Chinese Alternators

[tim welsh]

Hi all,
What’s the general consensus on the Chinese 40a alternators on eBay etc? Are they lasting reasonably well? Seem to be advertised as Arrowhead?

Thanks

 

[Uncle Phil]

AFAIK, some have had reasonable good service out of them, some have not.
It appears to be a roll of the dice at this point.

 

[ST1100Y]

Well, I bought one in 2018 @ components_plus1 ($ 130,- + P&P back then) and installed it into the '94 ST soon after...
Did about 10,000 miles with it since... no issues yet... none...
I examined it closely: casting, shaft, splines, oil seal, brush carrier, VRR, cover plate, stator, etc... the thing looks fully legit...
Either a very good copy, or it actually is the real thing... it says DENSO: 101211-1570 after all...

You'll still need the adapter plate, O-ring, shaft, bolts, wire harness and 40A mains fuse + holder to install...

 

[St-Gerard]

Speaking of Alternator's, wondering how long the 40amp ones normally last.

 

[ST1100Y]

Speaking of Alternator's, wondering how long the 40amp ones normally last.

Seems to depend on climate and culture...
Them Brits, insisting on riding around in winter and obviously never w.a.s.h. them bikes either (would be the ultimate sin) to get rid of that brine, cause them (steel) stator plates to corrode, thus expand, so either seize the rotor (and engine in the process), or crack the aluminum cast covers apart with pretty much the same catastrophic result...
Soaking the thing with some ACF-50 seems to slow the process...

Then we'd have brushes, rings and bearings wear...

So from the basic concept the hermetically sealed(!), oil cooled, 26A unit wasn't such a bad idea to begin with...

 

[tim welsh]

Thanks for replies. I am UK based but don’t ride over winter any more, local authorities love salt! Looks like it’s a bit of a”pot luck “ how long they last then, and the failure mode is the same as the original. Mines 2000 year, so has the 40a anyway.

 

[ST1100Y]

Looks like it’s a bit of a”pot luck “ how long they last then...

Yes, was kinda odd when the first cases of swing-arm rot appeared... in UK... (and a few in the Netherlands; same mild climate there...)
About a decade later 40A alternators started to seize up... again in UK...
Those ST's are rigid motorcycles, but on the Britt islands they start to look as if been parked at the bottom of the ocean...

 

[Ron]

Mine was still going strong at 220K miles.

 

[John OoSTerhuis]

I follow alt upgrade parts issues closely and haven’t heard any negative feedback about these aftermarket alternators, on STowners nor STriders. FWIW

John