i am confused.

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effingidiot

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U.K. A soldier of life,just soldiering throu.
just been reading a post from 2011 none start,He says his stator ohms reading is .7 he seems to think thats good.My stator reading is .8 ohms,is this reading ok or am i using my ohms meter wrong.I reall don't want to buy parts i dont need.
 
Check the resistance from each of the 3 output wires to a good ground. There should be infinite ohms. If you get any reading at all on any of the 3 wires, your stator is shorted to ground and sadly, is toast. That's what killed my stator last year. I was putting out good AC voltage from each phase, the internal resistance was within specs, but one phase was grounded. The same thing killed the original stator back in 1989 at 60,000 miles. The second one lasted 70,000 miles, and seeing that I've upgraded the voltage regulator to a series type (which is MUCH easier on the stator), I expect this new one to last the rest of the life of the bike.
 
Check the resistance from each of the 3 output wires to a good ground. There should be infinite ohms. If you get any reading at all on any of the 3 wires, your stator is shorted to ground and sadly, is toast. That's what killed my stator last year. I was putting out good AC voltage from each phase, the internal resistance was within specs, but one phase was grounded. The same thing killed the original stator back in 1989 at 60,000 miles. The second one lasted 70,000 miles, and seeing that I've upgraded the voltage regulator to a series type (which is MUCH easier on the stator), I expect this new one to last the rest of the life of the bike.
Just tested all three wires to ground,no reading at all.
 
just been reading a post from 2011 none start,He says his stator ohms reading is .7 he seems to think thats good.My stator reading is .8 ohms,is this reading ok or am i using my ohms meter wrong.I reall don't want to buy parts i dont need.

A tenth of an ohm is no big deal in this case. However to be as accurate as possible, make sure your meter reads zero when the test leads are shorted together.
 
A tenth of an ohm is no big deal in this case. However to be as accurate as possible, make sure your meter reads zero when the test leads are shorted together.
Sorry.What am trying to say,his reading is .7 mine reads .8.It says in the manual stator coil resistance is 0.42 ohms +/- 10% that's what threw me off.Electrics give me a headache,am sure my headlight not working has something to do with no spark.I'M gonna have to check all connectors are clean,and test all the ignition system.Will get there.Cheers.
 
Sorry.What am trying to say,his reading is .7 mine reads .8.It says in the manual stator coil resistance is 0.42 ohms +/- 10% that's what threw me off. Am sure my headlight not working has something to do with no spark. I'm gonna have to check all connectors are clean,and test all the ignition system.

I'm not sure what it is you are trying to fix; a non-functional headlamp or no spark?

We be in a far better position to help you if you describe the symptoms that you have and what you have done so far to try and identify the issue.

Is it just the headlamp that doesn't work when the ignition is turned on or is everything dead?

To be pedantic, the spec for the stator is 0.42 Ω (+ or - 15%) at 20° C.
Note the temperature as above or below this will alter the spec. It's not a lot, a 1°C change will raise or lower the resistance by 0.393%, but worth bearing in mind. (See, I said I was being pedantic! :bang head:)
You also assume that your multi-meter is accurate. A good quality one probably is but the cheaper they are the lower the accuracy. Their reading will also be affected by their temperature.

The quickest way to identify the cause of an issue is to follow a logical sequence.
DO NOT rely on gut feel but base your action on factual evidence.

For example, the headlight doesn't work, step 1 would be to visually check the bulb filaments and if they appear OK then measure the voltage at the bulb connector.
If you have battery voltage (this will be something above 12v.) on both terminals it must be the bulb.
If low measure the battery voltage at the battery - you should get something above 12.5v.
If that is the case then you have high resistance within the circuit. Check for signs of over heating on the connectors and measure the resistance. Make and break the connectors several times which is normally sufficient to clean up the connections. Measure resistance again and if OK move on to the next connector (feeling smug as you have avoided wasting a lot of time trying to get bits of emery paper into reluctant terminals).
If no battery voltage check the fuse. If OK check through the loom to establish where the break is.
If blown DO NOT try using a higher rated fuse. At best you run the risk of melting some wires and at worst your pride and joy could catch fire.
Visually check the loom for signs of chafing and correct when found.

Note: I have not mentioned the ignition system when diagnosing a headlamp problem.

For problems in other electrical systems use the flow charts in the Service manual as thes will check the components in a logical sequence.
 
I'm not sure what it is you are trying to fix; a non-functional headlamp or no spark?

We be in a far better position to help you if you describe the symptoms that you have and what you have done so far to try and identify the issue.

Is it just the headlamp that doesn't work when the ignition is turned on or is everything dead?

To be pedantic, the spec for the stator is 0.42 Ω (+ or - 15%) at 20° C.
Note the temperature as above or below this will alter the spec. It's not a lot, a 1°C change will raise or lower the resistance by 0.393%, but worth bearing in mind. (See, I said I was being pedantic! :bang head:)
You also assume that your multi-meter is accurate. A good quality one probably is but the cheaper they are the lower the accuracy. Their reading will also be affected by their temperature.

The quickest way to identify the cause of an issue is to follow a logical sequence.
DO NOT rely on gut feel but base your action on factual evidence.

For example, the headlight doesn't work, step 1 would be to visually check the bulb filaments and if they appear OK then measure the voltage at the bulb connector.
If you have battery voltage (this will be something above 12v.) on both terminals it must be the bulb.
If low measure the battery voltage at the battery - you should get something above 12.5v.
If that is the case then you have high resistance within the circuit. Check for signs of over heating on the connectors and measure the resistance. Make and break the connectors several times which is normally sufficient to clean up the connections. Measure resistance again and if OK move on to the next connector (feeling smug as you have avoided wasting a lot of time trying to get bits of emery paper into reluctant terminals).
If no battery voltage check the fuse. If OK check through the loom to establish where the break is.
If blown DO NOT try using a higher rated fuse. At best you run the risk of melting some wires and at worst your pride and joy could catch fire.
Visually check the loom for signs of chafing and correct when found.

Note: I have not mentioned the ignition system when diagnosing a headlamp problem.

For problems in other electrical systems use the flow charts in the Service manual as thes will check the components in a logical sequence.
Am rambling on about my none working head light, battry ok fuses ok bulb ok,its the only light what doesent work.And there is no spark,i am testing everything.I will find the problem,just wondering if my ohms meter was reading correctly at .8.obviously my stator is toast.
 
I wouldn't order a stator yet. Once you get it running do an AC voltage output test at each white stator wire. We'll walk you through it then. I've got different ohm meters. One was free from H.F. and will do a decent quick voltage test. Another was over $300. Know where I'm going with this? You're splitting hairs.
 
I think others have mentioned about the starter button sticking, which can kill your headlamp, as it's supposed to when you press the starter button. But if the button doesn't return to it's full-out position, your headlamp may not have juice to it.

Mr. Max Midnight also gave you good advice on the use of a multimeter, and about checking all your connectors and circuits. As he said, disconnecting them and re-connecting them several times will often allow any corrosion on the M-F pins to re-establish the electron flow. You did remember to fill your turn-signal fluid, didn't you? (belated April 1 post) While you have the connector apart, use a bit of dielectric grease in-there, goop a bit right onto the pins or the female pins, as it will help prevent corrosion in the future. You don't need much.

Something I use to clean the pins is an oxyacetylene torch tip cleaner set. The various tiny files in a set give you plenty of rough stuff to clean the female sockets while keeping them in-place in the nylon fuse block saves you time.

For the male pins, I remove them from the nylon connector block, using a dental pick or a very small probe of some sort. What I usually do is to take a look for the wire crimp from the back side, and then, from the opposite side where the nylon connector fastens together, I use the pick to depress the male pin in back, close to where the pin sits in the nylon connector, and 180 degrees away from the position where the wire crimp is on the outside of the plug. You know how when you use a crimping tool where the tiny wire-securing 'ears' are flat, and then they fold inwards to secure a purchase on the wire, as in the stock electrical wire loom? That's what you want to look for to get the proper orientation for using the pick to depress the back of the pin. People who have worked on these nylon plugs can probably do it blindfolded, but if you don't know the 'trick,' you will become very frustrated and may rip-off the pin from the thin gauge wire. There is a metal 'tongue' on the pin, that when you insert the pin from the outside of the nylon connector, the 'tongue' will depress as it passes through the nylon connector body, and then spring-upwards to hold the pin in-place in the nylon connector body, at the proper point for the male and female nylon connectors to have all their many pins interlock.

Once you have depressed the pin's 'tongue,' a slight tug on the back side of the nylon connector, where the wire inserts into the nylon connector, will release/remove the pin for inspection, cleaning, and possibly replacement. Take a very close look at the wire crimp, you may find that some of the wire filaments have broken, and this could be part of your problem. You can also see where the metal connector crimp secures the wire, and you can see if the pin's 'tongue' is portruding sufficiently enough from the smaller pin diameter, so that after cleaning the pin with sandpaper or whatever, it will hold the pin in-place when you re-install it into the nylon connector.

The crimp-on individual metal connectors which are spade or bullet terminals, having usually a blue, red, or yellow plastic insulated collar, that we've all used to install car stereos, or do other electrical repairs, are not the type of connector I'm referring to in the above description! Those just use a tit on the crimping pliers to deform the metal where the wire inserts through the connector to hold the wire secured, and especially over time, the connector becomes corroded, and the wire can break. Solder is the best way to connect wires for long service life.

One thing to look for is that the pin is indeed locked in-place by that little pin 'tongue' securely holding the pin in its place, and if you can give a slight tug, and the pin releases from the nylon connector, and is no-longer held inside the connector, you may need to look and see if you (1) pushed the male pin into the nylon connector sufficiently-far, or (2) you may need to find the pin 'tongue', and bend it outwards a bit, so it will catch the nylon connector body when you insert the male pin into the nylon connector body.

If you do this stuff in your sleep, then skip this post, but if you're learning about how to troubleshoot your bike's electrics, you will find this makes it much easier to clean your male pins by removing them, and cleaning the female pins by leaving them in the nylon connector, and by using an oxyacetylene torch tip cleaning set, which you can find ay Ace Hardware or a Home Depot/Lowe's, or similar for probably $5. A good investment, and used for cleaning out small orifices like small carb jets, but do not use the file part of the torch tip on your jets, just tje initial probe tip, which is smooth, and not rough.

I think Gannon sells pins sized for our nylon connectors, and even the nylon connectors in male/female configurations if you find one damaged, as in melted, like the stator connectors like to do, the three same-color wires from the stator should probably be soldered anyway, to prevent the poor connection, arcing, and overheating that the increased resistance of a loose, corroded connection can cause.

Here's another thread I wrote on a headlight malfunction: http://vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=31075&highlight=chasing+tail
 
Here's an example of an automotive pin wire connector, this uses two tongues to secure the pin in-place where our VMax only uses one. You can readily see where you need to depress the tongue(s) to get the pin to release.

Another method to get the VMax tongue to release, is to go to a hobby shop, and find a brass tubing which closely fits over the pin, allowing you to just pull out the wire from the wire loom side, by passing the brass tube over the pin, from the pin side, because the brass tube depresses the pin'tongue,' holding it in the nylon connector. You might want to solder a short length of the brass tube to something to make it easier to use it. May I suggest a penny or a brass washer?
http://g03.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1WR_R...Plug-Waterproof-10-sets-Automotive-Marine.jpg
 
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