[Motor Hippie]

Hi. Long time lurker, first time posting. This forum has been a great utility (and time consumer) for me.



I'm in the middle of a cross-country tour. My battery quit holding a charge so I followed the work up on diagnosing the problem. I even got a new battery just to be sure, since I had my doubts about my old one. I'm 99% sure I have a bad stator, and after considering other options (including buying another bike--looked at a 79 CB650 today, but no dice) I have decided I would like to try my hand at fixing it myself. My problem is that I do not have a very good workspace available to me, and I don't know what tools I'll need to perform the operation. Thanks to this forum I do know what parts I'll need.



All this to basically ask, what tools will I need to successfully drop my engine and change my stator and get it back in? My current resources are a basic tool kit (wrenches from 7mm-16mm, 10, 12, 14, 17, & 18mm sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, and metric allens), and the possibility to use a garage space with no work bench or any accoutrement of that sort. Would it even be possible to do the job under these circumstances? Will I need a jack or lift of some sort?



A few more newbie questions:

What does the engine weigh when it is all ready to come off the bike?

And roughly how much will the entire procedure cost? I'm guessing $300, but that is just from some cursory research.



Thanks in advance.

 

[Blindstitch]

This job can be completed with basic tools and a milk crate. But at the least you will need a new stator and a rear cover gasket. Stators can be had for about $213.



But the question is where are you at the moment since you said you're on a cross country tour.

 

[bear351c]

G'day from Down Under,



Can't help with the cost part, 'cos we work in Ozzie dollars, but the engine can be removed easily. Any one should be able to do it, if you can grab a workshop manual, all the better.

You will also need rear cover gasket, etc, 'cos you must pull that off to access the stator. Rewound stators are color coded (if they are for a CX) so there no way you mess it up. Do you guys have plastic milk crates?? (like a 5 sided box, 14-16" wide) anyhow, it's easier to rest the engine on a garage jack, crate, drum etc and lift the frame up and over.



Give it a day or two, someone on the forum might live close by and be able to assist.



....and, Welcome.



Bear.

 

[Blindstitch]

Nice. Two milk crates in a row.

 

[Motor Hippie]

I'm in Grover Beach, CA right now. I don't have a super specific itinerary, but the central coast in CA was one of my big destinations.



Thanks for advice so far. I can definitely get my hands on a milk crate or its equivalent. That makes sense to lift the frame off the engine, sounds a lot easier too.

 

[bandit]

I'm in Grover Beach, CA right now. I don't have a super specific itinerary, but the central coast in CA was one of my big destinations.



Thanks for advice so far. I can definitely get my hands on a milk crate or its equivalent. That makes sense to lift the frame off the engine, sounds a lot easier too.

although you wont want all the parts mentioned.there is some good info[including part numbers] here http://choppercharles.com/cs/forums/149387/ShowPost.aspx

good luck,having done it a few times,its really not a hard job

 

[Panther]

We have a talented CX/GL'er near you in Hanford. Sarah.



She and her man have done a lot of work on her GL and his CX.

They might be able to help out.



to bad you aren't closer to Vegas.



what you have and a floor jack should be able to get you going again.

and you might find a cheaper stator if you shop, how long can you wait for part?



this one is close to you:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Elec...5069627QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories



If you are careful taking the back cover off, you can put a thin layer of "the right stuff" on the old gasket/surfaces and it will hold, got 12k on mine right now with that bodge.

you can get it at Autozone for about $11.



better that than an aftermarket gasket, they are to thin and will cause starter problems.



I'll email and PM Sarah a link to this thread.



also, feel free to text me with any questions you may have. PM sent.

 

[ladyeclectic]

We live down in Hanford (about 45 minutes south of Fresno and maybe 2 hours from Grover Beach?) and might be able to help. What exactly were you needing? We have a couple CX/GL motors littering our back yard and may have a spare stator you could have, but we don't have a reliable truck to go that distance (although Dude is checking on some AAA options). Work and school may make things difficult on our end until tomorrow or Saturday but let's see what we can do.



Email or PM me, hopefully we can work something out. There's also Larry Cargill up in Sacramento - a bit further away but he'd definitely have the parts/shop/know-how you'd need.

 

[Motor Hippie]

I forgot to mention, I've downloaded the original factory manual, so that is also in my list of assets. No wheelbarrow or holocaust cloak though.

I saw this place mentioned on another thread, but haven't heard anything about the quality of the stators. Anyone else know? Seems like one of the cheaper options around. http://www.ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/results.php



I was catching up on the long range CX with LRCX last night. First off, I'm insanely jealous of the bike they built. Wow, it is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Yes, Larry definitely seems to have the know-how (understatement), but he is pretty far. On the other hand, I do have people I can stay with in Sac, so that might not be a bad idea. If I knew I could get there.



Thanks again everyone for the input so far.

 

[Panther]

I forgot to mention, I've downloaded the original factory manual, so that is also in my list of assets. No wheelbarrow or holocaust cloak though.

I saw this place mentioned on another thread, but haven't heard anything about the quality of the stators. Anyone else know? Seems like one of the cheaper options around. http://www.ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/results.php



I was catching up on the long range CX with LRCX last night. First off, I'm insanely jealous of the bike they built. Wow, it is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Yes, Larry definitely seems to have the know-how (understatement), but he is pretty far. On the other hand, I do have people I can stay with in Sac, so that might not be a bad idea. If I knew I could get there.



Thanks again everyone for the input so far.

I can't remember the word on Rick's, but I think it is "they are good".



if you need to relocate with your bike and Ride it there, you can do the Car battery trick.

I ran my GL650 on a car battery for three months.

got about 130-150 miles on a charge with a dt-75 car battery (about mid sized)

if you use a Deepcycle marine battery, you should get farther.

But i was getting poor mpg, about 36mpg. usually get about 45mpg.



So a $50 marine battery some 10 gauge wire to hook it in to your current battery, and a cheap volt meter, (walmart has a cigarette light one for $15), and a cheap battery charger. should get you about a 150 mile range between charges.



probably take 2-3hours to charge. (think 10 amp charger is 2-3ish, 6amp is 3-4ish, 20 amp 1.5-2ish depends on the battery)



that would be an extra $80-100 that you would just be using to Move though. and then give away.

(still cheaper than a tow. lol)



There maybe a cheap "used" battery place near you and you could get the battery for about half price.



FYI, if you do this, you bike will not restart with less than 11.7 volts, so if you are getting down to 12.0 or 11.9, time to start looking for a place to park and charge.

and disconnecting the headlight did nothing for the run time. car battery is so big and all.

 

[DaveF]

Rick's stators are very good, as is a rewound stator from Custom Rewind. In my experience the Custom Rewind prices are slightly better.



Some forum members have had good luck with RMStator but I have no experience with theirs from which to form a conclusion.



It may come down to who has one in stock. Especially when out on the road with the bike torn down, the additional time needed to ship a stator off to be rewound could be the deciding factor.



Regarding tools, IMO a torque wrench is also a must have for this task.

 

[Cobram]

I've got a brand new Ricks Stator for the CX with CDI you can have for $175.00 priority mail included. I think it was around $240.00 when I bought it, was going to install in my '78 but the OEM stator looked brand new so I let sleeping dogs lay.



PM me if you're interested, PayPal preferred to keep it simple and fast.

 

[William J Ennis]

I wish my current circumstances were different. I've done this engine job three times. I cannot drive north to personally help due to my sick wife. However, I strongly recommend that you only reassemble the engine case using the gasket. Do not apply silicone or Hylomar or any other smear-on product as a substitute gasket. Our Nippon cousins designed these engines to fit together with specific clearances. So, put it back together the way the factory sent it out the door and you'll have no worries.



Also, I can add my endorsement of Rick's for a quality stator. They'll ship you a carton with the replacement stator and a self-addressed return lable. You save the box and plop in your old stator and slap their return lable on. The shipping is prepaid. When they receive your old one you'll get a core return refund.



Try to at least borrow a torque wrench or torque wrenches. Proper torque on your fasteners elevates your job to a quality experience



If you get in a pickle in the middle of this give me a tele call at 805-933-nine-five-zero-three and I will try to be of assistance.



The engine is approx 150 lbs. And you can drop it with the radiator still attached. I've done it myself with a floor jack (and a bad lower back), but a second set of arms and hands would have been welcomed.



Hey, you are living the dream . . . going cross country. God speed and be safe in everything you do.



Regards,

 

[DaveF]

According to the signature, the CX500 is a 1982 model year. So the stator would be a TI type, not CDI.

 

[Motor Hippie]

Yeah, sorry I forgot to mention the year in my original post. Yes, I'm on an '82 CX500. Thanks for the offer though, Cobram.



I officially have some space to work on my bike, and I just picked up a milk crate from the local Trader Joe's. I'm actually going to have to remove my radiator as well, since I need to replace my fan. I lost it somewhere between Needles and Mojave. It self-destructed and gashed a small hole in the bottom of my radiator, causing all my coolant to leak out. I consequently burned up most of my oil and probably overheated my engine quite a bit. I don't know if that will kill the stator or not, but I'm sure it didn't help, and it wasn't long after that that I started having charging issues. I got to spend two days in Mojave, CA fixing my radiator though. That was fun.



I will definitely get my hands on a torque wrench.

 

[Panther]

Yeah, a hot engine can kill our stators.



I would look into a electric fan for the replacement.

Not to hard, and cheap. just add a manual switch until you have a better place and time to add a thermoswitch.

 

[Motor Hippie]

Yeah, a hot engine can kill our stators.



I would look into a electric fan for the replacement.

Not to hard, and cheap. just add a manual switch until you have a better place and time to add a thermoswitch.

What kind of electric fan replaces the stock one? Would it be cheaper than $30. That's what I've found for an OEM one at cheapcycleparts.com



So far I'm at a total cost of $273 for parts, including parts to redo the mechanical seal on the water-pump. I'm not sure I'm going to undertake that now, but I thought I'd price it out anyway.

 

[Panther]

I wouldn't do the seal at this time, unless it is leaking.

You could have to build a press device to get it in.



most of the electric fans that fit are being bought for less than $15 on Fleabay.

read these threads:

http://cx500forum.com/index.php?/to...85__hl__+electric++__fromsearch__1#entry21685

http://cx500forum.com/index.php?/topic/2107-fan-removal/page__hl__+electric++__st__30

http://www.pdsrecording.site90.com/cxgl500/Efan.htm

http://globalcxglvtwins.hostingdelivered.com/viewforum.php?f=7&sid=5ea24c8741eaae87b9520b543d9e6058



if the one you are getting is Used, no idea on lifespan left. and you don't want another radiator repair.stock

You can just wire in a fuse holder up near your handle bars with a 10amp fuse in it and run it all the time.



I did this with my GL650 for a couple months when the thermo-switch went out.



Not any problems and I have the same charging system as you.

 

[lucky]

its a shame i didnt know you were so close to me here in kingman when you head back are you taking the same route?? if so i dont see a problem putting you up for a night with a shower and a bbq just let me know

 

[Motor Hippie]

I like the idea of doing an electric fan. I'm not sure if I have the skills to pull it off though. I looked at those links, and it doesn't look too hard, but I'm really not that good when it comes to wiring and such. That being said, I'd also like to replace my main fuse with the more modern kind that cars have. And the advantages of the electric fan are very attractive.



If I wanted to put in a fan with a simple on/off switch what parts would I need?



I'm looking at a the 748/916 ducati fan on ebay.

I would need an on/off switch and wire (don't know what gauge)

I would need a connector block, and I would need to modify the radiator bracket, or file down the camshaft.



Does that about sum it up?



@lucky - I might be taking a similar route back, as I do want to visit a cousin in TX. If I do I will definitely let you know.