ron47 Posted February 27, 2010 Share Posted February 27, 2010 Here are a couple or three pictures of my old and new stators. I haven't installed the new one. I would like to hear opinions about this unit. There are several places where apparently bare copper is visible and the lead wires are tied to the core with waxed string. Maybe this is standard procedure but it sure looks like a cheap-azzed component to me. As you can see, the original stator (36K miles, 2002 model year) is fried big time. However, the construction appeard to be far superior to the replacement piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted February 27, 2010 Share Posted February 27, 2010 egads........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron47 Posted February 27, 2010 Author Share Posted February 27, 2010 egads........ Yeah, it was not charging very well! All three yellow wires showed zero impedance to ground. DOH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 That looks like one of those aftermarket remanufactured stators although some have gotten very high milege off a stator, most bikes they fail less than 50,000 mile. I wish I knew the answer to improving stator longevity. I think first, it depends on how well it was manufactured to begin with. and then its then clealiness, vibration and heat come into play.I've had them fail with no sign of oil issues, where yours is hard to tell its so bad. But most stators run hot at the top of the stator. than the bottom. Even on failed stators most cases the bottom coils are clean. But even bikes that dont run hot as a vfr seem to fail them anyway. I'd like to run redline oil this summer when I start sustainng 200 degree water temps. I've heard the cooling of this oil is very good in bikes like HD and old Norton commandos. I know in lab testing I've done, it dissapates heat very rapidly.I've not tried the MC type, but I want to, the key I'd expect to see is to never see over 210 degree water temps and average 190 to 200 degrees In 100 degree weather. Its a test I really want to do . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron47 Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 That looks like one of those aftermarket remanufactured stators My thoughts exactly spud. Got a message sent back to Ricks asking for confirmation. Made in Tie-won. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KanadianKen Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 Tightwad sells the replacement Stators: http://www.wiremybike.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_17&products_id=326 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 Ron: I'd say that one's rare on top and well done on the bottom. Is the Rick's stator an OEM Honda part or an aftermarket part? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 I installed a Rick's stator and it's been charging my battery for the last 10K miles! They were a pleasure to business with too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 That looks like one of those aftermarket remanufactured stators My thoughts exactly spud. Got a message sent back to Ricks asking for confirmation. Made in Tie-won. I've never purchased an aftermarket one( no time to play with, it may work or may not), but I'd say thats pretty typical as far as the look. For precision built OEM is the ticket, course it costs alittle more. VFR's is cheaper than some oem's I've bought. My VFR Oem stator failed at 56,000 mile. The new one is at 12,000, hopefully will beat previous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron47 Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 The one I bought was definitely "after-market". I really don't know how to tell if it is a new-remanufactured unit or not. The folks at Ricks did state that they have a full year of warranty (which is typically about 3K miles of riding for me on the VFR). I checked out Cycle Gear here and they sell this same unit (ordered from Ricks if I understood the sales manager correctly). Update: I just noticed on the invoice that Ricks has a "replacement-only" return policy. Guess I'm going to install the unit, bare wires and all. I guess if it lasts a year, it will have proven to be adequate. Don't like it, but as Walter Cronkite said: "..and that's the way it is". Update 2: But wait, there's more (in my best Gingsu knife voice. I took a closer look at the "new" stator. It is quite clear that it has been bolted down before as indicated by the marks around the holes where the bolts secure it to the cover. Hmmmm, maybe the factory does a bolt-it-up-and-run-it test?? I dunno, but at this point, I ain't a happy camper. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtlecreek Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 The one I bought was definitely "after-market". I really don't know how to tell if it is a new-remanufactured unit or not. The folks at Ricks did state that they have a full year of warranty (which is typically about 3K miles of riding for me on the VFR). I checked out Cycle Gear here and they sell this same unit (ordered from Ricks if I understood the sales manager correctly). Update: I just noticed on the invoice that Ricks has a "replacement-only" return policy. Guess I'm going to install the unit, bare wires and all. I guess if it lasts a year, it will have proven to be adequate. Don't like it, but as Walter Cronkite said: "..and that's the way it is". Update 2: But wait, there's more (in my best Gingsu knife voice. I took a closer look at the "new" stator. It is quite clear that it has been bolted down before as indicated by the marks around the holes where the bolts secure it to the cover. Hmmmm, maybe the factory does a bolt-it-up-and-run-it test?? I dunno, but at this point, I ain't a happy camper. :-( no reasonable factory would bolt it up and test it. they would simply put it on a test bench and run continuity/current tests. used.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 Ron: Spring for the extra bucks and get an OEM. Peace of mind for you and I both. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Ranger77 Posted February 28, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted February 28, 2010 It's mostly likely a reman, but that doesnt mean its bad. They replaced everything that needed to be replaced. The only thing that wasn't replaced is the body and I wouldn't see why you'd need a new one unless there was a crack or piece smashed off of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron47 Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 I understand Pete. I thought I was buying a new one. I will definitely get a new, OEM piece to go in the bike. I do not like being on the side of the road waiting for someone with a trailer to show up! Ranger, I understand that the center part is pretty much indestructible but the uneven insulation covering on the windings is not very encouraging. It is just a poorly made/assembled component. Might last the life of the engine, who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 Here I thought I was all set up to catch an early charging failure. Out of the driveway I know I had charge via my voltmeter. 45 minutes later enjoying my ride and not checking the volt meter recently(i need it in a better location). My Radar detector goes crazy and I shut down quickly thinking Leo. But when I looked It said low voltage. That happens at 10.5 volt I then turned it off. Crap and immediately uturned making a bee line for the house. I passed a fuel station but kept on going, that was about the 5 to 10 mile mark. I wish I had a junior tender with me, I could have stopped at the fuel station and possibly plugged it in for recharge and disconnect the head lights. But I just kept on going cause I knew time was ticking. about 2 mile, I lost dash lights, 500 ft later I lost the fuel pump and then I was dead in the water, in the middle of no where and no phone. Took quite a while to flag someone down. got them to call a cop and got me a tow, 20 mile $110 and would you know it , load the bike on the truck in terrential downpour. But had it not been for the RD alert , Id still be heading futher out only to be eaten in deeper waters. stator fialure before that on my klx, I'd luckily made it home before electric loss, but next time I went to start it was dead as a door nail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron47 Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 I lucked out compared to your problems. I was about 30 miles from the garage when the VFR refused to start. New battery I had just installed took a good cussing for no reason. We bump-started the bike and I kept the revs above 3000RPM and she made it all the way back home. That last 45min ride was what probably so severely cooked the windings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I lucked out compared to your problems. I was about 30 miles from the garage when the VFR refused to start. New battery I had just installed took a good cussing for no reason. We bump-started the bike and I kept the revs above 3000RPM and she made it all the way back home. That last 45min ride was what probably so severely cooked the windings. Sounds like you still had some battery left, just not enough to turn the motor over. VFR will not run with a dead battery. I ran the Battery completely down till lost all power in everything, it was Like John wayne Running Little BLacky, till the horse just fell over and died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron47 Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 Got the new rotor and stator installed. Heck, pulling the old one was a snap. No need for a strap wrench, just hit the bolt with a good impact and she came loose. Rented a puller (for free) from AutoZone and the deal was done. Well, everything except fishing that darned lead back through the engine compartment. I am kinda stumped by a couple of "vacant" connectors on the left side though. Can't seem to find what plugs in to them. Hmmmmm, more research here will surely point me in the right direction. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tightwad Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 I have had great luck with Ricks service, if not always with their Stators...Those parts are so close tolerance that they really are a pain. Of course it is easy to say "Go OEM", but an OEM one already failed...right? I can't say for sure which I would do, as I have a 2002 and could have either Rotor, but I would probably go with Ricks because I know them so well, and they have always treated me and my customers fairly. I know some of there stuff is wound in house, not sure about the VFR parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Serenity_VFR Posted March 17, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted March 17, 2010 I feel your pain. That rewind doesn't look too bad to me. It's not done by guy who does it 150 times a day but I've seen rewinds look a lot worse and still be perfectly fine. This isn't the rewinders first day on the job, but he's not Michelangelo either. I'm an electrician by trade, and we get motors and stuff rewound all the time and it is sort of an art. Some guys who do this are much better at it cosmetically than others. As for bare wires, are you sure they are bare uninsulated wires and not just lacquer-covered? It doesn't have to be pretty to work. If it lasts the first year it'll last. Honda did a pretty poor job of building the wiring harness and the R/R circuit which is what causes these stators to fail IMHO. I rewired my harness and removed all the weak spots in the circuit as well as put in a new R/R from Rick's ($120 with free shipping -great price!) You can send that back and get a slightly more expensive Honda unit if it makes you feel better, but if the issues that caused the original stator to go bad I'm afraid you are going to have trouble again in the future (if not the stator then another weak point -like the R/R). Made darn sure that the R/R is OK and the wiring is all good (ground connections, the triple yellow-wire plug, the Black/Red plug, and the 30A main fuse and fuseholder. If there are any bad connections or signs of burning in there you will just end up ruining either the R/R or the stator again (and maybe a cooked battery too). Use anti-oxidant compound in every connection to ensure a low-resistance coupling. Don't forget the frame grounds too. They might look good from the outside but aluminum oxide is hard to see and is a good insulator. Good luck getting the charging system back up and running again. I've found that is a really good and essential flow-chart to troubleshooting the charging system on a motorcycle. It would be a good idea to print this out and keep it with your tools or documentation for future reference on the side of the road miles from home. Flow Chart PDF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron47 Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 You are correct serenity, there were several places on the windings with no coating and since the unit showed scuff marks from previous bolt-tightening, I elected to go with a OEM part. Cost was about $75 more but included a rotor, two gaskets (I guess in case I putzed one up), new crush washers for "something" and new ss bolts for the stator installation. Ricks did not hesitate to make a refund and I will probably order from them in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trace Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 ......and since the unit showed scuff marks from previous bolt-tightening,......... I think you'll find that anything that has been rewound or rebuilt will have bolt-tightening marks on it from where it was once attached to a new bike at the factory. Remanufacturing companies will take the returned "core" (alternators, starters, brake pads, etc) and rebuild it to "like new" condition. Obviously, they don't make these aftermarket parts from scratch (rarely, anyway) and just replace the failed elements of the part. Having said that, sometimes the rebuilt part is "better" than OEM because the cause of the short life is known and something is done about it in the rebuild process. :woohoo: BELOW For instance, there are several outfits that repair the VERY expensive whiz-bang electronic modules in our cars (ABS, Traction Control, ECUs, etc) for very cheap prices. I sent my Vette's $2200 ABS module to ABSFixer.com, and they repaired it for $150 shipped. They replace a tiny, cheap semiconductor in there that is ALWAYS the reason for the trouble-codes and failures, and they use a better one than AC/Delco used....and problem forever solved. So, word to the wise: if you have some $$$$ module fail on your car (and there are lots of them on all cars these days controlling all sorts of stuff including HVAC, power windows, locks and mirrors, etc, etc), search the internet before you head to the dealer. There's a very good chance that someone is rebuilding it much cheaper and far better than an OEM part! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron47 Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 Would have never been an issue if I had not been told specifically that it was a NEW part. I even asked if they had the rebuilt units on hand, hoping to pay less than the $160 advertised price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trace Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Would have never been an issue... I dig what you're saying! :comp13: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Mac Posted March 18, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted March 18, 2010 :comp13: Tightwad sells the replacement Stators: http://www.wiremybike.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_17&products_id=326 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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