So sorry for my absence

[charlainec]

I am sorry that I have not been around. I have had a series of deaths in my family that where extremely personal. on top of that I have been in the process of moving. quick news on the bike. I and riding with a car battery right now due to the either bad stator it maybe pulse gen. but at least I'm still riding. No major mods but Have a few planned. Might be doing a poorboy conversion on her next month. but need to find a means to work with in the mods i have planned for the lower vents.

[1060dsl]

Sorry to hear about deaths in the family.
you don't need poorboy's kit its easy enough to make up your own. Myself I would be putting in one of the new stators.

[neoracer]

since my aspy has been poorboy'd and my sei has all connectors hardwired,i doubt that i would have any thoughts of not doing a poorboy on it,even if it was somethingg simple as a regulator,for example,already have the kit and alternator ready
just dont understand why all our members dont hardwire all the connectors since its a well proven fact that all three contribute to early stator failure

of course then again we always seem to get new members after their stators have failed looking for answers

[admin]

No need to apologize for not being around because life just happens. Seems like for some it happens in a very comfy way and for others it happens like you're in a war zone all the time. I hope everything settles down for you real soon. Regarding your charging system, make sure you understand and perform all the testing procedures because your problem might just be a bad wire connection or a blown voltage regulator. If you need more info don't hesitate to ask.

[bagelboy]

Its a no brainer! The poorboy/alternator has proven itself. I did my two 1200s with the poorboys. This winter I rode with a heated jacket and never worried!

[wpd210]

The poorboy conversion is the best way.

[1060dsl]

The poorboy conversion is the best way.

I don't like external alternators - the ones I saw are loud, don't charge well at low idle and the whole installation looks jimmy-rigged. ! The new generation OEM stators are powerful enough they last and if I have to wear heated clothing they would probably carry the load but you can be sure I would leave the bike home and take the truck.!

Only way I would use one would be like the first one I seen (back in the 90's before Poorboy supposedly invented it) put it on till the end of riding season and then fix it over the winter.

[admin]

The poorboy conversion is the best way.

I don't like external alternators - the ones I saw are loud, don't charge well at low idle and the whole installation looks jimmy-rigged. ! The new generation OEM stators are powerful enough they last and if I have to wear heated clothing they would probably carry the load but you can be sure I would leave the bike home and take the truck.!

Only way I would use one would be like the first one I seen (back in the 90's before Poorboy supposedly invented it) put it on till the end of riding season and then fix it over the winter.

You probably heard one or two of the cheap alternators with bad diodes which makes them noisy and more so if they are old high mileage alternators. The low speed charging issue is taken care of by a 3.5 inch crank pulley as opposed the earlier 2.5 inch crank pulleys. I have seen the most rugged and up to date replacement stators fail prematurely and one person I know even had to replace the stock type stator twice in one week at considerable expense and labor output. I would never go back to the original stator simply because it cannot be changed on the side of the road, whereas my external alternator can be removed, rebuilt and reinstalled in only half an hour with simple tools making the GL1200 one of the most reliable and easy to maintain bikes ever.

[neoracer]

mike,i would bet that you probably didn't notice that at least 50% of the 1200's there were running poorboy's there,and i know that last years host has one

you we have to get you with the program to allow you to ride further into the winter

[1060dsl]

mike,i would bet that you probably didn't notice that at least 50% of the 1200's there were running poorboy's there,and i know that last years host has one now

you we have to get you with the program to allow you to ride further into the winter

LOL not likely ..!!! actually very few wings in my neck of the woods use an external alternator.

[SIR tricky]

They look jimmy rigged huh? you cant see them.

You may have seen someone have on rigged on the out side of the fairing, but the poorboy is situated inside the fairing.

Both my bikes have good alternators and I installed the external on both of them.

You can actually see the external alternator on this bike?

[bs175dths]

So sorry to hear of you loss. A moment of silence........














now the external alternator....

I agree with both sides of the camp (can I do that?) Let me explain.....

Finances being as they are, I babied the stock charging system until final faliure.
Hard wired the three yellows near the battery, cleaned and dielectric all plugs pertaining to ignition and charging, kept battery at full charge all time by using a BATTERY TENDER every night.
Lots of maintenance, lots of time, always worried WHEN, not if, but WHEN the system would fail.

The time came when the regulator gave up. Replaced it with a known good part and two months later, the stator went out.

I installed an external alternator over 3000 miles ago and other than a minor adjustment, I haven't had any problems. Battery is getting a bit over 13.5V all the time, hit the high beam, I get a dip, then back to 13.5V. I haven't used the battery tender since the alternator install. I am a happy camper.

I have disconnected the stator (cut the hard wires) and removed the regulator. Relays for various upgrades are slotted for the vacated space.

I have been given many a compliment on the installation, and in half the cases, had to point it out as it is well hidden.

Alot of thought and concern before the install (when it is going to happen), alot of thought and concern during installation (wanting it to work correctly and not distract from the bike), NO concern about it now. It works.
And when it fails, it is an easy fix!

For me, there are too many check marks on the plus side and too few on the negative side to justify not doing the external alternator.

- my .02

[1060dsl]

mike,i would bet that you probably didn't notice that at least 50% of the 1200's there were running poorboy's there,and i know that last years host has one

you we have to get you with the program to allow you to ride further into the winter

Neo - in Sudbury I am sure that after a few beers i will cure you of this external alternator silliness
(it was invented by a local guy here years before Poorboy started selling bracket kits)

[1060dsl]

They look jimmy rigged huh? you cant see them.

You may have seen someone have on rigged on the out side of the fairing, but the poorboy is situated inside the fairing.

Both my bikes have good alternators and I installed the external on both of them.

You can actually see the external alternator on this bike?

its a picture (and not even a closeup) ....... lots of things are not seen in a picture ..... I'm glad you like em - I don't

[90Blazer]

I think the poorboy conversion is the best and most reliable modification that can be done to our wings, but that is my opinion. Weather you buy Don's kit or make one yourself, I believe that it is a great upgrade. A charging system of any kind will not last forever, and I think that in the future it is much easier to replace an external alternator than an internal stator and so it seems does mother honda since all goldwing models since have external alternators. I added an external alternator to mine last winter after my stator failed using Don's kit and ridden about 4k since with no problems and no noise. It cost a little more than just replacing the stator (I do my own mechanic work) but I think it was well worth the cost and peace of mind. That's just my .02 though.