Volt meter a must...

[Tiger]

 :) Like most things Vision, this subject comes around, now and again  :o ;D :D :D :D :D

1 - "Do I need to install a voltmeter and why"  ???

2 - "What kind, mechanical or digital"   ???

#1 is a "YES"..."why" you may ask...Loosing a Vision stator is not if but when :o ::)
A volt meter will give you some indication that you have a charging system issue(s), including stator decline...Think of it as an early warning system!!! Installing a volt meter may just save you from being stranded, miles from anywere, at the side of the road...not a good situation to be in really :P

#2 Which ever you prefer really ;)
               
This is the type I use...
http://cgi.ebay.ca/SHOW-CHROME-MOTORCYCLE-DIGITAL-5-FUNCTION-VOLT-METER-f-/140468620711?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20b4950da7

...purchased from my local bike store. I have it installed on the lip of the upper full fairing, below the windshield and just above the gauge cluster. Protects it from the elements, to some degree ;)

You can get them from eBay, local bike or automotive stores, mail order, etc, etc. The choice is yours boys and girls...just get one.

You won't regret it...unless you decided not to...and one day find yourself stranded at the side of the road, miles from anywere, in the dark, cold and all alone.....was that the howwwwwwwwwl of the wind or a Wolf calling...MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA :o ::)  ;D :D :D :D :D :D :D

   8).......TIGER....... 8)

[Rikugun]

Great advice as usual. When I put my '82 together the stator was no good. I installed the one from my parts bike but it was unfortunately on it's last legs. I got most of the summer out of it and was happy for that.  On the advice of the forum I had installed a volt gage. When that stator failed, I knew it. I was on my way home and close, so there were no problems.

With no gage, I would have taken the bike out the next day completely unaware and probably would have been stranded.

[Tiger]

 8) A happy convert... ;D :D :D :D :D :D :D... 8)

[Brian_Matthewson]

Solid advice Tiger!!
When my stator failed this summer, I was about 100km from home. Thanks to my voltmeter, I knew it had failed so I turned off my headlight (I have a toggle switch that does that) and made it home with no problem.

Does anyone know how far you can ride on a fully charged battery with no help from a stator?

[don_vanecek]

I have the same meter on my bike, love knowing the time of day and the current temperature, and of course my current voltage. The only thing I would caution members on is I don't think it would be water proof. Not a problem for me as it's tucked in my little vetter faring but on a naked bike-ummmmm, perhaps someone can suggest a meter that could go on a naked Vision???

[George R. Young]

I do have a voltmeter on my bike
http://www.lascarelectronics.com/temperaturedatalogger.php?datalogger=116

But in the absence of a Vision voltmeter, you can use the horn. The horn it seems requires more voltage to beep than the ignitor requires to fire.

So just beep the horn every now and then, if it honks all is ok, if in only chirps, get ready to push. Helps you get known as a 'character' in the neighbourhood, 'cause you'll be beeping the horn at nothing, and then breaking a big smile if it works.

[[jh]]

Ya I'm installing my second stator, so I will also put a volt meter in. It's always weighing in the back of your mind " oh that feels weird, is it my stator?" so a volt meter will - like Tiger says - give you a kinda early warning, and take the guess work out. I would do random checks with my tester too, but that can be annoying at 6:00 in the morning and I definitely don't want to carry it around. ;D

[h2olawyer]

While my V was eating a stator every 1000 miles, I had no early warning.  The volt meter would just immediately jump from 14.5 volts, charging fine - down to 12.5 volts, and steadily - but slowly, dropping.  I saw it actually happen twice.  With all the stators I went through, I was keeping a very close eye on the volt gauge on the dash.  (Still do out of habit.)

The volt gauge is a very worthwhile accessory, but in my case, it was just an indicator of what had happened - not at all useful to predict stator failure.

Longest I had to go with a fried stator was about 50 miles from Estes Park to my house.  I did that without disconnecting the headlight.  The bike was already running when I noticed it wasn't charging and I didn't want to shut down, turn off the light, then restart the bike.  By the time I got home, the volt gauge read very close to 11 volts.

H₂O

[Rikugun]

it was just an indicator of what had happened - not at all useful to predict stator failure.

That's true. But, that's all the gage is supposed to do - Indicate current state of well being. You'd need a crystal ball to predict the future. There's simply no room on a Vision for such an appliance..   :) :D

[kev10104]

When you noticed that the voltage had dropped and slowly declined was your warning.The voltmeter did it's job.

[Kiwi]

I like the idea of the big voltmeter w/ the clock/temp etc.  But i dont know if it would fit well on a naked 82.  Any suggestions on where to place it?
I was thinking of redoing the idiot lights... maybe i could work one into that area.

Also, where do you wire it into the bike?

[Re-Vision]

Voltmeter placement almost has to go on top of the speedo/tach on a fairingless bike and the connections should go directly to the battery terminals.    BDC

[Tiger]

I like the idea of the big voltmeter w/ the clock/temp etc.  But i don't know if it would fit well on a naked 82.  Any suggestions on where to place it?
I was thinking of redoing the idiot lights... maybe i could work one into that area.

Also, where do you wire it into the bike?

The 5 function one that I installed, has three wires to hook up...1 x to ground (battery), 1 x to a permanent live (battery), 1 x to the ignition fuse (off side)...if I remember rightly. There are wiring instructions with this unit.

I've seen them installed below the idiot lights, on a naked Vision...but can't remember who's?? ::)

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

[h2olawyer]

When you noticed that the voltage had dropped and slowly declined was your warning.The voltmeter did it's job.

That was all I expected to see.  Just clarifying that it won't likely tell you your stator is going bad.  The 8 or so (I lost count) stators I fried all failed suddenly and totally.  No gradual loss of voltage - until after the failure as the bike's electrical demands sucked the battery down.  I'd call it a 'failure' gauge instead of a 'warning' gauge.  A 'warning' implies that you can anticipate a failure in the near future.

H₂O

[George R. Young]

From personal experience, I think that an early warning is pretty helpful, even if the stator dies suddenly and completely.

Once you know, you can disconnect the headlight/taillight, and practice bump starting. Using these techniques, I rode home from Roanoke VA to Ottawa ON (about 500 mi.) over a couple of days, on the charge remaining in the battery.

And I knew early because I tried to use the horn, and it wouldn't beep.

[h2olawyer]

I'm not saying it is bad to have a volt gauge.  They are very useful - especially for the reason George states.  I emphatically endorse installing one.  Just don't rely on it to tell you your stator will fail, only expect it to tell you it has failed.  Then you can take steps to minimize battery power drain.  It is a Vision after all, and the stator will most likely fry at some point - unless you have one of those magic windings like one on the West Coast I'm aware of.

I'm just wondering who now has my old stator gremlin living in their V???  (Knocking on wood & ringing the anti-gremlin bell.)  Hopefully it jumped ship on top of Independence Pass in September and froze to death in the heavy snows up there over the last few days.   ;D  That damn creature had quite a life dwelling in the left side of my V's engine.

H₂O

[Walt_M.]

Several years ago, my volt sensing started behaving differently and I found the cause was low battery liquid. Added water, no problem. Visionaries should not leave home without one.

[davexz]

Does anyone know the root cause as to why the stators go out so often?  Why are the Visions so much different then other old bikes?

[h2olawyer]

Does anyone know the root cause as to why the stators go out so often?  Why are the Visions so much different then other old bikes?

That is one of the great mysteries of Vision life.

One possibility - the design does not allow for adequate dissipation of heat.
Another - vibration / harmonic related.
Poor quality insulation on the stator frame may be a contributing factor.

Assuming all parts are working properly (see below) I tend to think it is a combination of the above with heat as the biggest factor.

In my case, I was going through them because I also replaced the R/R at the time the first stator fried.  The replacement R/R was brand new & OEM type.  It always tested OK using the Electrosport flowchart.  But, I kept frying a stator every 1000 miles. (6 or 7 of 'em)  Replaced the R/R twice during this period.  First R/R went bad (overcharging) after I got 1500 miles.  Put the previous R/R back in & the stator fried in 1000 miles.  So, I figured it must be something intermittent in the R/R.  Replaced the R/R again - with one from RM Stators - at the same time I replaced the stator.  1800 miles and still going strong.  (knocking on wood)  With my stator past, I'll be thrilled to get at least 4000 miles out of one again.  Probably wouldn't have had an issue had I just kept the original R/R when the first stator fried but I wanted to make sure I had all new parts to keep from frying stators.  Eight or more stators later, I finally have something that should last.

H₂O

[kev10104]

Your stators were burning out so fast it was just crazy.I have close to 30,000 klms on mine so far.