What causes a stator to go bad?
#11
www.cycleelectricinc.com
Get the whole kit(stator/rotor/regulator) and change your primary fluid every 5000 miles or twice a year.
Get the whole kit(stator/rotor/regulator) and change your primary fluid every 5000 miles or twice a year.
I know we're talking about Touring machines here but the root causes that burn up a stator are all the same. Over taxed, weak battery, bad ground, bad regulator/rectifier or the wrong kind of regulator/rectifier.
Modern Sportsters have shunt regulators vs series regulators. The stock shunt regulator will burn up stators on a pretty regular basis because they work at 100% all the time and shunt the excess voltage, regardless of draw.
If I replace anything to do with a an HD charging system I install Cycle Electric components. Made in Ohio and high quality.
#12
At the risk of not being politically correct in the eyes of all the "Kool Aid" drinkers here, I am thinking that the No. 1 reason that so many stators fail on newer bikes is that the MOCO buys the cheapest components that they can source in the hope that they will last 24 months before they croak. My bet would be that they have a supplier in China for stators but I don't know that for a fact, just a guess on my part.
Firstly it's only good business practice to buy parts as inexpensively as possible. Some (stockholders) would say that there is a responsibility to do so. Hopefully a quality manufacturer will balance material cost with quality to achieve a satisfactory balance.
Also to be considered is the fact that manufacturers can be lied to or fooled about quality by suppliers. Just look at the airbag recall...
Secondly, internet fourms, at their core, exist to whine and complain. For example, my 07 Ultra Classic still has the stator it was born with but I don't start a thread saying how well it's still working at 9 yo.
Finally, you have no clue about the actual failure rate of this, or any other, part on these bikes. If HD makes 250k + bikes a year and have 5k stators fail in two years that's less than 1% failure rate.
And I haven't had any HD Kool aid, well not too much anyway. I could copy and paste this into nearly any vehicle fourm and it would still hold true.
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rjjj629 (06-04-2016)
#13
At the risk of not being politically correct in the eyes of all the "Kool Aid" drinkers here, I am thinking that the No. 1 reason that so many stators fail on newer bikes is that the MOCO buys the cheapest components that they can source in the hope that they will last 24 months before they croak. My bet would be that they have a supplier in China for stators but I don't know that for a fact, just a guess on my part.
#14
Probably #1 cause is heat, either from overloaded systems, corroded connections in the charging circuit causing high resistance, and not to forget one covered in bugs and road dirt and never washed off. That **** make a great insulator!
It would be a wise idea as part of normal maintenance to unplug connections clean the pins and put back together with dielectric grease, ESPECIALLY if one rides in the rain a lot or washes their bikes with a hose. I use never-seeze and a star washer on the frame ground points. 3 bikes and 150k all still had the original stator.
It would be a wise idea as part of normal maintenance to unplug connections clean the pins and put back together with dielectric grease, ESPECIALLY if one rides in the rain a lot or washes their bikes with a hose. I use never-seeze and a star washer on the frame ground points. 3 bikes and 150k all still had the original stator.
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Slick- (06-04-2016)
#15
At the risk of not being politically correct in the eyes of all the "Kool Aid" drinkers here, I am thinking that the No. 1 reason that so many stators fail on newer bikes is that the MOCO buys the cheapest components that they can source in the hope that they will last 24 months before they croak. My bet would be that they have a supplier in China for stators but I don't know that for a fact, just a guess on my part.
#16
If you are having stators go out on a much too regular basis, even on your very nice large motor, there are obviously other contributors on your bike that need addressing. Electrically, look toward the regulator and the battery. Run a high quality synthetic fluid in the primary to handle the temps a primary case can see, especially on your 117. Ensure that your primary is "full" of fluid. Investing in the higher quality stator and regulator mentioned above may be the ticket.
#17
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#20
I just took my bike in for it's 50K maintenance, and my tech said my stator was frying - - primary oil apparently stunk like melted wires.
I'm kind of disappointed in the MoCo - - I've been very diligent with all maintenance since I bought the bike new, and I didn't expect the stator to go out so soon.
I'm kind of disappointed in the MoCo - - I've been very diligent with all maintenance since I bought the bike new, and I didn't expect the stator to go out so soon.