try swapping out your starter solenoid... peeps have said "it's an on-off switch, shouldn't matter... etc etc...."

well,  I swear I had a funky one that affected the charging system....  just food for thought... I really hope you get it sorted out

[h2olawyer]

:D  ;D  :D  ;D
Guess I'll add a new starter solenoid to the list of replacement parts.  Going to get it fixed this time even if I have to build an entire new wiring harness!

I have Tractor, but it became 'unrideable' during the 25 year party.  Need to repair the frame, replace the triple trees, forks, put on a new tank, headlight, gauge set, mirrors, turn signals & also get a stator for it.  I used that stator in  Silver V a month ago or so when the last stator fried.  Rex has the replacement parts I need.  He can add further explanation if he wants to . . .  Also have a line on a titled frame nearby that I may use instead of welding the steering stop back on.  When the steering stop broke off, it took some of the steering neck with it.   ::)  At least the weld was solid!

H₂O

[Aelwulf]

That does suck. :/ It was pricey but I got one from the Yamaha dealership if I remember right and I've gone about 2k on mine so far this summer.  Maybe the extra bit is worth it if they did fix the original issue with OEM ones.

[h2olawyer]

Thinking that after I get it all sorted out, I may look for a nearly new OEM stator on eBay.  Photo should show it with tan colored insulation.  Might spring for the real thing, but at nearly $400, I can get a lot of cheapies. 

Am considering getting both the stator & R/R from RMStator this time.  R/R is beefed up - stator looks like electrosport.  Choose the right one in their buy it now store, and shipping is $2.

The only thing that really sucks about it is that I miss the CROV trip.   :'(  Getting used to frying stators.  Have 4 in the garage now & I sent one back to Tim Parrott.  At least I'm getting proficient in changing stators.   ::)  Last one took about an hour - oil drained to oil filled.  The Cometic gasket is really a time saver!   8)

H₂O

[Tiger]

 ??? Thats a bugger, eh!!! Seems odd that you blow them with such regularity... :o You might as well change the flywheel out h20...You have nothing to loose. Another thought...a p.i.t.a. to do...but it may be worth considering changing out your wire harness as you MAY have a short somewhere in the loom ??? its a long shot, BUT...

The one I have in is used, out of a Virago...I think ::).  N_V brought it with him to the OnROV spring ride in May and it is still running strong in "The Mistress" 8) OhOooo, maybe I shouldn't have said/thought/written that...Grem's know you know!!! :o  ;D  :D  :D  :D  :D  :D... 8)

                        8).......TIGER....... 8)

[h2olawyer]

I'm planning on beefing up all the wiring related to the charging system.  But, with the regularity of the failures - 5 now - three lasted 1000 miles & one lasted 2500 - I really think it is a vibration issue.  They all failed internally to ground.   The flywheel will be replaced this time - even though it means doing the starter clutch fix again.   ::)

Am rounding up all the parts now & should have it all together next week sometime.  Want to get it done because this is the prime riding season.  Temps in the 60s & 70s, lots of sunny days, lower trafficc volume, just primo riding time in the Rockies.  Snow is always a possibility, but for the next few weeks, it will melt off the roads rapidly and they don't normally use much sand yet.  Surface is still warm enough that the snow melts off the roads as soon as it hits.

H₂O

[Lucky]

I'm planning on beefing up all the wiring related to the charging system.  H₂O

As i've been dealing with Ign & to some extent, charging system woes myself lately, i think looking over the wiring diagrams, it won't be as easy as you think.  you can replace with heavier wire, but you can't do much with components themselve, save to clean them.  what you could do though is start replacing connectors. loose connectors & worn wire where they attach to the connector probably adds up to more wire resistance than we realise, but it'll be tedious...

--Lucky

[h2olawyer]

There's always building a complete new wiring harness like blake started to do a while ago.  I think if I get everything immediately related to the charging system replaced, including the flywheel, and I still blow up stators on a rapid basis, the new harness will be a likely project.  I'm still thinking the flywheel may take care of the issue, though.  If it had been just one or two failing so quickly, I would have chalked it up to poor quality of the stator.  However, with so many lasting right at 1,000 miles, it seems to be something quite constant.  I've tried running varying electrical loads - using most of the accessories as often as possible on some of the stators & using as few as possible on others.  Makes no difference on longevity.

From the first time I installed the latest one, the volt gauge would jump between 13 & 14.5 volts for a few minutes after startup.  As the bike warmed, it would charge steadily @ 14.5 +. 

Think I'll unwind one of them to see what happened inside . . .

H₂O

[YellowJacket!]

Altitude sickness??? Stators burn out 10x faster at high altitudes??  :o

David

[firstone]

I have too fallen victim to a stator failure.  I was working on one bike doing the starter clutch and took the other out on a nice ride to see the voltage fall from a steady 14.5 to 14 then the next look, 12.1 and slowly dropping as I made best time home. 
    I have a question for all who have had this issue and made measurements of various current draws.  What is the current draw of the bike during normal operation?  Fan running, headlight on RPM's ~4K ? vs Idle state: fan on, brake & headlight on, RPM's 1.3K ish?  I'm wondering how much current the electrical system needs to supply the bike to run vs how much the RR needs to sink to keep things around 14V.

[Lucky]

I'd say 'normal' operation should be that the bike charges at 14.5ish but if there is no load on the electrical system, the charging should drop to 12.5ish.  a battery doesn't need 14.5 all the time, this is in fact overcharging. 12.7 is optimal at rest voltage.  all things being equal, if charging system output equals electrical consumption, anything else is just topping off the battery, or overcharging if excessive.

the problem is that when the bike has been crusing, & you come to a stop, the fan comes on, your signal is on, headlight, accessories, etc.  if the voltage then drops low you have problems...

[firstone]

After having looked at the stator and the conditions that seem to be present in their failures it appears that heat is the major contributor to failure.  In order for there to be significant heating there must be significant current flow.  The charging system has a volts per RPM parameter which increases the output voltage with increasing RPMs.  This voltage will cause a current to flow in proportion to the electrical resistance of the loads on the system.  If we want to keep the voltage constant the current must be shunted to ground, the job of the R/R.  I believe the issue with the stator is that at operational RPMs the voltage being produced by the charging system is too high.  As the RPM's and voltage increase more current must be shunted until the the R/R reaches its  maximum capability and burns out, or the stator reaches the critical temperature which melts the insulation and allows it to short.  Better R/R: stator goes, better stator: R/R goes.  The question is does the system really need to charge the battery while the bike is idling, or just supply enough current to keep it from quickly discharging the battery.  I would rather run the bike rather then sit an idle.  If the system can sustain idle operation for 30 minutes I would believe that more the sufficient.  At 30 minutes a 14AH battery should be able to supply 28 Amps, OK less in real life, but the main fuse is only 30 so hopefully the load is much less.  I guess the point I'm trying to make is that there are too many winds on the stator, less would be more appropriate.  Low RPM charging would suffer, but at highter RPMs enough voltage should be available to allow the proper operation and battery charging, with The R/R only coming in to play when the battery is fully charged.

[Night Vision]

............. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that there are too many winds on the stator, less would be more appropriate.  Low RPM charging would suffer, but at highter RPMs enough voltage should be available to allow the proper operation and battery charging, with The R/R only coming in to play when the battery is fully charged.

yep, that's the thought train I'm riding... look at the aftermarket stators... what do they tout?

"heavy duty / higher output"  ???

thanks, but no thanks..... I presently have a slighty smaller diameter "low voltage" used OEM Virago stator in mine.... looks great after 4,000 miles.... sometimes it shows (on the Kuryakyn LED)  meter that it's barely charging above 12v at idle... sometimes less at idle when a turn signal is on (LED actually flashes from last yellow to first green in opposite sync with the signal light)... above say 2,000 rpm, I show 2 green lights (which translates to like 14.5)

as far as I know, only Tiger and I are running this setup and that's a pretty small sample.... can't say for sure yet that this is "The Cure" for Statoritis.... until a couple of years or klicks down the road  ;) just food for thought 

[h2olawyer]

I'll go along with heat as a possible cause of failure in the stators that actually last 5 or 6 thousand miles.  However, the problem I'm having seems more like they're vibrating through the insulation on an internal post.  That's how every one of mine have failed.  None have shown continuity out of spec between any two of the three wires.  All are between .3 & .4 OHM.  They all failed the ground to engine continuity test.  One had crispy insulation & another melted all the insulation away from the ends of the post legs.  The rest had black insulation, but no crispiness.

At this point, I'd LOVE to get 5K miles out of a stator.   ::)  Save me from replacing them three times a year - like this year!  I could make stator replacement part of the annual spring maintenance program.

H₂O

[Night Vision]

the thing that's buggin me with the flywheel vibration theory killing your stators is that it seems to me that a flywheel wobble would have to go back through the crank, all the bearings and interconnected bits, not to mention the motor mounts and mild steel frame sucking up some vibes... to get back to the left side case and eventually to the stator....

seems to me you would have noticed that the SilverStreak was a thumper compared to the other V's you've ridden.. no?   

[h2olawyer]

Not talking about a low frequency overall vibration, but a harmonic induced higher frequency one, picked up by the stator.  Actually more of a buzz.  Haven't heard it, but with changes to all other electrical parts, OEM, Electrosport & Rick's brands, three different R/Rs, using connectors, soldering wires, running additional grounds, etc., I feel it has to be something non-electrical in this instance.  Especially since every one has shorted to one of the ground poles.  I'll be unwinding at least two of them to see what I find RE: worn interior insulation.

H₂O