My Stator hates me and wants to be replaced, plz help...

[ddaum]

Ok, here's the deal: 1980 GS550L, 25K miles, sat for about a year before I got it. Took it to the shop, carbs rebuilt plus tune-up, and general inspection. All lights and gauges work fine and she starts and runs very good on a full battery, but guess what, the bike won't charge the battery. The battery is brand new, and holds a charge fine. After charging at 2amps until full I took it off the charger and tested it about 6 hours later, still holding 13V. I then went over the whole bike removing, cleaning, and preserving all grounds and electrical connections. Then I hooked the battery up and tested it with the leads connected to the bike, no voltage drop, so no short. Started the bike, at 2500 rpm, battery is at 12.67V with the headlight off. No increase in voltage at 5000 rpm. I then continued with The Stator Pages IV with good readings until Test Phase B where I checked the three stator wires for AC Voltage at 5000 rpm. These are my results:

wire1 with wire2: 3.7 VAC
wire1 with wire3: 4.6 VAC
wire2 with wire3: 2.1 VAC

So the stator is at fault. (YAY) My question is: Since I have to replace the stator I want to go with a brand new one and I'm going to replace the R/R with it. Where should I go to buy the most reliable stator and R/R? Should I put a Honda R/R in? Which Honda R/R will work with my bike? When I replace the R/R should I ground it directly to the neg. batt. terminal? Should I also connect the red (+) output wire directly to the (+) battery terminal? (I think I read about someone doing that) Does the new stator come with a new gasket for the cover? If not, where can I order one? As stated before, I have a headlight On/Off switch, after making the repairs (successfully I hope) should I run it with the headlight on at all times?

Thanks for everyone's help you guys are lifesavers!
PS. where can I get a cheap Clymer manual online?

[my98xplorer]

ok ill help as much as i can:


A lot of people go to bikebandit.com to get parts, i never have had to but thats what i hear.

I dont know anything about doing the Honda r/r swap, sorry.

When you do put the new one on, ground it directly to your neg battery terminal, i dont know if you should go to the positive terminal for power though.

I dont know if the stator comes with a new gasket or not, but i had to order one from my local Suzuki dealership, and it was crap. I ended up buying a roll of do it yourself gasket from Advanced Auto Parts for $5 and its worked great.

For the headlight, i dont know what state you are in, but here in Fl its a law that motorcycles have to have a headlight. I personally think its a good idea to have it on at all times anyway, but thats just my opinion.

And last, the manual, check Ebay, if not there i have no idea.


Good luck on everything!

[Sandy]

The Honda R/R's work really well in the GS's. Try here for info.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/viewtopic.php?t=41278&highlight=honda

[DMPLATT]

I've been advised to use a Ricks stator. http://www.ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/



I've also heard about the Honda R/R's, I guess they are more durable.

edit: Don't forget the Gasket.

[ddaum]

Well, I ended up purchasing a Rick's R/R and an Electrex Stator from www.denniskirk.com. I looked a bunch of places and made some calls, and no one had an Electrex R/R on hand for my bike. (some couldn't even tell me when they would expect a shipment because of the hurricanes.)

So, is this a good combo? Rick's & Electrex?

Oh, I got the gasket on order too, thanks!

[DMPLATT]

Well, Electrex USED to be great. However, I've been reading some recent Quality issues about them. Most notably was Leon.

If I were you and the price is similar, I would cancel the Electrex and get the Rick's stator.

Either way, good luck. If both are good units, the mix and match shouldn't affect anything.

[rustybronco]

Well are you trying to fix it fast, cheep or both?

How about a Honda r/r e-bay and http://www.thegsresources.com/garage...atorrewind.htm

gasket does not come with most stators, gasket material from an auto parts (get the correct thickness) and cut out with a razor blade or order the o.e.m gasket.

[ddaum]

Thanks for the replies.
I don't mind paying for the brand new parts, actually I'm more comfortable buying them rather than spending the time and frustration rewinding my stator and retrofitting a Honda R/R.

If I were you and the price is similar, I would cancel the Electrex and get the Rick's stator.

Dave, this troubles me. I have heard some speculation about the quality of Electrex parts after the company switched, but no specific complaints about their stators. I would love it if anyone with bad experiences with Electrex/ElectroSport stators could give me their detailed story or refer me to other GSR threads complaining about the stators so that I can make a decision on whether or not to cancel my order for Electrex and get a Rick's stator.

The Rick's stator was significantly cheaper than the Electrex. :? :? :?

EDIT: Just so you know, I ordered the parts from denniskirk.com, not electrosport.com, the stator was advertized as Electrex, not Electrosport. And the R/R is Rick's.

[chrissinc]

I would get the stator rebuilt myself. I tried Electrex and every part they sent me was defective out of the box.(2 Stators and a R/R) Bad luck I guess, I got my stator rebuilt at a bike shop that sends it out for $75 and it was better than new when it came back and had a guarentee.