| Author | Message | ||
     S1125r |
So, today I went for a ride and ended up stranded on the side of the road when my bike died. I'd been out for a couple of hundred miles mostly in relatively tight twisties, running mostly between 3-6k RPM. I didn't get a chance to check the voltage. Then, after a relatively long straight stretch of 10 miles, my CEL came on, immediately followed by my Low Battery light. I figured I could make it the 20 miles or so home, but only a couple of miles later there was heavy popping on decel and then the bike just died. I bump started it once, and managed to make it a few hundred more meters and then it died completely, and the battery voltage showed at 8.1. So, my questions are: What are my possible suspects? I'm thinking a bad relay or stator. How do I test? Should I charge the battery up and see what kind of numbers I'm getting on a short ride? Finally, as I was waiting to be picked up, I noticed that the stator side case was very, very hot while the rest of the bike was only warm to the touch. Should I just take it to the dealership and have them check the stator? I'm not the most mechanically inclined person, so thanks for the help in advance. | ||
| Tpoppa |
Stator http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290 431/567218.html?1277692969 | ||
| Dannybuell |
A Classic stator failure example. A warranty item for sure. Read Tpoppa's link for full backgrounder. | ||
| S1125r |
Thought so, just wanted confirmation and to see if there was any testing I do before I contact my dealership. Thanks. | ||
| Vinix |
The stator check procedure can be done if you have access to a quality meter. Being a electronics tech / industrial electrician I use a Fluke 87. 1. At the unplugged stator connector check each pin to ground ( the frame ). Note because the stator is in a oil bath this test can be misleading as oil is a insulator. I have used a insulation tester ( Fluke 1587 ) to verify my insulation. Note this is not a Buell approved procedure, but its a industry standard when testing the windings of a motor or transformer. I tend to treat the stator as a oil filled transformer. This procedure will allow me to check for the loss of insulation strength and graph it to predict failure. 2. The next test procedure is resistance test across the stator windings, and you check 1-2, 2-3, and 1-3 looking for 0.1-0.3 Ohms. Again without a very high quality meter you will not be able to measure readings this low. Balance is the very important thing to look for. Perhaps more so than over all resistance. Each meters ability to read a low resistance will differ slightly. 3 The simple test as a pass fail is the voltage test. Where again at the stator connection disconnected, check 1-2, 2-3 and 1-3 for a voltage reading of 45-55 volts AC at 3000 RPM. Because this is dangerous and will cause a shock use all appropriate protection. Most all meters will read AC voltage accurately. Again the balance of all voltages should be within a few volts of each other. A further note this procedure will cause a code to be stored in the ECM. 4. Heating is a cause of drop off in voltage being produced. Combining this with low RPM running using ohms law voltage and current are inversely proportional. You are drawing the larger current at lower voltage and a lower voltage at a lower RPM, the the low RPM riders experiencing higher failure rates. |
