Stator R/R replacement

[chris1200]

Hi all, So my 2007/8 Wee is no longer charging (11.5v when running). Checked battery and it's fine so its either the R/R or the stator. I have a spare R/R, I've checked it and it's good to go. Now as we are moving after Christmas to a house where I will finally have a garage to work in (and not the steep narrow one way street I now have) here are my questions.
1. The new place is about 15 miles away, do you think the bike would make it there if I also carry a spare battery with me.
2. If I find it is the stator at fault and having no desire to pay £400 for a OEM stator, what replacement aftermarket brand would you recommend (I don't wish to go the re-wire route) and where to buy it from. This has to take into account the bike is very often thousands of miles away on tour so my mind has to be at ease when I turn that damn key.
3 Any smart tricks to use. Eg somehow doing the job without removing half the bike.
Cheers my mates!

[mr_diver]

Electrex World are your best shout.

[kwackboy]

Your model Wee are not really known for stator issues, I'd say its the regulator.
You should be able to change it without removing the tank, you can see it through the right hand side of the frame just under the tank, from memory the hardest part are the connections.

[Ianmc]

I am afraid that up to 2011 its tank and airbox off to change the rec/reg.Then back on even to test the alternator output by hanging the plug outside the frame to access it while the engine is running.2012 are slightly different and it can be done without.Before you get too deep into the tank off,have a look at the negative connection on the battery,there is a heavy black neg.cable and also a lighter black and white cable crimped to it,follow this black and white cable to approx.the middle of the”V” of the engine,there is a connector there that had come undone on my K9 and gave all of the symptoms of a major R/R or stator problem.Its worth a try.

[Sage]

RE riding15 miles, the bike should do it easily if you start with a fully charged battery and to save a bit of power you could disconnect one headlight. Carrying a spare battery would also give piece of mind too.

Bon voyage

[chris1200]

Wonderful! Thanks for the replies ma mates.
So, when it stops raining I might strip the side panels JUST on the off chance I can access the R/R but won't be too down hearted if I can't Kwackboy.
At the same time I will hunt for the secondary earth wire and check out your great suggestion Ianmc. Maybe even try rigging up a secondary temporary earth to see if that has any effect.
As for riding it to it's new home in a garage Sage, I have found a bloke who will pick up and deliver it for £40 so I now have two options for that problem depending on how tight I am feeling on the day.
AND if the worst comes to be, I can get a new stator from Electrex world mr-diver!
Lovely. Thanks again.

[Mr Nick]

I rode to around 80 miles to Crainlarich with what turned out to be a defunct R/R to the forum jolly and it didn't show up until she wouldn't even contemplate starting again once there: I think you'll be fine going a shorter trip if you start off charged.

[Gert]

WRT your regulator, have a look at https://www.vstrom.info/Smf/index.php/topic,20913.0.html

[chris1200]

So, it stopped raining and I went out to have another look at the bike expecting nothing.
Fitted a battery on (charged standing at 12.52) and checked for any parasitic draw.
I got a fluctuating reading at first but nothing to account for a massive drain that I had seen previously when I had the meter hooked up the other day.
I checked the connector Ianmc mentioned (it was just by the coolant reservoir) and yanked/twiddled both the cables. The parasitic draw seemed to vanish and I couldn't make it come back. Checked the battery again (12.52) and then it started to rain. On the off chance I started it up, just because I'm a bit of a masochist.
The bloody thing was charging at 14.3 volts. I pulled, poked, and prodded it but could not get it to stop charging.
Now I may be wrong here but I presume a R/R or stator can not suddenly come back to life so I am now leaning towards a short or ... hell I can't think of anything else. The thing is, would a short drop the battery to only 11.5v and not allow it to charge even when it was running? I hate electrical problems.   

[Ianmc]

I have just had a look at the wiring schematic for your bike and the smaller black and white cable attached to the battery neg.terminal is the main return for a lot of the circuits, including the charging circuit.I would split that first connector(where it turns into a plain black) and make sure it is clean.Mine had worn away the tag on the connector and allowed it to move away from its mating socket and making an intermittent connection, giving fluctuating readings.

[chris1200]

Cheers Ian Mc, I just popped in (because it's raining again) to drag my Haynes manual out and you have saved me the bother! I took the small side panels off and tugged everything I could find with no result (in a good way). The connector seems decent apart from being a bit dusty but I will open it up during the next dry moment and have a look. Just want to say thanks ma mate, I think we are coming to the time when we forget how big a pain in the arse these things were when you only had yourself to rely on to fix them. Technology gets a bad name sometimes, but not in the world of bike related problems! When I get it in my new garage I will strip it down and check all the wiring, in my garage, the garage I will have, where I will have the bike, in the garage, because that's where I will keep it.   

[Sage]

Re the regulator failing.
Last  year I fitted a new (cheapish) regulator on my Vf1000 as the the old was was way over limit, but just caught it in time before it damaged anything. However, on its first long ride the battery went flat despite me checking it was charging OK in the garage. I had to jump start the bike and pootle home on side lights. The next day all seemed well with  the correct voltage showing when running but decided to fit a led volt meter to keep an eye on things and this showed that after about an hours riding the voltage suddenly dropped to around 12v and kept dropping. This sequence repeated on more rides so fitted a better quality regulator and now all is good.
So, it appears to be good practice to fit some sort of volt meter to give early warnings and buy quality stuff.