Been gone long time, stator question

[Gloomshadow]

Been gone for years both bikes running well , I'll make a new video of them soon.. my xb12 Lightning bolt is draining batteries and I ran a volt meter across the terminals and it came back a steady 12.5V .. I think it's a bad stator. If so, what sportster stator worked? 2003 to 2007? Last time I did this on the 9SX I had to remove that plastic guard off the stator.. good to be back, Tom

 

[Barrett]

Hey Tom: I've mentioned you on here a few times during your hiatus. You...Chicago(the venetian blind salesman)....TEABAG....the lotta ya.
What year is your XB? 2003-2007 are 3 phase. 2008-2010 are single phase. Completely different VR's. Let me know and I'll get you the XL/XR cross-over part number. It is suitable substitute but a slight bit of wiring mod lengthening required. There are some very good knock-off VR's on Ebay right now that actually work well and nicely priced.
Check your BATTERY fuse in fuse box....condition of connector plugs....condition of battery cable ends and terminals. You're wanting approx 13.7 to 14.5 Volts DC at the battery at approx 2500RPM.
John

 

[Gloomshadow]

Hey Tom: I've mentioned you on here a few times during your hiatus. You...Chicago(the venetian blind salesman)....TEABAG....the lotta ya.
What year is your XB? 2003-2007 are 3 phase. 2008-2010 are single phase. Completely different VR's. Let me know and I'll get you the XL/XR cross-over part number. It is suitable substitute but a slight bit of wiring mod lengthening required. There are some very good knock-off VR's on Ebay right now that actually work well and nicely priced.
Check your BATTERY fuse in fuse box....condition of connector plugs....condition of battery cable ends and terminals. You're wanting approx 13.7 to 14.5 Volts DC at the battery at approx 2500RPM.
John[/QUOTE

hey Barrett , long time no see. how has the bikes been? Its a 2003 so a 3 phase.. I'll get right on checking what you recommended . I cleaned the terminals and the cable ends with sand paper, ..and still got only 12.5V no matter what RPM it was.. its not charging for some reason and it kills the battery pretty quick according to my battery charger, 2 or 3 starts and it's reading like 50% and in the orange on the charger. I may have time tomorrow to get on it and make a video.. I moved to a big old 2 story house I bought 18 months ago in Eustis Florida.. oh and I married Jenny a few months back after like 13 years of living with her. haha .. she's looking great too I'll post a pic when I can figure out how to do it here

 

[Gloomshadow]

one from a month ago.. Jen now 51.

 

[Gloomshadow]

didn't work.. I posted 3 new ones of her but they are all sideways for some reason and I don't have controls to flip them.. I mean I posted them in my photos on my profile

 

[Barrett]

Tom: Bikes and myself have been great. Thanks for asking. And congrats on marrying Jen. I recall from your vids that she was a super cool chick. I'm betting money on a failed VR but check your stator system charging output before purchasing a new VR. The simple multi-meter check spelled out in service manual and as I recall you want to see approx 49-52 Volts AC at 3000RPM on your meter when checking.
On the VR Tom for your 2003:

It is 3-phase
The wiring harness is quite long and the pair of wiring harness plugs at end of harness equal in length
The wiring harness plugs at end of harness for 2008 and up VR's are staggered in length
Harley Davidson part # for your VR is Y1302.02A8
Dealer system shows 84 still available in listed dealer inventory--might be more available
Tons of knock-offs on Ebay and they seem to get very decent reviews. I have never tried one of them but if I needed to, the
pricing is just too good to pass up.
I do not know of a XL Sportster VR that crosses over to the 03-07 XB VR without major fiddling.

 

[Gloomshadow]

I thought that if the VR was bad, you'd get crazy voltage readings at the battery terminals going up and down as you blipped the throttle? no?

 

[Gloomshadow]

the bike is old but it's only like 20k miles...

 

[Gloomshadow]

on the knock off 3 phase , what do I need to search for? sportster 3 phase 2004 ? something like that?

 

[Barrett]

A "failing" VR will typically display some pretty wild fluctuations in DC output voltage.
A "failed" VR will typically display NO DC output voltage being pumped into the battery/electrical system.

Your 2003 VR has equidistant twin plug wiring length. The 2008-2010 VR has staggered distance twin plug wiring length. That is your physical identifier so shop according.
Ebay knock-offs pretty darn good for the price and come with warranty
Rick's Electrics are top-shelf at OEM pricing
2003-2007 XB ALL ENGINE SIZES ALL MODELS USE SAME VR
Links below should get you started

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1549775716...A/5ci1/bhx3wMKpJdr11Ftag==|tkp:Bk9SR7qBo6DzYg


https://www.ebay.com/itm/3052276624...czeRA==|tkp:Bk9SR4jekKHzYg&LH_ItemCondition=3

 

[Gloomshadow]

ok thanks man.. I'll get on it next week. the meantime I got the xb9 I can ride until the 12 is back up and running

 

[Gloomshadow]

so what you're saying is that my Stator may actually be putting out good voltage but the VR isn't sending tnat power back to the battery to keep it charged? when the bike is off I'm getting 13V at the battery terminals, turn the bike on and start it, the voltage drops to 12..4V and is steady , even under throttle.

is that 50 dollar VR reliable you think? how many guys have been running that one? that would be a cheap fix if its reliable

 

[Barrett]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

so what you're saying is that my Stator may actually be putting out good voltage but the VR isn't sending tnat power back to the battery to keep it charged?

Exactly. Always test alternator before replacing VR. Proper test is very simple and outlined in SM. Also check BATTERY fuse in fusebox.

I have no personal experience with the Ebay knock-off VR's. I know they're sold with an Ebay warranty, have decent Ebay reviews, several board members have used them. As mentioned, if I was needing a VR, for that price I'd try one.

 

[Gloomshadow]

I found 2 fuses , one js a red 30amp fuse coming off the battery , it's good.. the other is in the R dash fusebox on the shifter side, its a 3 prong grey box.. is there a way to check that? you can't see inside it or anything

 

[kz6fittycent]

I found 2 fuses , one js a red 30amp fuse coming off the battery , it's good.. the other is in the R dash fusebox on the shifter side, its a 3 prong grey box.. is there a way to check that? you can't see inside it or anything

That's a relay, if I'm understanding your comment correctly.

 

[Gloomshadow]

yeah probably a relay .. only 30 amp fuse I saw was coming off the battery cables...

ok I got a new regulator on there, easy job... voltage at the terminals remains the same. 12.9 when the bike is off... drops to 12.5 when the bike is running.. that can't be good huh?

 

[kz6fittycent]

yeah probably a relay .. only 30 amp fuse I saw was coming off the battery cables...

ok I got a new regulator on there, easy job... voltage at the terminals remains the same. 12.9 when the bike is off... drops to 12.5 when the bike is running.. that can't be good huh?

If you go to the section in the manual called "CHARGING SYSTEM" (Section 7.7, page 583 in my model's manual), it outlines the steps needed to fully troubleshoot the electrical system. I have used it and was able to fix my bike. It ended up being the VR, and ultimately got a Rick's Hot Shot.

http://buellmods.com/#TabbedContent

 

[Gloomshadow]

I'm just asking if 12.5v at the battery terminals at idle is normal..

 

[Gloomshadow]

ok I'm studying up on it.. seems like they are checking at the stator itself where the VR plugs in.. I guess readings at the battery terminals don't mean anything or they would be doing that bc it's so much easier to do a quick test there... so I could be good actually.. am I right?

 

[kz6fittycent]

I'm just asking if 12.5v at the battery terminals at idle is normal..