| Author | Message | ||
     Grav3l |
My 09 CR had issues starting after it got hot. For example in the morning it would start fine, stop and get gas, no start. If I waited 20 minutes it would start up. I went to dealer and they said battery, so they swapped. As I was leaving service manager checked again and said they just received notification from harley about a charging system issue. Apparently the stator overheats. They don't have the kits in but he said he would call when they arrive. Apparently it involves new wiring harness, relay, and I would think stator. | ||
| Moosestang |
I haven't experienced anything like that with my bike. The worst I've had is it not turn over the first time and it's only done that once. How many miles are on it? | ||
| Grav3l |
Only 1700 miles on bike. The bike has also been smelling hot like plastic or sealant burning. I hope that the new parts fix everything. | ||
| Froggy |
Interesting. That is some good info. Hopefully a dealer employee will see this and get a copy of the bulletin posted here  | ||
| Bptex |
If you don't have a battery tender get one. Nearly all sportbikes, especially the non Japanese variety, have weak charging systems. They are designed to be as small and efficient as possible, only creating enough current to run the engine and factory lighting systems with maybe a 20% cushion. Throw a low battery into the mix (all bikes have some sort of parasitic draw)and you are overworking the charging system. A tender won't fix a battery that sat completely discharged for a year but it'll extend the life of a good battery and take most of the workload off of your charging system. | ||
| Ron_luning |
Grav31, when the bike was hot would it crank and not start, or just not crank at all? | ||
| Grav3l |
The bike would not start at all when it was hot. Well maybe 20% of time it would after the bike was hot. It was like I had a dead battery and it just couldn't crank the engine over. If I waited around 20 minutes it would usually start. Also if I let it set over night it would start the next morning. This was without hooking the battery tender up to the bike. It was not fun stopping to get gas and wondering if I would be able to leave or if I would have to wait for bike to cool down. | ||
| Moosestang |
That's how many i have on mine. Did it always have starting problems? I keep my bike on a tender at all times, except when I'm at work of course. (Message edited by moosestang on February 17, 2010) | ||
| Sportbikermed |
I'm no mechanic but the way he describes it I don't believe the problem is with the battery. If it was a weak battery it doesn't make since why it would start fine after sitting for a while. Sounds like something is getting too hot. Probably something electrical but don't think it would be the battery. Another reason to think heat is the main issue is the fact that he smells "plastic or sealant burning" | ||
| Bptex |
Have you tried going through the cluster to see where the battery voltage is when it's acting up? I remember when I first got my old S-1 and never knowing for sure if it was going to start. Not a good feeling to have. | ||
| Grav3l |
Just to clear up: This is not a battery issue, well not directly On 2/15/10 Harley issued a bulletin dealing with 09 CR's and a charging issue. Stator is known to exceed acceptable operating temperatures on some bikes and cause issues with charging. A fix is being shipped to dealers. Also bike did not always have issue it developed it a few weeks ago. | ||
| Ratbuell |
The notice is too large to post in its entirety, but here's a couple pertinent items: Buell Motorcycle Company has determined that a potential charging system issue exists on 2009 and 2010 1125R and 1125CR models as well as 2008 1125R models that have been refitted with a 2009 or 2010 replacement engine. On these models the stator may operate at temperatures that exceed the manufacturer’s recommendation when the vehicle is ridden in lower-rpm (below 5,000 rpm) duty cycles. These model motorcycles described above may experience charging system issues related to excessive stator heat. Buell Motorcycle Company has elected to initiate product program 0507 to remedy this issue. In the interest of customer satisfaction, Buell Distribution Company, LLC is offering a no cost upgrade installation of a sub-harness which provides the improved charging system durability on the motorcycles described above built prior to September 24, 2009. It looks like it includes a new subharness between the stator and the ECM, which includes a relay that will "disconnect" one leg of the AC output under the sub-5k conditions to help prevent overheating. | ||
| Mountainstorm |
So for once having an 08 is a good thing. | ||
| Jdugger |
And yet another reason why riding around lugging the motor isn't the best way to operate these things. | ||
| Rockstarblast1 |
Yay for 08's!!! Haha | ||
| Moosestang |
Does sub 5k include idle? I would not consider 4,000 rpms as lugging the motor, when it redlines at 10.5. | ||
| Jeepinbueller |
So would this be something that you can walk into a dealer and request done, or do the symptoms have to be present and accounted for before the dealer will perform the upgrade free of charge? | ||
| Ron_luning |
I wouldn't say that "lugging" the motor happens until the rpm are low enough to make the mirrors flop around. That happens on mine around 3K and below. 4-5K rpm is definitely an acceptable operating range. It would be very bizarre for someone to ride down the highway in 4th gear at 6000 rpm when there are 2 more gears available. | ||
| Jules |
Hmmm.. Mine's just started smelling of burnt rubber/plastic and I did just have to ride home at 22MPH 'cause I just got caught out in a snowstorm! Think I'll have a word with my dealer and get this in for the 620 mile service | ||
| Jdugger |
Ok, so now this fix is going to reduce the power output of the charging system when below 5k so it doesn't draw too much current from the stator. This motor is happiest running around 6k. Like a lot of things, it runs best when in the middle of it's range, or in this case, ABOVE 5k. Like the 'noid, like the surging, like the stator now, if y'all would just *ride* the dang thing with some spirit, none of these "issues" would be problems.  | ||
| Tibman260 |
This is a program that every bike is eligible for regardless of showing symptoms or not. The subharness connects between the stator and the voltage regulator and as Ratbuell said has an ECM controlled relay to drop one of the legs of the stator. The ECM will also receive an update that will include the proper programming to monitor vehicle charging so that if the bike's battery voltage gets too low it will keep the third stator leg on until the battery is properly charged. A lot of testing went into making sure this won't affect your overall charging systems. | ||
| Gbackus |
is this applicable to 08s that have the 08 charging system but exhibit the same symptoms?(Bike will not start when warm after driving through traffic, etc.) | ||
| Grav3l |
I would say a 5000rpm ride can be pretty spirited. This is my only mode of transportation and on my commute to work the rpm ranges stayed around 4-5k. I don't think the cars would have like me splitting lanes a 6k in first going 45mph while they were stopped. I would say I ride fairly aggressive most often, I am not scrapping pegs everyday but I think it should be enough to properly charge bike. | ||
| Ratbuell |
5k isn't even cruising RPM on my CR.... I gotta keep telling myself when I ride it - "this ain't the ol' 1203"! I might just tape over the tach for a while, and ride by feel. The bike LIKES being over 6k, so I do my best to keep it there. It's a chore...but I suffer | ||
| Roadrash1 |
An engineering problem no doubt. Can you really believe people should keep their bikes rpm over 5,000 to eliminate the chance of some design flaw? I'm glad they are fixing it. I don't lug my bike, but I do ride it for best MPG while commuting. You aren't going to get the best MPG keeping it over 5,000 rpm! | ||
| Rex |
Mine is in for a stator replacement. The dash lights would go out at night, then the battery light would come on. then the engine light would come on. they said I was lucky the dash didn't burn or go out permanently. Apparently that can happen. How is your oil level? cold, it shows no oil. I trailered it to the dealer, and said I checked it hot and cold and not oil showing on the stick. they said not to ever check cold. Always to check hot. Too many hidden crevices they said that it hides in. | ||
| Grav3l |
My oil level is good. The check engine light and oil light come on when I first turn key and then they turn off seconds after bike starts. Not sure if this is normal I don't really remember. I had to ride bike to work today because it is all I have right now while my falco is tore down. If I kept it over 6k all the time my wallet would suffer. Normally by feel I cruise around 5k. I will drop bike off at dealer tomorrow morning as I am off work. They said that they are also taking out the replacement battery and putting my old one back in when they upgrade the charging system. I was not very impressed by most people in the service shop and am a little worried about leaving bike there. I guess this is why I do my own maintenance. They only one who seemed like he gave a shit was the guy who kept searching and found advisory. | ||
| Xnoahx |
This fix would only be available on the product campaign if your bikes is one of the affected units. You might be able to wrangle it as a warranty repair if your bike isnt affected. And who says this is a fix for hot starts? Seems like a charging system fix. Any of my hot start troubles have never had a problem with cranking, just firing. | ||
| Jdugger |
> If I kept it over 6k all the time my wallet would suffer. Why do people buy liter-twins and then worry about the costs of operation? Gas, tires and service on these machines isn't cheap! Ride the bike! If you want to save money on your commute, buy a Toyota Corolla. Sportbikes are a crappy choice when your goal is economy. | ||
| Jdugger |
> Can you really believe people should keep their bikes rpm over 5,000 to eliminate the chance of some design flaw? No, I think you should keep the RPMs above 5k because it's the way the vehicle is intended to be operated. |
