Time for Alternator, LActrical?


Information and questions on GL1500 Goldwings (1988-2000)
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RockportDave
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Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by RockportDave »



Seems the alternator gave up yesterday on my 1999 SE with just over 37,000 miles. Looks to be the original alternator. Has a less than one year old Interstate factory activated AGM battery with 12.6 volts after the alternator went out. While running shows 11.47 volts at all rpms. Shut off the bike and the battery recovers quickly.
I originally thought about getting the Compufire, but after researching the forum and reading the LActrical vs Compufire, I’m leaning towards the LActrical. The only non OEM accessory I have is an air horn and I may add a USB later to charge our phones.
How do I know I am getting a “true” LActrical alternator? I find them on Amazon, but it says “ships from and sold by Discount Starter and Alternator”. Is this the correct ones?
Dave


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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by curtm »

Thought mine come right from Lactrical thats odd

Curt
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by AZgl1800 »

I have had this one bookmarked for some time now,
doesn’t mention who is shipping it.

https://www.amazon.com/LACTRICAL-ALTERN ... 008KSIOHU/


$162 shipped to you
Find This Item on Amazon:
~John

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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by RockportDave »

Curt,
Did you get it on Amazon? And does it have the blue LActrical sticker on it?

AZgl1800,
That’s the one I found on Amazon. It says ships and sold by Discount Starter and Alternator. They may be a vendor for LActrical.
In the description:

Description
NEW LActrical REPLACEMENT HIGH OUTPUT ALTERNATOR FOR
HONDA GOLDWING

Important Warranty Note: WARRANTY Applies on brand with LActrical sticker only

I just want to be sure this is an authentic LActrical alternator.
Thanks,
Dave
1999 GL1500SE 5th Goldwing through the years
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by RockportDave »

After looking at the Amazon site, it looks as though this is indeed a “true” LActrical alternator so I ordered it. Should be delivered at home by the time I get back. Ordered the rubber bushings also so I should be up and running in a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the help.
Dave
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by Mh434 »

That's what I did, and I've never looked back. More juice available than I can ever use!! Very happy with my LActrical.
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by RockportDave »

Is there a how to on R&R the Alternator? I’m not seeing one.
When I do mine I’ll get photos and write up on it.
Dave
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by Mh434 »

I thought there was one in the "DIY" section, but I'm not seeing it at the moment.

There are several videos on Youtube that document this very well. This is the one I used:

   Never miss a video: Subscribe to the GoldwingDocs YouTube channel today!
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by RockportDave »

Thanks mh. I’ll check it out.
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by curtm »

Well theres a story, ordered a LActrical alternator, received and installed , lasted 2 weeks , picked up alternator, wasnt a LActrical, e maile sellerand they said

HI curt,

the alternator you have purchased is from EAgle high
our alternator is 100% top quality high performance alternator
and you have one year warranty from us
but if you don't want the item for any reason
we are more than happy to refund you

On Saturday, July 7, 2018, 5:12:18 AM PDT, curt miller <m9zj3fk[e-mail address removed]> wrote:




Order ID 112-7000055-7431454:
1 of LACTRICAL NEW HIGH OUTPUT ALTERNATOR FOR HONDA GOLD WING Goldwing GL1500 GL1500A GL1500I GL1500SE Aspencade Interstate 85Amp ONE YEAR WARRANTY [ASIN: B008EBCFSC]

------------- Begin message -------------

Received replacement alternator yesterday, Seems like it is not the same as defective one that was sent first, Does not have Latctrcal name on it, looks a much cheaper knockoff, is there a reason why it is different ????
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by RockportDave »

Here is what I bought. It shipped from Macon Ga. which seems strange. I’ll know when it arrives.
Dave


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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by Bluewaterhooker0 »

RockportDave wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 8:05 pm Here is what I bought. It shipped from Macon Ga. which seems strange. I’ll know when it arrives.
Dave
47D63995-29E0-469C-99B8-20550FC147A9.png
I notice a couple of things on Amazon regarding the available alternators.
1). The alternator you ordered seems to be sold by Discount Starter & Alternator, not Lactrical.
2). The prices for them seem to have gone up noticeably. They used to be around $140 + shipping.
3). Lactrical seems to have stopped selling on Amazon. None of them are currently listed as being sold by Lactrical.
4). The warning about the warranty and purchase from "Lactrical" is still there, but the wording has changed.

I'll be curious to see what you actually get from your seller. Lactrical is located in California.
I may call Lactrical to see what their status is regarding selling their alternators (which for all I know, is the same thing as what others are selling)
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by WingAdmin »

RockportDave wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 8:05 pm Here is what I bought. It shipped from Macon Ga. which seems strange. I’ll know when it arrives.
Dave
47D63995-29E0-469C-99B8-20550FC147A9.png
Discount Starter and Alternator is actually a decent sized place, and they are based in Milledgeville, GA, which is not far at all from Macon (I used to live in Macon, many years ago).

That said, I don't know if they are a Lactrical dealer or not - they don't list them on their site. They list several Goldwing alternators on their site, but none of them are Lactrical.
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by Mh434 »

Discount Starter does sell LActrical 95-amp alternators on Amazon, it appears...

https://www.amazon.com/LActrical-ALTERN ... B008KSIOHU
Find This Item on Amazon:
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by RockportDave »

After ordering this one, I found another place online that says they are LActrical, California_alternator_starter, that also sells the 85, 90 and 95 amp alternators for Wings and Valkeries. They are on eBay with the 85 amp for $164.99.
I called ‭(310) 530-6410‬ which is supposed to be LActricals phone number, but no answer and mailbox is full.
If the one I get works and is dependable, I’ll be fine with it.
I will fix my OEM myself and I know it will be right and will have a good backup.
Dave
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by RockportDave »

The alternator made it to the house, but I won’t be there for a week. The wife took a picture of the tag on it and it is not a LActrical.


It is a World Power Systems Model 12485N-90A which I found another online for $43.99.
World Power Systems is a part of WAI Global which manufactures electrical components in 14 countries across the world.
Some of the OEM lines they carry are Delco Remy, Hitachi, Denso and others. Looks like they own the market.
http://ext.waiglobal.com/ittest/wps.html
I plan to call LActrical to see if they sold out and plan to contact the seller of this alternator that was advertised as a LActrical and is not.
Dave
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by Bluewaterhooker0 »

I guess what I was eluding to, without coming right out and saying it the other night, is what you now know, and what I suspected. Lactrical was very specific in the past, regarding what they would warrant. It lead one to believe that there were companies out there claiming to sell Lactrical products, that were not, and Lactrical was being asked to warrant those products.
Truth be told, the other products may be the same or even identical to the Lactrical, as it's all coming from China. I don't know that, but am highly suspect of that. If that's the case, it hardly makes a difference whose brand you buy. However, I don't like being misled, fooled, or flat out lied to, and that is the case of the unit you bought. When a business relationship starts with a lie, where can it go from there ? I'll be curious to hear your outcome.
BTW, I had the same experience calling Lactrical, which leads me to a possible conclusion that they are no more. They had a load of imported alternators, and sold them out. NEXT.
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by RockportDave »

Haven’t made it home to see the alternator, but I did send an email to the vendor and one to Amazon asking why I received a WPS alternator when the ad says it is a LActrical. Below is the response from the vendor.

Good Morning,

The ad that you purchased from is from a company called LAcritical. Amazon has a program that will "tag" other sellers that are selling a similar items, I am not sure why Amazon does this as it often times creates confusion. Our company name is Discount Starter and Alternator, WPS is one of many brands that we sell. WPS units are produced in China and are very high quality, reliable units. I am not sure what brand alternator LAcritical would have shipped you but I can assure you the unit you received from us is a good unit. I hope this helps clear up some of the confusion, please let us know if we can help with anything else. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

-Daniel
The response from Amazon below

Hello,

I'm sorry to know that you received WPS brand instead of LActrical brand as advertised on the website.

I've checked the details and found that you've placed the order with, "Discount Starter and Alternator " a seller on our website. When you buy from an Amazon Marketplace or Merchant seller, your order is neither fulfilled nor shipped directly by Amazon.

I've also checked and found that you have contacted the seller regarding this, please give seller two business day to reply, When they reply, you can respond directly to their e-mail. If you don't hear from the seller within two business days, click on the link below to learn more about our A-to-z Guarantee.

http://www.amazon.com/help/a-to-z-guarantee

If the seller doesn't reply or of the seller is not helpful in any case, please write back to us and we will file a claim against the seller.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact- ... e=email&#b

Thank you for your patience and understanding. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

We'd appreciate your feedback. Please use the buttons below to vote about your experience today.

Best regards,
Sunita L
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I called the vendor and asked why I received the WPS instead of the LActrical as advertised. He said Amazon does the ads like that.
Said I purchased it from them and that is their brand. Said it is new and a good product. Told him it’s very possible it is a good product, my complaint is I ordered from the ad stating it is a LActrical. He said he could send me a return slip and I told him no, I am keeping the alternator, I just want them to stop advertising they sale LActrical alternators and I feel it is false advertising. He told me to hold and put me on hold. I waited 10 minutes and hung up.
I found what I believe to be LActrical on Facebook, sent them an email, but no response in 2 days. I also called the number several times and got the same recorded message and the mailbox is full. Believe they are no longer in existence.
After all the research into WPS, I believe WAI Global has cornered the market on automotive and motorcycle electrical/electronic parts.
I did however find a website, rareelectrical.com, that has Mitsuba starters for GL1500s. Mitsuba is Japanese. They also have stators, voltage regulators and starter relays for GL1500s. Not sure what brand, but I plan to rebuild my OEM alternator and it’s good to know I can get parts.
I will be going home Thursday and should get my alternator off to see what is wrong with it.
Dave
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by RockportDave »

Bluewater,
LActrical sent a response via email saying they are closed for 2 weeks (see below).

You have received a message from the Amazon Seller - LActrical
Message:
Hi,Yes we do sell,just are closed for 2 weeks until the end of the months,other competition use our name and brand to sell their products which has nothing to do with us and our brand and products.We do not take any responsibility about competition products and parts.
Thanks

I’ll wait for them to reopen and answer the phone, then purchase one from them.
Dave
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by Bluewaterhooker0 »

RockportDave,
Looks like the listings on Amazon have changed a bit since your communications with Discount and Amazon. Thank God for screen shots. Your screenshot clearly shows the product description as a Lactrical alternator, being sold by Discount Starter and Alternator. It appears they are no longer listed as such. Discount's explanation is that Amazon is arbitrarily changing the listing text, and therefore the brand of alternator they are selling ? I find that more than hard to believe.
I know that IF you did a search for Lactrical alternators for GL1500, Amazon might return other than strictly Lactrical results. BUT, I am virtually certain they would NOT change the item BRAND or description in the listing text. I've looked at those alternator listings MANY times.
Early on (a couple of years ago), you would find a Lactrical search result was returned with a Lactrical unit, sold by Lactrical. At a point months later, the search result would be a Lactrical unit, sold usually by a company called Eaglehigh, and you would have to check the alternate listings in the right hand column to find the Lactrical unit sold by Lactrical. Recently and currently, those Lactrical listings have been missing.
As I said in a previous post, there is a reason that Lactrical was so specific about warranting only their alternators, labeled as such, AND sold by them. They obviously were having issues of alternators sold as their product, but not actually their product. Hence an explanation of the listing in your screenshot, sold as Lactrical, but actually something else, sold by Discount S&A.
It may actually be that the Lactrical unit is nothing more than a rebranded version of the one you already received from Discount S&A. Who knows.
Again, I'll be curious to see the outcome of your dealings with Lactrical.
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by RockportDave »

Amazon has started the process of refunding my money because of the ad. I didn’t ask them to, they took it upon themselves.
I emailed LActrical using the Facebook contact to California_alternator_starter.com, but no response. I emailed them last night through Amazon and the response is what I posted earlier.
I also called DIscount and while discussing why I was sent a WPS instead of the LActrical that is advertised, things got a little heated and I told him they may have a good product and I was not sending it back, but I would be sure to post on every social media and forum I could to let everyone know that is NOT a LActrical unit.
He told me to hold, which I did for 10 minutes before hanging up.
I will continue to try contacting LActrical and purchase one when I find out it is truely them.
Dave
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by RockportDave »

Decided to install the WPS Chinese alternator until I can contact LActrical. It runs quiet and smooth. The “sense” wire plugged into the OEM plug with no problems. It runs at 14.45 volts at idle and 14.35 through all rpms up to 3000.
Hard to find any alternators that aren’t made in China or built with parts from China. This alternator seems well built and from what I can see through the frame it looks good. Time will tell.
Dave
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by Alemayehu »

Hello out there gold wingers,I am just concerned about this alternator issue, my bike only done 3650mile and I am second owner & getting 14.4V at idle. My question is, is this some kind of aftermarket HO alternator or a stock one ? I have imported 95A HO LActrical Alternator for bad days from LActrical California themselves after few decent communication and I received it the other day. I do have no problem at the moment regarding my alternator but getting curious from what I am reading. Thank you.

Regards!
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by DenverWinger »

If the bike only has 3650 miles the alternator is most likely original. An OEM alternator can be identified by a green-colored core.
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Re: Time for Alternator, LActrical?

Post by Alemayehu »

Thank you Denverwinger that was my impression too any way I will chuck it out.

Regards!


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