Is it a Stator or Alternator??

Is there any difference in these two? If so, what are they? What are the pro's and cons of each??? Is the stator and or alternator better than a generator? Why or why not???

Lets learn something.

Johnny, the stator is part of the alternator....here is a pic of a BT alernator....Stator,Rotor and regulator...the stator has the coil windings and the electrical lead that comes out of the engine case and you plug the regulator into it. The rotor has magnets fixed to it and spins around the stator

High-Output Alternator Kit | Genuine Motor Accessories | Harley-Davidson Canada

Alternator and Generator Theory

Alternator and Generator Theory

Awesome!!! Great post. So all the HD's are running a stator system from the 90's on correct???

All big twins from 1970 on up use the alternator, Not sure about Sportsters.

That's why the bottom end looks different on a pre-1970. Part of the cover on the older bikes is where the generator is. Hard to explain.

Anyway, what people call a Pan/Shovel - '66 through '69 - isn't that at all, It's the Shovelhead top end with a generator.

Something like this one....I think Chuck could fill ya in on the differences between alternator and generator power....I'm not old enough to remember generator power:roflmao:

That's a flat-out Panhead. The generator sits up front, under the front exhaust flange - or whatever it's called. It's a big cylindrical thing.

In a generator, the armature (the part with the wires) spins around inside the magnets. The alternator is the opposite. The stator is the wire part and it's still while the magnets spin around inside. The stator and the regulator are parts of the alternator system.

I don't know why one is better that the other, but since everything is made with alternators now, I assume that the alternator is better than the generator.

On my 75 Sportty I switched from a generator to a alternator,The alternator put out more amps...17 verses 10 from the generator.

That's not just a flat out Pan....it's Chucks...just put the pic up to show a generator bottom, the next year had the same bottom and a shovel top.

OK Lucifer. I didn't understand that you were using Chuck's bike as an example of a generator. I thought when you quoted my text talking about the Pan/Shovel that you were using that as an example. Yes, that's Chuck's Panhead.

Also as a side note a generator hangs out in front of the engine and gets to pick up all the water and road crap it wants - which kinda shortens the life of the generator compared to a alternator which is enclosed in the bottom of the engine. The regulators were also good at shorting out when ya least expected it which led to some interesting road trips or should I say side trips lookin for parts in the middle of nowhere. Ahh progrees is great ain't it?

An alternator makes more electricty at lower rpm's than a generator.
Most bike permanent magnet alternators the rotor spins out side of the stator.
A permanent magnet alternator has permanent magnets in the rotor.
Harley's use the PM alternator
Some bikes use a feild excited alternator. This has the rotor create a magnetic feild by sending current through wire windings in the rotor. They use contact brushes.
They have been pretty much not used since the mid 80's.
If you work much on older metric bikes you may run across the feild excited alternators.

I guess from reading what Lucifer first posted, the benefit of an alternator over the generator is that the generator may not be able to keep up with the demand for electricity. The most common time that this may happen is when at idle. According to the reading, this is why one must rev or increase the rpm to help ensure that the generator can charge the battery. An alternator cand continue to charge the battery while at idle. I got all of that.

Ok, I was looking at stators (alternators) on J&P last night. I was really tired and was not able to see what the standard amps are for a stator system on a motorcycle. Is there a standard amperage? If so what is it? Can you increase the stator amperage to produce what your particular needs may be? If so, I would assume you would have to change your regulator???

Most HD alt. put out 60 amps except the police bikes which due to their heavy draw on acc. need a larger ALT. 80 amps I think. For the average biker the 60 amp will handle all your needs except for cardboard's bike - with all the bluetooth and radio gear he's gettin he will probably need about 1000 amp alt.:roflmao::roflmao:

That is funny!! And CB's bike is not working to boot!!! I wonder why that is?