Dead GL1200 stator, in the mood for a story?

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Hey everybody:

If you're not in the mood for a story skip to the bottom where my technical issues are listed. I will make my story as short as possible, and get to the reason I'm posting.

Decided at the beginning of the summer to do a cross Canada trip on a motorcycle having never ridden in my life. So doing research on bikes etc, it was obvious that the Goldwing is the only suitable option to make the trip.

So the time comes to leave I'm geared up ready to go and the trip went amazingly. Not one mechanical problem. I think I put air in the tires once just to say I did. after a month I return home happy as a clam that everything went so well.

A couple of weeks ago, I ask my mom, "hey mom, look I drove across the continent, I think I'm a pretty capable rider, hop on and let's go for a short ride" My mom is terrified of bikes by the way.

After much convincing she gets on and we go for a short ride. everything is going great minus some heavy traffic we get to a small town and stop for a refreshment of iced tea. After enjoying said refreshment get back on the bike and it's.....completly dead.

SHIZA.

try agian. nope, its dead,

Now seing that I have a 1984 Honda Goldwing aspencade GL1200, and being that I have done extensive research on the common problems of this make and model of bike. where do my thoughts go as to why my bike is suddenly dead?

I call my brother to come meet us out where we are (about 20 mins from home) and give us a jump. Alas, he comes and get the jumpers attached and it starts right up. So the joke is that I drove it 14000 km's and nothing happens but I take it 20kms and it breaks down.

I Take it to the mechanic the next day to run some 'system diagnostics'

First we thought it was the regulator rely thingy right beside the accesesory fuse box, replaced that, nope not that, he did some other mechanical wizardy and yes, my stator is dead.

Having heard this my heart breaks because I know what it is going to entil in order to get to that thing and put a new one in. And simply, my season was over.

So what do i do? Pay insurance for the year on something that is going to sit in my garage. nooooooo

the urge to ride is too great, there must be an option.

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Now I put it to you fine folks as to what the heck I should do. I've listed some options that I have found out. Number TWO seems particularly interesting and totally fesiable, and want to know if anyone has done this with success/failure.

1. Cheapest fix: Get a car battery, throw it in the beer box and run some wires so that the battery is running in parrell with the bike battery and the night before i ride charge up the car battery. 40-60 bucks CAN.

2. moderatly cheapest fix: There is a mounting bracket system that exsists for early goldwings that enables you to mount a car altenator to the engine so that it sits underneath the lower fairings (as I've been told, under the fins). Than drill a hole through the timing belt cover add an extension piece through timing belt pullys add another pully at the end of that and than put a belt on from that to the altanator and attach the three yellow wires from the stator? or something to that effect. The gentleman who is offering to do it is well equiped and knowledble in the goldwing field seing how his business is selling used goldwings, and goldwing parts. And he is offering do it for free because he wants to learn how to do it, so I would just have to pay for parts. (and if in the far chance he breaks something he would replace anything he breaks at his cost). 300 - 400 bucks CAN

3. Most expensive: Tear the engine out and replace the stator. Parts and labour, 1500-2000 bucks CAN.

Option two sounds most intriquing, this is the guy I bought the bike off of, and he is very advanced in his expertise of goldwings, so he is a trusted source of knowledge, so I would be leaving the bike in good hands, and he has had the process done to his bikes before just never physically done it himself due to time and patience but he wants to get a price baseline so the next person that asks him to do it he will know how long it will take him to do. Not because it's going to be a guessing game for him.

Long winded I know, but if you have gotten this far I would love to know your thoughts/concerns/other options.

Remember, I'm a poor independent film maker so if option three is the only right thing to do than my biking season will be over for some time.

cheers

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