Mostly electrical questions for GL1200 but also a paint question...

imported post

As far as the connector, you can do what you wish...but my first 85 Interstate had issues. The previous owner not only removed the 3 wire connector, but he then cut the wires and used wire nuts!:X The result was a fried stator. :doh:



Step one of replacing the stator.....remove motor!:headbanger: Your call.



I am going to install the Poorboy alternator kit as soon as I can find the crankshaft pulley. The one that I purchased from a local vendor was the wrong belt size.:blushing:



For a piece of mind...solder the connector. It will save you trouble later on. In addition, install a digital voltmeter to monitor the stator. It can save you a long walk later on.:hovering:



Good luck!

imported post

The problem with the connector is the corrosion that occurs and you end up with bad connections and the connectors start to burn and over heat due to the resistance caused by the corrosion. This also causes the stator to over heat (not sure if it is no load on the stator or too much load with the resistance)and burn out. If your connector is till good you can try filling the connector with dielectric grease to keep corrosion under control.

I've heard two schools on solder and crimp connectors. The idea of vibration causing cold solder joints probably has merit when dealing with PC boards. Also some believe that the soldered connector will cause the wire to break just before the solder joint. But crimp on connectors that may be out in the elements can corrode and cause loss of connection. Getting good crimps can some times be problematic and cause the crimp to come apart with vibration. Since the stator wires can be out in the environment (i.e. rain or water when washing) I would chose to solder them as I think there would be less worry about the strain on the join compared to corrosion in the crimp.

I assume your neighbor was talking about fork mounted lights like driving lights or fog lights? If so there is a light bar that attaches just under the front of the fairing. Or mount a couple of lights on the engine guards. But, the Goldwing stator isn't up to putting out a lot of watts and you can over tax the stator and burn it out. Do some looking on the site for auxiliary lights or driving lights and you will find quite a few discussions on how folks did theirs. You can change out all the running and turn signal lights to LED lights to reduce the wattage used by those so you can use extra lighting. Or go with the Poor Boy alternator setup which gives you more wattage to work with.