Is my stator finished?

[JeremyP]

Well about one week ago, i noticed the battery being a little weak on starts. I didn't think much of it. Then one morning the engine turned over about 2 times and then the battery basically was dead. Plugged it into the trickle charger for 14hrs, then no problems for 2 days (bike is a daily commuter probably start it about 3-6 times/day).
Well no i keep it on the trickle charger everynight and the battery will usually last me the whole day but there has been numerous push starts (I have actually gotten really good at it  )
Today i decided to test the charging system. Right after taking the battery off the charger it would read about 13.3 volts at 5k. I checked the R/R and eventually narrowed down the problem down to the AC coming from the 3 stator wires. Two pairs of the wires read 68 volts at 5k while one pair (i think it was between the yellow and white/green) only read 21 volts at 5k.
According to http://www.thegsresources.com/garage/gs_statorfault.htm this means my stator is at fault.

So now for the actual questions...
This is definitely my stator right? is there any other tests i should do?
How do i get to the stator? (left side case cover?)
Is this goats syndrome?
Where do i buy the stator and other parts i need?

THANKS!

[ben2go]

If you suspect goats syn,you'll have to tear it down.The GS resource is gear toward the 4 cylinder cruiser GS's.Thier stators may put out different voltages than the GS500's.Check the FAQ section.I think Kerry did a write up on this.

[JeremyP]

yup, i followed Kerry's "How to: test charging system" up until the point where he referred to the other site.

[sledge]

Your stator winding is connected like a "Y", the AC output across any two of the 3 legs should be balanced. The fact yours is delivering an unbalanced voltages suggests its faulty. The winding on one or more of the legs could be shorted between turns, shorted to ground or even open-circuit. You can measure the resistance across each leg, it should be balanced and resistance to ground, it should be infinity. Before condeming the stator check the condition of leads if one or more has pinched it will give the fault you decribe.
The stator is fixed inside the cover, the cover needs to come off to replace it. You need to drain the oil and replace the gasket at the same time, its not difficult but I suggest you buy a manual.
Goats syndrome involves the magnets on the flywheel becoming loose, nothing you have said so far indicates this has happened.
You can buy a replacement stator from this company for $119

www.electrosport.com

[makenzie71]

there's a lot of people who have bad experiences with electrosport.  As simple a change as this is I'd just buy a used GS stator.

[JeremyP]

Before condeming the stator check the condition of leads if one or more has pinched it will give the fault you decribe.

Checking the leads would just be following the wires back to the side cover right?

Does anyone happen to have a stator lying around?