Stator Failure
June 2023 – August 2023
This stator failure was and is a major repair to put it mildly. I do not have the necessary skills to complete a job of this complexity on any given day.
So, there I was riding along one evening, just cruising the B roads local to me, when the yellow warning light came on, along with the battery light. Thankfully I was only four or five miles away from home. I cannot repeat what I said at the time, as the shaft failure of 2022 was still fresh in my mind – you can read about that HERE
The symptoms were hard to diagnose (for me). The battery light would come on the moment the revs went over 2500 rpm. That threw me, as when the revs dropped below that threshold the light went out.
The headlight and electrical systems didn’t have any form of malfunction; the battery was fully charged etc. Everything seemed fine. So I went off to do some research, whilst some pointers/advice was very good and well intended, others not so much.
The multimeter was giving me false hope too…
Testing the circuits coming from the stator all came back fine; the bike was not fine though. A quick test ride determined that to be so.
This research and testing was going-on over the course of a couple of weeks or so in June 2023.
expert intervention required
The time had come to seek expert help for a definitive diagnosis. Many workshops wouldn’t even discuss the potential of repairing the bike if it was the stator. Anyway, that aside, a workshop local to me told me to fetch it in to them, and leave it with them to diagnose the issue in due course.
I was very happy with that, and I waited a short while for Guy (proprietor and mechanic) to plug the bike in and run a proper series of diagnostic tests etc. Anyway, a long story short, it came as no surprise to me (or to Guy) that the stator was shot.
After a few conversations over the course of a week or so, I agreed on the price to fix and replace said stator. I had to leave the bike there in the workshop, which was fine by me, and good of them; along with a provisional date of a fix agreed upon.
It took a month or so in the end all told, which didn’t bother me in the slightest. It sounds like I am being negative, but I am not. I was informed all the way through, and they fitted me in to their schedule; so all was well. They did a fantastic job on the bike, and I’m very grateful and happy.
This was a big job. Unsurprisingly, the exhaust nuts were seized, and they became another job unto themselves. No drama for the workshop to resolve though naturally.
Many thanks to Guy and his team at Moto-Edit in Huntingdon, for their help and attention with this repair. Certainly they are now my ‘go to’ workshop for all the future maintenance of the GS. Thank you.
Obviously the fix put me back on the road, but yet again it conspired to rob me another summer of riding. Combined with other events in my private life, all this cost me a lot more time than just the time required for the repair itself.
I have since installed a set of Denali D4’s, B6, and Soundbomb. I installed them myself, which I thoroughly enjoyed doing I hasten to add. The lights etc. are connected to the Denali Cansmart.
I only mention this as Guy advised me there were too many connections to the battery potentially.
I have since disconnected most of those connections. Then I installed the Denali’s. A very worthy addition they are too, especially for night rides; which I really enjoy. Wrongly, I was very sceptical of the Denali’s, when I should not have been. They are a fantastic addition to the GS, and I highly recommend them.