| Author | Message | ||
     Jaimec |
Mine was damaged last fall in a crash. I have the part, but it didn't look as easy as I originally thought due to some plumbing around the area. Just wanted to know if anyone here has performed this operation and how easy or difficult it was... | ||
| Avalaugh |
Its only held on by 2 security torx head bolts, its a doddle to remove, repair, replace. You will need to loosen the lower bolt which holds front fairing on to frame, and remove the upper one completly to allow the ignition bolts to come out. | ||
| Jaimec |
I see a LOT more than 2 torx security bolts... are we talking about the same thing?  | ||
| Avalaugh |
Ahhh i see, i'm in the UK so think we call things by slightly differant names, im talking about where you put the key in to start the bike (ignition). I call that the alternator, or as some of you yanks say, a startor  | ||
| Jaimec |
Yeah, I just used the name that Al Lighton used in the American Sport Bike online catalog: http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/18040.html | ||
| 1_mike |
Actually by deffinition...it's a magneto. A mag. makes power with with no other external power required, like with an alternator or generator. That's what the rotor does. It holds the "permanent" magnets. Requires no other outside power. Alternators and generators need power to make the magnets. 1. Anyway, remove all fasteners. (catch dripping oil) 2. Remove the one oil cooler line that's in the way. 3. Remove the sensor at the top of the cover, (under the black plastic cover). 4. With a TIGHT grip, pull. The magnets noted above will try to keep the cover in place. Be carefull putting the new one back on...the magnets will try to rip the cover from your fingers...! Mike (Message edited by 1_mike on March 22, 2011) | ||
| Jaimec |
Thanks, Mike. So I gather the part is steel? For some reason, I thought it was aluminum. | ||
| 1_mike |
Jaimec - No...the cover is aluminum. But with the rotor having a hand full of strong magnets and the stator (screwed into the inside of the cover) being steel...THAT's what the rotor is trying to hold onto. Mike | ||
| Cycledoc59 |
It is in fact, a 3-phase alternator, producing around 70 AC volts on any pair of wires. This AC voltage is rectified to DC voltage, then output is controlled to 14.2 volts by the voltage regulator.... It is not a magneto. A magneto produces only direct current. | ||
| Jaimec |
So the stator is attached to that cover? Damn, this is starting to sound more and more involved. Guess I better crack open the Service Manual and research what I'm getting myself into... | ||
| Jaimec |
Hey, as long as I have that thing off and the stator exposed... is there any visible evidence that there could be a developing problem with it? I've gone over 14K miles on the original 2009 stator so far without issues and I have the original (not the replacement) wiring harness still... | ||
| Trider |
Jaimec- look for any signs of burnt windings on the poles, or any signs of wear on the stator insulation. a little discoloration can be normal (from the hot motor oil)- what you are looking for are distinct brown-burnt colored-insulation spots. Inspect it in good light when you have it removed. Be sure to use new screws and the right thread lock (blue) when installing it into the new cover. As for pulling and seating the cover itself, you'll really want to use at least 3 locating pins; you can also use about 3"-4" sections of threaded dowel to to the job. These will help guide the cover on and off over the strong magnetic pull of the rotor- you need to be very careful not to damage or scratch the rotor, or the gasket when installing it and these locating pins are worth their wight in gold for that... It's a strong magnet. A service manual is a great investment if you plan on doing this kind of work... | ||
| Jaimec |
This is starting to sound WAY more involved than I thought. Should've remembered Murphy's first law: "Nothing is as easy as it looks..." | ||
| 1_mike |
Cycledoc - No...it "isn't" an alternator. Best read up on what the three things are, what the do and how they work. Jaimec - It's really not that big a deal. When you are ready to do this, just have some sort of block, or box, etc. to set the cover on. Put it right next to the engine. Remove the cover, put it on the box, stator up. You may have to tug a little on the harness where it goes up between the engine and frame. It's in a plastic tube (if you will!). There's plenty of harness in the layout to pull down on. I was able to aid the movement by pulling from the bottom AND pushing the harness down from the top at the same time. 1. Remove the three (10mm I think) fasteners from the stator to the cover. 2. Remove the two phillips screws that hold the harness guide from the cover. 3. Remove the sheet metal cover. 4. Remove the stator. The cover is loose to replace. The hardest part is getting the harness pulled down enough to be able to easily work with getting the fasteners out. I used blue Loctite on the fasteners and Hylomar on the gaskets when reassembling everything. Mike | ||
| Cycledoc59 |
Sorry 1 Mike, but all Buells from the Blast to the 1125 most certainly have an alternator. I already outlined the parts of the system. "It is a three-phase alternator". Three identical yellow wires, any pair of which produce about 70 volts of alternating current. The AC current is rectified to DC voltage and regulated to an output of 14.2 DC volts. The most common cause of stator failure is either a poor connection at the stator output plug, or failure of one leg of the rectifier. This causes "single phasing" of the stator, which overloads and burns out the stator windings. I work on all sorts of bikes and can't think of a single modern street bike that does not use a alternator. Magnetos are self-sustaining, and do not need a battery to operate, like those on millions of mowers/chainsaws and such. The high voltage DC current produced by mags cannot charge 12 volt batteries.... (I did replace the generator on a '72 Guzzi last week and I've worked on several '60's BMW's that use magnetos....But these BMW's also have alternators to charge the battery, since the mag only runs the ignition. Also, many earlier bikes used single-phase alternators, with only 2 output wires) | ||
| Jules |
In principal you're both right.. It has all of the components of an alternator, but because they're in seperate locations (stator/rotor and VR) either description is fine if you're describing the whole charging system. | ||
| Cycledoc59 |
Magnetos are found in a few bikes, mostly off-road. They produce a high voltage direct current spike of around 20,000 volts when points or some other type breaker opens to fire spark plugs. They don't produce alternating current; they can't charge 12 volt batteries. Motorcycles with mags can be frustrating to start, as the mag produces very little voltage unless spun rapidly with that kick starter. Components of a magneto are quite different than those of an alternator,and magnetos need no rectification, no regulator, and no battery. Mags are happy with one wire coil, alternators need at least 2 sets for single-phase output; and most have 3 sets of coils for 3-phase AC current Alternators all have the same basic components: the rotor/stator, the rectifier, and the voltage regulator. Some have all components in one housing, as cars do now. Some are separate, as with most motorcycle systems (some Kawasaki, Triumph bikes use one-piece types) | ||
| 1_mike |
Cycledoc - An alternator needs power to make power...period. A magneto needs NO external power to make power. I'm not speaking of bike or car or airplane parts...! I'm speaking of electrical power producing parts..! Maybe a good dictionary....nevermind... See below...! A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce alternating current. Hand-cranked magneto generators were used to provide ringing current in early telephone systems. Magnetos adapted to produce pulses of high voltage are used in the ignition systems of some gasoline-powered internal combustion engines to provide power to the spark plugs.[1] The magneto is now confined mainly to engines where there is no available electrical supply, for example in lawnmowers and chainsaws. It is also universally used in aviation piston engines even though an electrical supply is usually available. This is because a magneto ignition system is more reliable than a battery-coil system. People discussing magnetos and coils used in early internal-combustion engines generally used the term "tension" instead of the more modern term "voltage." Reread the first sentence. Mike | ||
| Trider |
Sorry Mike... Even the service manual calls it an alternator, and we all know the service manual is always right  } |
