The Stator - Honda CX500, GL500, CX650, GL650, Turbos
The infamous CX500 stator is one of the common fail points in this model of bike, and to access either it or the flywheel you have to remove the rear cover. Removing the rear cover means removing the engine from the frame.
There are two types of stators used across the twisted twins, and they are commonly referred to as the G47 and G8 stators. The G47 is only used in the original CDI CX500, all other CX and GL models use the charge-only G8 stator.
The stator is the stationary part of the bike's alternator setup, which is used to generate electricity to run the bike. Early CX500s also used certain coils on the stator to power the ignition system directly. The stator bolts onto the rear engine cover.
The CX500 CDI Stator (G47)
The original CDI bikes looks like this:
The original stator part number (now not available) was 31120-415-005.
Click here for an infopic showing which components are which in the above image. There are 16 coils in total on the CDI G47 stator - 14 for providing power and charging the battery, one high speed coil and one low speed coil.
The CDI stator is rated to provide 170W of power at 5,000rpm. Since some of the coils directly power the ignition system, it is possible to run the bike on a completely flat battery - so long as you can bump start it. Since the TI system runs from the battery, it cannot do this and needs a functional battery to run.
The charge-only stator (G8)
This stator has a notably different appearance, and lacks the two large coils - all of the coils should all be the same size:
The charge-only stator is rated to provide 252W of power at 5,000rpm. This is a good deal more than the CDI CX500 stator, so if you are looking to upgrade your CDI CX500 with additional electronic accessories/lights it may be necessary for you to upgrade the stator to allow for the extra load. There are 18 coils on the TI G8 stator - all of which provide power and charge the battery.
The original part numbers (now no longer available from Honda, as far as we can tell) were:
- TI CX500: 31120-MA1-005
- CX500EC: 31120-MA1-005
- CX650ED: 31120-MA1-005
- CX650C: 31120-MA1-005
- GL500: 31120-MA1-005
- GL650: 31120-MA1-005
- GL650I: 31120-MA1-005
- CX500 Turbo: 31120-MC7-005
- CX650 Turbo: 31120-MC7-005
The CX/GL Flywheel
Info on the differences to come. Attached directly to the crankshaft, the flywheel stores energy and houses the magnets which spin around the stator coils.
CX500 Rear Engine Cover
The rear engine cover varies across model years in some countries; early CDI models have engine hanger mounting points at the top of the rear cover, whereas later TI bikes may lack these.
Final shaft
Inspection cover
Weep Hole
As part of the rear cover there is a weep hole which sits in the space between the camshaft oil seal and the mechanical seal.
What the weep hole looks like
Weep hole infopic
Removing a drive shaft that is stuck in the rear cover
CDI CX500s only - advance pulsers
