[ZX12RA1]

My bike is an 00 model zx12. I had the epoxy connector recall done and it seemed to fix the oil in the connector problem, but I'm still burning up stators every 500 miles. I've been using Rick's Stator brand ever since the original went out. The bike now has 21,000 miles on it. I have a billet stator cover I got off of Ebay that has been on there for a couple years. I don't know if the inside of the flywheel should be totally smooth or not but mine has raised spots about every 3/4" or so. This is really getting annoying and I rewired my alarm and neon lights just to make sure that they weren't causing a short somewhere. Also I've been through 3 voltage regulator/rectifiers, (which were all factory kawasaki parts). The past 3 times the stator has gone out it has melted the connector on the regulator/rectifier so I have had to replace them too just in case. Any help on this is greatly appreciated, I don't know what else to do. Thanks in advance

 

[Pudsky]

I just replaced my stator and rectifier. Both are Rick's Electrics. Both connectors melted. I cut the connectors out and hard wired the three wires going in to the rectifier, and the five wires leaving the rectifier as suggested by Ricks when talked to them about it over the phone. So far so good. But I guess time will tell.

Has Ricks been replacing these parts for you under warrantee?

 

[GDog]

I got tired of burning/splicing/burning wires. Went through 2 Rick's Stators and 2 Rick's Recs. One of the recs self destructed when the back of it blew off/open. Finally went with an OEM stator/rec from Ron Ayers...no problems since. Been about 8 months.

 

[ZX12RA1]

Were your stators actually burning up or just the connectors? Because mine, when I take them out at 500 miles, (usually after leaving me stranded somewhere), about 1/3 of the stator looks like a burnt/chargrilled hamburger. And to answer your question about Rick's replacing them so far no. I have called and been given the run around on the first two that went out and the Kawasaki dealer I got them from kept referring me back to Rick's so I just gave up.

 

[thekaz]

When I first got mine 12R years ago I went over the whole bike and saw the stator plug was kinda crispy so as many other bikes I have worked on I just soldered and heat shrung all the wires to/from the stator and rectifor ...... never had a problem .... Did put a new battery in last year but HEY six years is quite enough for those things )

Connectors can create resistance which for a charging system that is marginal to begin with can mean very bad news (
With eating stators I am assuming your grounds and battery are good plus when you hook up the new stuff all the voltages are correct ???

 

[ZX12RA1]

Yes, the battery is good and I just got a new Yuasa before I replaced the last stator 2 weeks ago. I use a battery tender every time I park the bike. When I put the last stator in it was showing 12.2 volts at idle and by 2000 rpms it was up to 12.8 volts. Can I butt splice the stator wires to the regulator and heat shrink over that and it work just as well as soldering it? I checked all of my grounds and added a second one to my alarm and switch for my neon lights just in case.

 

[thekaz]

Yes, the battery is good and I just got a new Yuasa before I replaced the last stator 2 weeks ago. I use a battery tender every time I park the bike. When I put the last stator in it was showing 12.2 volts at idle and by 2000 rpms it was up to 12.8 volts. Can I butt splice the stator wires to the regulator and heat shrink over that and it work just as well as soldering it? I checked all of my grounds and added a second one to my alarm and switch for my neon lights just in case.

Butt splices are better than most connectors but solder is really better.
12.2V seems low at idle but I can't remember what I got out of mine or what the manual says.
And 12.8V still seems low ? Battery charging doesn't start until near 13.5V depending on the battery.
These numbers are with an aftermarket stator and regulator ?
I have used LOTS of aftermarket stators and even rewound some myself but good regulators are not cheap and great regulators are freaking expensive.

With all the new stuff in there have you run all the tests according to the manual for outvoltage and stator ac voltage ?

 

[ZX12RA1]

No, I don't have a manual for it. I have been running factory Kawi regulators but the last 4 stators have been the Rick's brand. I am definitely going to get a new Kawi stator this time. Could the flywheel somehow be affecting the output or even causing the stator to burn up? Thanks again for all of the help

 

[abnzx12pilot]

Could it be that the oil that is wicked up through the harness is creating resistance in that harness? Cuz I've done the soldering fix and removed the connectors that fill with oil. I'm still getting dead battery problems and the wires I've soldered are now browning, they will eventually get brittle and fry. I was thinking of doing this.... Make the solder near or even in the stator casing to prevent the wicking of oil all the way to the tail section.Of course that would be done after a new stator, harness and rectifier/voltage regulator. Any thoughts?
__________________

 

[abnzx12pilot]

Or.... replace the wires themselves with solid copper wire. All the way from where they connect to the stator. There are only three wires coming from the stator right? https://www.regulatorrectifier.com/c...ges/21-216.jpg Because from what I've read the wicking of the oil into the wires is within the wire strands themselves, not the insulation.

 

[ZX12RA1]

Honestly the factory stator never had the oil problem, the first Rick's did really bad and the second as well. But lately with the last 3 only lasting 500 miles I haven't seen a drop of oil in the connector as I don't think they are on there long enough to have that problem yet. I went up to a heavier 50w oil this time too in hopes that it would help just in case. Any ideas if it could be the flywheel?

 

[thekaz]

No, I don't have a manual for it. I have been running factory Kawi regulators but the last 4 stators have been the Rick's brand. I am definitely going to get a new Kawi stator this time. Could the flywheel somehow be affecting the output or even causing the stator to burn up? Thanks again for all of the help

Someone on this site should have the manual online in PDF as there used to be a download link for it here )
There several tests that can be peformed useing a good multimeter ( I am a Fluke Snob ) to show exactly what part of the system is faulty. I can scan the pages if need be ?
And yes demagnitized flywheel will definately cuase lack of or sparatic ac voltage output from the stator ..... I would not recommend solid core wires as the oil thing is easily solved with solder and heat shrink plus the solid core wire may not like the fibration or heat cycles on your bike

 

[ZX12RA1]

My flywheel looks pretty rough. Is there any way to test it and see if it's good or bad? Come to think of it when I put the billet stator cover on years ago one of the bolts loosened up because I didn't use loctite/thread sealer on it. The bolt started grinding against the flywheel a little and it had a ticking sound. Needless to say I was pulling out of the garage one day and the motor locked up tight so I pushed it backwards in gear and it started right up after that. When I pulled it apart I saw where that bolt had got caught against the flywheel and that's what stopped the motor. Could that cause it to demagnetize?

 

[thekaz]

My flywheel looks pretty rough. Is there any way to test it and see if it's good or bad? Come to think of it when I put the billet stator cover on years ago one of the bolts loosened up because I didn't use loctite/thread sealer on it. The bolt started grinding against the flywheel a little and it had a ticking sound. Needless to say I was pulling out of the garage one day and the motor locked up tight so I pushed it backwards in gear and it started right up after that. When I pulled it apart I saw where that bolt had got caught against the flywheel and that's what stopped the motor. Could that cause it to demagnetize?

This is were my brain power stops ( I don't even know what could cuase demagnetization or even how to test it or fix it (

That would be a good question for the stator guy maybe ???

 

[ncognegro]

I'd replace the flywheel just in case.If you look inside of it there are thin strips of metal wrapped around it.I believe they are also magnetized.
This topic comes up alot and I see it is a big problem with many 12 owners.I wonder if there is some kind of reason some 12's have crap charging systems and others do not.I have an 01.I never use a battery tender and I only use a charger over the winter if i accidentally let the battery go dead. I have never had a charging problem and I had a highside 1 time that totaled my stator and flywheel.I got them used off ebay and still no problems.
Surely if we put our heads together we can find the common thing people do that inadvertently causes charging system failure.I mean look at all the other fixes people have found.Like our clutch longevity and what not.Thanks for reading.

 

[thekaz]

I'd replace the flywheel just in case.If you look inside of it there are thin strips of metal wrapped around it.I believe they are also magnetized.
This topic comes up alot and I see it is a big problem with many 12 owners.I wonder if there is some kind of reason some 12's have crap charging systems and others do not.I have an 01.I never use a battery tender and I only use a charger over the winter if i accidentally let the battery go dead. I have never had a charging problem and I had a highside 1 time that totaled my stator and flywheel.I got them used off ebay and still no problems.
Surely if we put our heads together we can find the common thing people do that inadvertently causes charging system failure.I mean look at all the other fixes people have found.Like our clutch longevity and what not.Thanks for reading.

I think ALOT of has to do with the bike starting out life with only one purpose.... to go fast.... the charging system was never designed to be "farkle" friendly
With only 500watts to give some add ons with suck up the juice rather quickly (

 

[mike smallwood]

Man i put brand new stator and rectifier in zx12 2002 keep burning up also put new stator cover and gasket help with this peace of shit

 

[Duck00]

Man i put brand new stator and rectifier in zx12 2002 keep burning up also put new stator cover and gasket help with this peace of shit

All I can do is re-repost my input on this topic from sticky threads. So far I haven't had any problems since....



This is my post from one of the other sticky threads on this topic, may help.....

Over past month my stator has been rewound, and new cable put on, today I fitted the new JAPAN made Mosfet Reg/Rec supplied by the bloke I'm getting to do the work, and the renewed stator and road the bike under battery power to his shop so he could do the connector fitting to ensure it's correct.

The Reg/Rec comes with extra connectors and the manufacturer recommends new wiring from the Reg/Rec to the battery, as it is thought this is an area where small defects in the original line will cause lack of sufficient charging to the battery. I had mine fitted with the extra wiring that fits directly from the reg/rec to the battery pos and neg terminals. Still my battery, a SSB brand put on by the previous owner is a bit suspect, so I will replace with a YUASA original battery. The electrician said these batteries are the standard to go by.

I will let all know how it goes. It was costly at a total of $730 Aus including labour, but in the long run I'm hoping it works finally.

Interestingly he said a common problem with stators nowadays is they make the gap between the stator and alternator/wheel too close, and believe it or not the problem of too much heat from the alternator causing the stator to act as a heat sink is exacerbated after riding for a while then stopping, such as at a café etc., then the heat builds up and causes more stator burn out over time!!

Their fix is to put lower output wiring in the stator as it doesn't give off as much heat as a standard stator, thus not causing as much wiring problems along the line.

We will see....

Don.

 

[kevin.vanloggenberg]

All I can do is re-repost my input on this topic from sticky threads. So far I haven't had any problems since....



This is my post from one of the other sticky threads on this topic, may help.....

Over past month my stator has been rewound, and new cable put on, today I fitted the new JAPAN made Mosfet Reg/Rec supplied by the bloke I'm getting to do the work, and the renewed stator and road the bike under battery power to his shop so he could do the connector fitting to ensure it's correct.

The Reg/Rec comes with extra connectors and the manufacturer recommends new wiring from the Reg/Rec to the battery, as it is thought this is an area where small defects in the original line will cause lack of sufficient charging to the battery. I had mine fitted with the extra wiring that fits directly from the reg/rec to the battery pos and neg terminals. Still my battery, a SSB brand put on by the previous owner is a bit suspect, so I will replace with a YUASA original battery. The electrician said these batteries are the standard to go by.

I will let all know how it goes. It was costly at a total of $730 Aus including labour, but in the long run I'm hoping it works finally.

Interestingly he said a common problem with stators nowadays is they make the gap between the stator and alternator/wheel too close, and believe it or not the problem of too much heat from the alternator causing the stator to act as a heat sink is exacerbated after riding for a while then stopping, such as at a café etc., then the heat builds up and causes more stator burn out over time!!

Their fix is to put lower output wiring in the stator as it doesn't give off as much heat as a standard stator, thus not causing as much wiring problems along the line.

We will see....

Don.

Afternoon i do have a Kawasaki zx12 stater coil and stator cover if anyone is looking for one

 

[kevin.vanloggenberg]

Afternoon i do have a Kawasaki zx12 stater coil and stator cover if anyone is looking for one

My whats app number is 061 504 6146