So recently I had a noise coming from the primary on my 2017 slim. Only seemed to make it at idle. Also seemed liked it was hotter than usual and smelled like burned oil. I figured maybe the primary chain was loose or the tensioner was broken. Took off the primary cover and the chain and tensioner were fine. The oil stunk and I changed it. Coincidentally I got a new battery the week before because I got the bike used and it’s been a really long hot summer here in South Florida.

Fast forward a week later and I was out for a ride and the battery light came on I was like the battery is a week old that’s not good. Confirmed it wasn’t charging and figured it was the stator or the voltage regulator. Tried the stator first because of the noise and the heat issues.

Got it all apart and sure enough it was cooked. Was a bit of a job taking the primary and clutch assembly off but it’s all good now. Whatever was causing the noise is gone too. Just wondering what would cook the stator at 27000 miles. Ahh the joys of being a Harley owner.

 

Did you volt test the new battery before putting it in? Lots of them need to be charged fully before being used...if you read the fine print it usually says not charging first could cause stator damage. Not implying that that's what happened to you but it is possible.

 

I did yeah it was fine. Maybe the old battery was ok just wasn't charging but I bought the bike used and dunno how old it was. South Florida is hard on batteries and it was a long hot summer so I got a new one for my peace of mind.

 

Double check your charging circuit running just to make sure the reg is ok, would fair blow to cook another stator if it's playing up.

 

Dirty connections on the plug where the stator wires connect to the main wiring can cause such problems. As can a bad regulator. Cycle Electric brand regulators are a more sophisticated set up than the stock one and seem to work better for longer.
I would check and clean the stator output plug terminals and pack with silicone grease to prevent future corrosion and carry on. Check charging voltage across the battery terminals with the engine running at road-speed revs and make sure it is sitting steady somewhere around 13.8-14.5 volts.

 

I did replace with a Cycle Electric unit they got a lot of good reviews and it's putting put 14 volts at the battery when it's running so the regulator is ok. DIdn't think about the dielectric grease I'll have to pick some up!

 

Interesting that it made a noise. Did you check the alternator rotor closely? Maybe it got so hot, that stator coil came in contact with the magnets?

Usually, you don't need to pull inner cover to remove stator.

 

I doubt one time would do it. People jump bikes, and ride them. It stresses the system, but one time I doubt will. I was going to go with chronic charging. Such as not riding enough and not tendering.

Though with harleys system of just dumping to ground, I am not sure if it is an issue. It always has current going through since engine is always spinning


While I think that is premature, by a lot. I might chalk up to bad luck, if everything is working afterwards. But I would pay attention.

While I don't think you need to by any means, if I had to much money and time, I would be tempted to install a cycle electric, so you would have a new system. Though probably just bad luck.


I had 90k on one, and other I replaced around 55k, cause I had it apart.

 

Manual says to pull inner cover on my years. I have heard of grinding cover. To me once you remove you clutch and comp, you might as well remove cover. Though it would be nice not have to.

 

Looks to me that it probably shorted that one winding, probably to ground. The varnish insulation does occasionally fail, leading to this.