chrome side covers

[olewingrider]

due to the stator issues there have,should I remove these side covers? seems like they would keep the heat in more than w/o them. I have seem them with vents stamped in them,these are solid. whats your thoughts ?

[CrystalPistol]

Never did like them, vented or not, chrome, painted, etc.

I'd s...can them if I found them on mine.

[olewingrider]

will remove em in spring,its tucked away for the winter

[CrystalPistol]

Yep, stators take enough abuse, I like to let some air flow through that area.

[Charlie1Horse]

To help your stator endure, change ALL your lights to LED. That will decrease the load on the system and make your stator last longer, not to mention less draw on your (AGM) battery.
Russell

Those who say it cannot be done should try not to interrupt those who are doing it.

[SilverDave]

And a BIG +1 on what Charlie said ...

For best stator health, I added an EC harness ( about 14 years ago, .. and I change out that old acidic oil every 3000.
In addition , in last 2 years :I proceeded with biggest draw lights first .

I replaced my headlight with an HID unit(30 watts ) which was the biggest draw ..., my driving lights with LED's (10 watt )
and ALL my running and marker lights with LED's. and added two 50 light LED bars .....

IMHO, turn and brake signal lights are not on long enough to be a significant drain on my battery.
and I found 1157 LEDs to be a lot dimmer( and pricey) so I left those OEM incandescent bulbs in place .

With all the other changes, my 300 watt stator charging system thanks me.
and ...
Its been the same stator for last 14 years ! !

SilverDave

[Rednaxs60]

Make sure the stator connection beside the battery is clean and well protected. Can solder but cleaning and/or renewing this connector will work just as well. Clean and use some dielectric grease to seal the ends of the connector is the key to this.

You can replace the shunt RR with a series RR. There are many out there and with some research you can find an acceptable replacement. The SH847 from Roadster Cycle and the Compu Fire 55402 are two good options. There is also one from Polaris.

Reducing the load on the alternator system - the alternator system on these bikes is a three part system - internal stator/rotor and external RR - is good in case you are going to add options to the bike. The stator puts out the same power at a given RPM regardless of what the requirement is, as long as the requirement is not more than the stator is putting out. If the electrical system power requirement is more than the stator is delivering you will see a drop in the electrical system voltage. As long as this voltage is greater than approximately 12.6 VDC the battery will not come into play. Pure math, if the electrical system voltage is above approximately 12.6 VDC, the battery cannot discharge into the electrical system.

If the power being generated is not being used by the electrical system, it is shunted to ground. For example if you operate with an OEM system and make no changes, and the electrical system requirement is 17 amps but the stator is producing 20 amps, 3 amps goes to ground. Reduce the load to 15 amps and 5 amps goes to ground. This is how it works, stator still puts out the same power.

It has also been recommended that it is a good maintenance item to clean all your OEM connectors, minimizes corrosion issues and allows the electrical system to work better.

Keep electrical additions away from the battery. I would recommend taking a power connection off the battery terminal of the starter solenoid. I recommend this because Honda did this on the '85 LTD and '86 SE-i. Honda installed a 30 amp circuit for the CFI system and connected it to the battery terminal of the starter solenoid instead of going to the battery. Better for the battery.

Just a few more thoughts on your issue and only my opinion. Good luck.

Cheers