2013 ST LTD Electrical System Meltdown

[Reginald]

I'm new here and joined because this forum had some seriously good tech discussions. My wife rides the Can Am while I ride a ST1300. I plan on doing some of the basic maintenance on the machine and thought this would be a good place to get questions answered if I had some. Looking at the service manual, I think I will.

I have three questions:
1) Can a bad battery cell cause a stator and regulator to melt down? I saw the stator; it was melted at the wiring harness.
2) Can a meltdown this severe cause the VSS to take a hit? Should I have this replaced under warranty?
3) Is a motorcyclist welcome at events? I see one is happening down in Boerne soon.

We were coming home from California and 55 miles west of Ely, NV a warning light came on. My wife couldn't identify it and continued to ride. About 10 miles later she contacts me via the Senna and tells me a bunch of warning lights have come on and the machine was telling her it was in "limp home mode". Before I could think about it the machine stops and she pulls over to the side of the rode. Reviewing the warning lights in the owner's manual I discover the first light was the battery light. The other warning lights were the VSS, ABS brakes, and another she couldn't identify. Well, we get it towed to High Adventure Power Sports (nice guy's) at Salt Lake City and discover the stator, regulator and battery are toast. Since the stator was on back order to December the shop kindly removed one from a demo ST and installed it on the wife's Can Am. They put in a new regulator and battery.

Later, north of Trinidad, CO the VSS warning light comes on. I have her stop by the side of the highway immediately and discover she's been trying to get the cruise control to work and it wouldn't come on. I read in the thread on the forum that a sticking break peddle/light causes this. Yep, she has that and I had already showed her how to unstick it in the parking lot the night before. Not sure if the VSS light is related to previous events but she stopped messing with the Cruise and the light never came on again. If I'm not mistaken the cruise is routed through the VSS. Could the VSS be affected by the meltdown? Does it need to be replaced?

The technician told me every thing runs from the battery and the Stator just charges the battery. From this I believe the battery experienced a cell failure and cascaded the event, I'm not sure though. I'd like to think if I keep up with the battery the machine won't melt down again. You know, confidence in the machine on long trips!

The ST LTD is still under warranty.

We'll be taking it by the shop soonest. Just wanted to hear from some experienced riders/wrenchers and see what their thoughts were on this.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

:dontknow:......Do you mean Magneto ????................Honda's had / have Stators .......Mike :thumbup:

[SpyderAnn01]

The 990's have stators also. Welcome and I'm sorry but not surprised that your wife is having issues with her 13 ST. I hope your dealer gets it all worked out.

My husband also rides an ST1300 and he (and all other bikers) are welcome at Spyder events. Spyder riders are a really great bunch of people. I'll be going to the Texas Hill Country Ride in Boerne and I hope to meet you and your wife there.

[Reginald]

:dontknow:......Do you mean Magneto ????................Honda's had / have Stators .......Mike :thumbup:

It's a stator. nojoke I saw it. And, the level 5 technician called it a stator. The parts fiche called it a stator. The shop manual, page 93, calls it a stator. The plastic caps at the wiring harness on the stator were melted and blackened. It was a meltdown.

I hope the battery cell failure caused the problem. :pray: I can keep up with a battery. It looks like the size of a Harley battery and any battery that meets the power specs can be used to limp it to a location were you can get a proper replacement if necessary. It's easy to replace on the ST Ltd being located behind a panel in the frunk. Otherwise, the wife and I will loose confidence in the machine, which means no long rides.

I've heard of motorcycles where the stator and regulator burned up because of a bad battery. Mat Wiley in "Rider" magazine has written about it. I'm thinking if the wife had pulled over to the side of the road when the battery warning light came on, none of the other components would have failed. Hard lesson to learn for us. :(

[Reginald]

The 990's have stators also. Welcome and I'm sorry but not surprised that your wife is having issues with her 13 ST. I hope your dealer gets it all worked out.

My husband also rides an ST1300 and he (and all other bikers) are welcome at Spyder events. Spyder riders are a really great bunch of people. I'll be going to the Texas Hill Country Ride in Boerne and I hope to meet you and your wife there.

We'd love to meet you and everyone else. We've got some maintenance on the ST1300 and Can am before we can. Oil changes, new front tires on both machines, probable front and rear tire alignment on the spyder, a checkup on the spyder VSS fault we got, and sticky rear brake on the spyder. If we can solve these issues before the event and get reservations, we'd love to drop down to ride and visit.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

:pray:......Reg, you have my deepest sincerest apologies if you think I wrongly accused your wife of not having a Spyder with a STATOR ( I actually didn't ,but you seem to have taken it that way ) ....I honestly thought ( after owning a GS and RSS ) that they had Magnetoes producing the electrical charge ......Mea Culpa , Mea Culpa......Mike :thumbup:

[DrewNJ]

A bad battery can create all kinds of problems for sure. Figure even a loose battery connection has a history of causing errors and electrical problems on these machines. Including my own where I had a loose ground at the battery with all kinds of dps issues the first week of ownership.
Is it the source of your problem? Dunno, time will tell I guess....not a bad idea to keep it on a tender when not in use though.

[Bob Denman]

Sorry to meet under these circumstances; but Welcome to the Party! :yes:
This should all be covered under the warranty... :thumbup:

[bruiser]

It is possible that a bad cell caused the issue. More likely it was a bad regulator/rectifier. The stator is a part of the magneto system. So both of you are correct.

[Chupaca]

not that it matters anymore but the reg/rec is usually the cause of the stator meltdowns. Glad you found such a great dealership. Not many would pull the stator from a working unit like that. At this point looking at the toasted components is like trying to figure which went first the chicken or one of the eggs..having replaced them all you will be good to go...:thumbup:

[Buggy]

. Otherwise, the wife and I will loose confidence in the machine, which means no long rides.
:([/QUOTE]


Once lost it it takes a long time to restore. Nothing beats having a machine you can jump on and ride anywhere anytime.

wishing you good luck in resolving your issues!

[chuck gross]

When the brake light/peddle switch gets stuck for a certain period of time it can trigger the limp home mode I believe that the ECM thinks that the brakes are locked up? I am having the brake light switch sticking on my 2013 STL My dealership cleaned out some sand and dirt and it works a little better they have a new one on order to replace under warranty the mechanic said that the switch is in a tuff spot to get to
and will require quite a few hours to replace so I will need to leave my Spyder for the repair so I plan to ryde until the weather turns and then I will take it there for the switch replacement. So when riding i just keep lifting the peddle with my toe after I use the brakes and so far this has been unsticking the switch as my Wife rides behind on her RT and we communicate through our head sets. luckily I have not had the limp mode come on yet due to the switch sticking but from what I have heard here on SL if you just pull over and turn it off for a minute it will reset/turn off the limp mode and always keep the Spyder on a battery tender even it is only going to sit for a day or 2 hope this helps

[Gray Ghost]

Where exactly are you at in Central Texas? My home is Harper, a bit west of Fredericksburg.

[billybovine]

I have been thinking how a battery can cause the stator to fail. There is a fuse in the circuit between them so I don't see how. After running the battery down it could fail because of being too deeply discharged. When the voltage gets too low all kinds of system will start showing errors that are not the root cause.

There have been 2 that I have heard of on this board that have had stator failure. One was well documented some years ago and it was caused by a short in one of the legs. It overheats and melts more insulation, the other 2 legs then short and fail.

I have the same Spyder and had the same problem with the brake lights. I drove it that way for 4 weeks, 3,000 kms (1,800 mi). The cruise won't work when the brake light is on. Lifting the pedal with your foot does nothing, but tapping the pedal works. At no time did it cause a failure light to come on. It's too late to pull the codes yourself, but the dealer can see them. From the codes they may be able to figure out what part caused the VSS light to come on. Could be as simple as a misadjusted wheel sensor or bad pillion switch.

[mtdoragary]

Excessive current draw due to a bad battery cell can cook a stator. it's happened on Harleys.

[chuck gross]

there have been some posts on SL where the brake light switch has triggered a limp home mode and I also read about a drained battery because they didn't notice the light was was stuck when they parked it and yes in my case lifting the peddle with my toe works every time to unstick the switch just have your Husband ryde behind you to keep an eye on your brake light and what ever works tap it lift it or what ever works to get it unstuck.
I rode mine today with no sticking issues My Wife kept an eye on it as she rode behind me so the mechanic must have cleaned most of the sand and dirt out. so as an option the switch can be cleaned and lubricated to restore function

[Reginald]

A bad battery can create all kinds of problems for sure. Figure even a loose battery connection has a history of causing errors and electrical problems on these machines. Including my own where I had a loose ground at the battery with all kinds of dps issues the first week of ownership.
Is it the source of your problem? Dunno, time will tell I guess....not a bad idea to keep it on a tender when not in use though.

Yep, got two of those. We use them. Maybe the heat here in Central Texas eats them. My ST1300 looses batteries also. I keep hearing of folks keeping them for 4 years, but not I. Shoot, my car batteries last only 3 years and they are those nice large ones.

[Reginald]

:pray:......Reg, you have my deepest sincerest apologies if you think I wrongly accused your wife of not having a Spyder with a STATOR ( I actually didn't ,but you seem to have taken it that way ) ....I honestly thought ( after owning a GS and RSS ) that they had Magnetoes producing the electrical charge ......Mea Culpa , Mea Culpa......Mike :thumbup:

I took no offense. Just trying to convince you it was a stator. I figure everyone hear has more experience with spyders than me.

[Reginald]

Where exactly are you at in Central Texas? My home is Harper, a bit west of Fredericksburg.

The wife and I live in Georgetown.

[flamingobabe]

I can't answer your 1st 2 questions...but #3....yes Spyder events love having other motorcyclist join us.....I also have a 2013 ST....have not had the problems y'all have had....but have had my share of problems....sure hope y'all make it to Boerne...we will be there...oh yeah...my husband rides a Valkyrie or a Harley......but mostly the Valk...looking forward to meet y'all

[Reginald]

Excessive current draw due to a bad battery cell can cook a stator. it's happened on Harleys.

A long while back I had read an article by Mat Wiley who authors the Tech section of Rider Magazine saying this very thing. It's what I was thinking. He also wrote it could fry regulators. Since the battery light was on for so long before everything shut down this is what I think caused the event.

[Reginald]

I have been thinking how a battery can cause the stator to fail. There is a fuse in the circuit between them so I don't see how. After running the battery down it could fail because of being too deeply discharged. When the voltage gets too low all kinds of system will start showing errors that are not the root cause.

The shop technician agrees with you.


There have been 2 that I have heard of on this board that have had stator failure. One was well documented some years ago and it was caused by a short in one of the legs. It overheats and melts more insulation, the other 2 legs then short and fail..

A failed cell in a battery can act as a short. It's why I believe the battery failure caused the meltdown. Your statement here is really firming this thought up in my mind. I'll let my local shop diagnose the electrical system to make sure. I'll post the result. Can't have this happening to anyone else.


I have the same Spyder and had the same problem with the brake lights. I drove it that way for 4 weeks, 3,000 kms (1,800 mi). The cruise won't work when the brake light is on. Lifting the pedal with your foot does nothing, but tapping the pedal works. At no time did it cause a failure light to come on. It's too late to pull the codes yourself, but the dealer can see them. From the codes they may be able to figure out what part caused the VSS light to come on. Could be as simple as a misadjusted wheel sensor or bad pillion switch.

Thanks, I'll have the local shop do that. Tapping the break peddle was what I showed my wife when the brake light stayed on in a parking lot. Like you I don't think the cruse control and VSS where part of the meltdown but I'll have the shop make sure.

[bruiser]

When the brake light/peddle switch gets stuck for a certain period of time it can trigger the limp home mode I believe that the ECM thinks that the brakes are locked up? I am having the brake light switch sticking on my 2013 STL My dealership cleaned out some sand and dirt and it works a little better they have a new one on order to replace under warranty the mechanic said that the switch is in a tuff spot to get to
and will require quite a few hours to replace so I will need to leave my Spyder for the repair so I plan to ryde until the weather turns and then I will take it there for the switch replacement. So when riding i just keep lifting the peddle with my toe after I use the brakes and so far this has been unsticking the switch as my Wife rides behind on her RT and we communicate through our head sets. luckily I have not had the limp mode come on yet due to the switch sticking but from what I have heard here on SL if you just pull over and turn it off for a minute it will reset/turn off the limp mode and always keep the Spyder on a battery tender even it is only going to sit for a day or 2 hope this helps

The brake switch is right under the brake pedal. Easy to get to.

[chuck gross]

The brake switch is right under the brake pedal. Easy to get to.

Actually there is nothing under the brake pedal except air? the switch appears to be back behind the pedal and the mechanic that works on my spyder is a platinum certified master mechanic for sea-doo ski-doo and can am and has always been straight up so I would guess if he says it is a PITA to replace the switch I would tend to trust him he has nothing to gain by lying to me as it will be a warranty item anyway.

[OJ UK]

Conversely a failed regulator can be responsible for cooking the battery and, if shorted, the stator.
Lots of possibilities here....

[billybovine]

A failed cell in a battery can act as a short. It's why I believe the battery failure caused the meltdown.

I was not clear enough. There is a 60 amp fuse between the charging system and the battery. If the battery goes bad and causes a draw of more than 60 amp the fuse will blow. This will protect the stator, voltage regulator/rectifier from damage. I have looked at wiring diagrams for other powersport vehicles and have never seen them fused this way before. So it is not really relevant if it can happen on other vehicles. Are they protected by a fuse in the same way?

[Gray Ghost]

...I have looked at wiring diagrams for other powersport vehicles and have never seen them fused this way before. So it is not really relevant if it can happen on other vehicles. Are they protected by a fuse in the same way?

The 2007 Yamaha RSV is fused between the R/R and the battery, so is the 2012 Suzuki DL1000, the 2012 HD Touring models, the 2008 Yamaha Roadstar, and the 2014 Kawasaki Voyager.

[billybovine]

The 2007 Yamaha RSV is fused between the R/R and the battery, so is the 2012 Suzuki DL1000, the 2012 HD Touring models, the 2008 Yamaha Roadstar, and the 2014 Kawasaki Voyager.

So let's bring this conversation full circle. Do the models listed above have a history of stator failures caused by a shorted battery? If so I need it explained to me how that can happen without blowing the fuse.

[Gray Ghost]

So let's bring this conversation full circle. Do the models listed above have a history of stator failures caused by a shorted battery? If so I need it explained to me how that can happen without blowing the fuse.

I have never heard of a stator failing due to a shorted battery, I was pointing out that having a fuse in the charging circuit is a fairly normal occurrence.

[billybovine]

I have never heard of a stator failing due to a shorted battery, I was pointing out that having a fuse in the charging circuit is a fairly normal occurrence.

In older stuff (1990 and earlier) it was common not to put a fuse or fusible link in between. Then it was possible to cook the stator if there was a short.

Some say they don't make things like they use too. I say that's good they don't.

[Reginald]

Well we got the St back from the shop. All systems checked out and are good. The VSS error triggered in Colorado was caused by the brake light sticking. But the light isn't sticking right now so the shop didn't replace anything.

I see the comments about the 60 amp fuse but the events of the failure tell me quite clearly the battery failed first. If the regulator went first other warning lights besides the battery light would have come on.

The shops in Salt Lake City and Georgetown TX agrees with me that the failed battery caused the event.

Moral of the story is don't continue to ride when the battery light come on. STOP and REPLACE!