| Author | Message | ||
     Thecowboyblack |
Hello Buellers! As you may have seen through the recent posts many of us are at this time, waiting on a Stator / Stator Harness on "Backorder" form H-D and some have been for as long as 3 weeks now, myself included. Like many of you, my Bike is not a "Luxury Item", but rather my sole transport and getting back and forth to work is becoming increasingly costly and more difficult. I'm not sure who our Moderator is, but I'm sure the multiple posts over the same subject are getting a little out of control. The purpose of this post is; I'm inquiring trying to find out how many of us exactly are waiting, on what Part (Harness or Stator or Both,) at what dealer, and for how long each of you has been in "Limbo". It is my feeling, to have such a new purchase with such a common problem and no swift resolution is unacceptable. We are covered under Warranty for this specific problem. It is a Contract and Harley is clearly not holding up their end. I am putting together formal complaints For HD Customer Service, HD Dealers, and HD Part Manufacturers. To those of you who are not experiencing this problem and or have been lucky enough to already have it resolved, I apologize for the redundant posts from the rest of us, but ask you bear in mind, we are a family of sorts and this is the outlet we have to group and resolve matters of this nature, and although everything may be fine with YOUR Steed at the moment, what happens when it’s the ________ (you fill in the blank) that malfunctions and once again we're "put on hold". THIS IS A CYCLE WE CAN NOT AFFORD TO LET EVOLVE. We were told we would be taken care of, and within reason, should expect it, if we’re not, we should address it with a Swift and Stern reaction. I do not conduct business this way and refuse to be FORCED to deal with those that do. This is not a reflection on Erik or Buell or even your local Parts Manager in the least, and we all know that. Erik himself is aware of the issue, not happy about it and putting forth efforts of his own for us, so let’s aim this at the proper targets. Once again, I am asking for a simple list of those of us who are waiting (or had to, for what you feel is an unacceptable period of time). If you do not feel comfortable stating your Dealer on this particular thread feel free to PM me. I just need numbers so my Facts are as close to correct as possible. Names are not necessary. Example: 09 1125cr----Stator Harness(Only)---- Currently 1 month----“______”Harley Davidson, BF Egypt Thanks To All J | ||
| Thefleshrocket |
I understand that it sucks to have to wait for warranty parts to arrive. But let me ask you this--did you buy your bike before or after the October 15th shutdown of Buell? If you bought it beforehand, then you bought a bike from a company that you probably thought would be around for a long time to support your product and it would be reasonable to be irritated if your bike was waiting on parts for a while. If you bought the bike after October 15th, then you should have expected that there might be some delays or problems getting replacement parts. But the thing is that the $5000 Harley-to-dealer rebate should have resulted in you getting your bike for a lot less than MSRP. Those savings were enough to make a lot of people look beyond any potential delays getting their bikes serviced. Considering how much money I saved compared to MSRP on my '08 1125R, I'm willing to deal with those delays (within reason). Of course my 1125R is not my sole means of transportation--I've got two cars and several other bikes in the garage. But if my bike was going to be my only means of getting around and I NEEDED it to be reliable and have parts readily available, I would have bought something used and Japanese. (No dig intended at Buell here--just saying that parts are generally plentiful and not terribly expensive for stuff from Japan.) (Message edited by thefleshrocket on April 10, 2010) | ||
| Guard_rail |
Mine (stator) just went Thursday. Dealer towed it from Philly to jersey for me. I'm still waiting for them to look at it on monday so they can give me the official word. (damn it takes that long just to look at a bike) | ||
| Eweaver |
I don't think it matters when the bike was purchased. Harley screwed this deal up, and I don't think it's wrong to hold them accountable for a crappy parts pipeline. That being said, I would first try to catch my flies with honey before spraying insecticide. A simple call to HD customer service and asking what they can do to make it right, may yield results. If not, then nuke 'em. | ||
| Ottobotz |
-EricD. -2009 1125 CR -Got the letter on the recall on April 5th 2010 for charging issues related to this bike. -They said they would call me when the part was in(8-10 working days), then they would set a date to have the bike, they didn't even look at the bike so I don't know what part or parts are needed. Don't know if it's the stator or Harness, hopefully both. -Service is done by "Tucson Hardley-Davidson", Toostoned AZ. | ||
| Ron_luning |
eric, If your charging system is currently functioning, the dealer will only install the harness. The stator is almost $700 by itself, so if it is still working (could be damaged for all you know though) they are going to leave it. | ||
| Ottobotz |
-As of today, the bike runs fine, no problems at all. -So do I just wait for them to replace the harness, but how do I know if the stator is damage? If the stator is damaged and they leave it, how will I know? What kind of problem(s) will that cause? If it messes anything up after the fact, will the warranty still be in effect? -Thanks for the INFO, Ron | ||
| Eweaver |
Otto, If the stator is damaged, you're bike won't charge. It's pretty obvious when it goes out. | ||
| Freight_dog |
I have posted numerous times. My battery light and CEL came on March 17. When I got home I was showing 10V and the bike died completely. It took two days to charge the battery enough to get power on the bike. I notified my dealer that day and informed them my stator was probably fried as well. They said two weeks for parts. The next Friday they picked up the bike. I called back on about April 2 (over two weeks from my initial call) and they said parts in mid April, I reiterated that I had the CEL, no charging and the stator is surely toast. I checked in again today, and they are still "hoping" for parts next week. I am sure they haven't bothered to look at the stator. Who wants to bet it's mid May before they figure out the stator and get it replaced?  My dealer is Western Reserve HD. A site sponsor. | ||
| Guard_rail |
So how hard would it be for one of us to build are own stator??? It's only been a couple of days since HD closed the door on Buell and they can't live up to the agreement we all agreed upon. | ||
| Daniii |
Walked into the HD dealer in Allen a couple weeks ago (about 10 days after I get the notice). They ordered the part. 8 days later they called to say it was in. Scheduled it for the following Tuesday, picked it up that night. No fuss, no bother. | ||
| Tbenson |
I called the dealer yesterday, they said the harness just came in, nearly a month of waiting for me. | ||
| Dannybuell |
To hear that a fast idling bike in heavy traffic could be running on the battery is unbelievable. I have been thinking about the stator issue as well and I have a few questions. It seems to me that if the engine RPM is over 1300rpm it is too high. I have been wondering if the higher RPM is a response to bolster the charging systems low end potential? If heat in the stator is the issue why do you programatically reduce functionality - turn off the stator to reduce heat? low speed, traffic is when you need a stator most and you just turned it off? What cools a stator? Oil? Does the engine need oil jets for the stator and some honest programming so the bike can have a durable and powerful electrical system? When my I picked my bike up after the 620mi the dealer told be to always use a trickle charger. If I had been eating there would have been food on his shirt. I did everything I could to keep from laughing but I couldn't hold the air in my lungs. In my 40 years of motorcycle riding I have always thought trickle chargers were for; people who had several bikes they rarely rode or had electrical issues they couldn't or wouldn't fix. | ||
| Froggy |
Is it really? Thats how it works in most high revving Jap4 bikes. Stator output increases with RPM, so on something with a really high redline, they are making a ton of power high in the power band and not much near idle.
1300rpm isn't high unless you are comparing it to a diesel truck. The Buell XB models idle at 1100rpm. Yes, the idle was raised a few flashes back to help reduce charging issues.
Yep, reducing its output will help it stay cooler.
Its not "off", just reduced, and it will go back into full power mode if needed.
Yes it is cooled by the engine oil, and doesn't have sufficient cooling below 5000rpm.
Trickle chargers are designed for extending battery life. I have one, it is rare I use it, it isn't really needed unless you ride less than once every two months. Hell I rode my CR for the first time in about two months, it complained but still started up without much fuss even though the battery was a little on the low side (just enough to trigger the batt light). | ||
| Dannybuell |
I am just trying to learn and may be making some silly assumptions. I would think that as rpm's increased you would cut back on output. At 1250 rpm 100% stator output is expected. You can't run a bike off the battery successfully. At 2500 rpm stator output could be reduced due to the rotational speed - output having doubled. At 5000 rpm stator output could be reduced again due to the output having doubled once again. At 10000 rpm stator output might be cut to 12-15% of the baseline idle output. | ||
| Ron_luning |
Danny, What you have there would make sense except for several factors: -size and cost of a generator device that can provide the maximum required power for the motorcycle at idle rpm is prohibitive -what do you do with the excess output at higher rpm? send it to ground via the rectifier/regulator thereby causing it to get hot as hell and kill it quickly, send it to ground at the stator (still heat there) or turn off 1 or 2 of the phases of what I'm guessing is a 3 phase system. You're either dealing with a much bigger generator than is really required, or that plus tons of waste heat. Every vehicle electric generation system I can think of is designed that way. You know...if you need a jump start in your car you have to drive around for a while to get the charge up, it won't charge if it sits at idle. | ||
| Guard_rail |
So does that mean it's a really technical thing to do? Building a stator?? I know nothing bout engines (when I was a little boy we played cowboys & engines???) and froggy, I know you were talking bout your battery, but you said "low side" and that's a bad word! I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bike ..... Somebody fix it please. .......I want to ride my bike I want to ride my bike ! | ||
| Dannybuell |
THX R_L. I have a low idling (1100rpm) 96 S1 and in 94Kmi the stator has been replaced twice. Does a 30Kmi service life make the sporty stator better? Froggy - "Yes it is cooled by the engine oil, and doesn't have sufficient cooling below 5000rpm. " This is a fundamental issue, has anyone responded to this as a hard parts cooling challenge? (Message edited by dannybuell on April 11, 2010) | ||
| Ron_luning |
If you feel comfortable manufacturing an electric motor, then a stator will be easy because a motor and generator are the same thing. In other words, yes it's technical. | ||
| Dannybuell |
An 1125 can move down the road very quickly and not go over 5000rpm when the stator reportedly begins to cool down. How about external oil lines to the the stator for additional cooling. Enough oil passing by that the stator can be on and not overheat while the battery stays charged. | ||
| Froggy |
According to a post from someone in the know, the 2011's were going to have a better setup to alleviate this issue. Another reason to say "FUHD". | ||
| Dirty_john |
the harness update is a cheap fix as has been mentioned before, what we should be asking is how this lack of cooling below 5000 rpm has reduced the effective lifespan of the stator before fitting the update, what happens if there are a rash of 09 model stator failures in a couple of year's time? You can bet what HD response will be and we may need a class action to sort it out. HD have been very clever calling it a product upgrade, at least in the USA you have had formal letters from HD on the matter. Here in the UK the customer service from HD has traditionally not been the best although I have a good local dealer who has always gone the extra mile for me to assist. | ||
| Froggy |
I wouldn't be to worried about it. HD/Buell typically is very good about standing behind their stuff. A few years back on the XB models, there was a problem with the crankshaft nut on the primary chain coming loose. The fix was to increase the torque when installing it. Problem is, the older bikes left the factory with the old lower spec. HD/Buell repaired the damage from this to some bikes that were years out of warranty, no questions asked. Granted, this was as of last summer when bikes were still being built, but I don't see why that would have changed. | ||
| Guard_rail |
so i'm not going to have a bike for a long time because this isn't just a "flat tire or broken brake light" | ||
| Guard_rail |
Not to change topics but does anybody have any axle grease i could borrow because i'm in the middle of getting F**ked by HD and some grease would really be appreciated!!! and a used stator to bite down on, there not good for anything else. oh wait HD is using them as c**k rings to make this F**k last longer. Us riders, Eric Buell and a great bike. all getting F**ked at the same time. and on top of all that i can't even say "HD to go F**K yourself" cause they all ready have | ||
| Ron_luning |
I doubt it will change anything, but you should at least call H-D customer service and CALMLY make them aware of the situation. Remember the lady on the phone isn't the one shoving it in your pooper. | ||
| Froggy |
+1, whining on the internet to a bunch of people who couldn't do anything even if we wanted to, isn't going to do you any good. | ||
| Freezerburn840 |
The bottom line for many 09 owners is it wont be if the stator fails but when will the stator fail. The letter we all got should have been an official recall letter and they know it. There is a guy on this board that has been through 3 stators within 15,000 miles before Harley finally acknowledged the issue. I had mine go out at 4,000 miles. My bike has everything updated new stator and harness shortly after. We can all sit here and debate its a machine. All machine's have flaws and what not and will have mechanical issues at some point but not within the frequency we are having them at. The more and more I hear another owner having a stator failure or a clutch cover weep issue the more and more I am beginning to believe there was a design flaw or mechanical flaw whatever you want to call it that fails prematurely. I hope this harness is the fix and the new components for the clutch are the fix as well. I will definitely post up any more failures I have. I will also post up any good from the new parts. I will update at 10,000 miles. I am nearing 7,000 miles now. This Bad Web Board is our proof. There is just too much dialogue on these issues for them to be pushed under the rug if failures of components continue. | ||
| Reepicheep |
At those HD prices, seems like an independent stator shop ought to be able to re-wind one of those 1125 stators pretty easily... I wonder if there is a stator bell / stator assembly that could retrofit from some other brand with minor tweaks... |
