This article is one of a series that describes how to disassemble, work on, and reassemble the Road Star engine. This particular article tells how to remove the generator assembly. See the Complete Engine Tear Down, Orientation article in this website for details. Be sure you refer to the service manual through all phases of this project.

Understanding the Starter/Generator Area

The Road Star's starter, located on the very front of the engine, has a pinion gear that drives a series of other small gears. The last of these gears turns the generator rotor, which rotates its shaft, which meshes with crankshaft. In this way, the generator rotor acts similarly to a flywheel in an auto engine.

The other function of the generator rotor is, of course, to work with the stator to generate electricity which keeps the battery charged. The stator is housed within the generator cover.

Remove the two, hex-head bolts from the left side of the starter mount--where the starter fastens to the engine, near the position of the front horn. See photo below.

Then use both hands to pull the starter free from the engine housing. Do this by simply wiggling, turning, and pulling the starter toward the left of the bike. It will feel tight at first, as there is an O-ring seal in the end of the starter. Once the O-ring begins to slide out of its seat, the starter will easily slip out. Be careful, though; it can release suddenly.

If you will be re-using your starter, wrap and label it. Put the mounting bolts in a labeled baggie, tape it to the starter, and store them all together.

Now unplug the stator connector from the wiring harness. This is found behind the frame’s seat-tube, just behind the rear cylinder. See photo below.

Remove the generator shaft bolt and washer from the left-side of the engine. To do this, you must first remove the little access cover located near the starter’s bracket bolts. See photo below.

Next, remove the two bolts holding the generator’s oil-delivery-pipe into the right side of the engine. It is much easier to remove this pipe and the generator cover as one piece, rather than trying to separate them while on the engine. See photo below.

Unbolt and remove the generator cover and oil delivery pipe, as a unit. See photo above. All the generator cover bolts are the same size, except two:

• The central bolt near the top
• The bolt nearest the oil delivery tube

The bolt nearest the oil delivery tube has a copper or aluminum washer. Keep track of (or replace) this washer, and where it goes.

The generator cover is magnetized to the generator rotor. To remove the generator cover, you need to un-bolt it, pull or tap it free of its gasket seal, work it off its alignment dowels, and then pull the cover free with enough force to overcome the magnetic force.

Remove, and keep track of, the two alignment dowels. They have a tendency to slip out of your hands and fall into very frustrating places, so be careful.

Now that the cover is off, you can see what’s inside. Remove the generator rotor center bolt. The bolt is on very tight. To get the bolt loose you may need a long breaker-bar socket wrench or an impact wrench. In addition, you may need to hold the shaft from turning. This can be done by putting the transmission in gear and stabilizing the bike with another person. You can also use an adjustable open-end wrench (aka Crescent) at the rotor's center, or the Yamaha sheave holder tool. See photo below.

Finally, remove the generator rotor. If your engine is a 2004 or later, the rotor is kept in place by a key. As you wiggle the rotor free, make sure the key does not fall into the engine crankcase. If the rotor is stuck on its shaft, follow the instructions for earlier model engines, which follow.

If your engine is a 2003 or earlier, the rotor is only held on by friction, but it can be stubborn. See Caution Tip below. To break the friction seal between the rotor and its shaft, do any combination of the following:

• Thread the center bolt most of the way back in (by hand), but leave the bolt-head sticking out from its seat. Then smack the bolt with a plastic dead-blow hammer.
• If you don’t have a plastic dead-blow hammer, you can rest a piece of lumber against the bolt and rap the wood with any type hammer.
• Heat the center area around the generator bolt (but not the shaft or bolt, as best you can) using a propane torch. Then do one of the above. Warning: Do not overheat.
• Try using a dead-blow hammer or piece of wood to rap around the sides of the rotor.
• Try removing the center bolt of the generator rotor, and using one of the hammer tricks listed above applied directly to the center portion of the rotor.
• Caution: Do not use excessive hammer force. To avoid damage to the generator shaft bearings, pull out on the rotor, as you rap it to free it.
• Use a large wheel/gear puller.

Caution Tip: The generator rotor is heavy. If the center bolt is not in when the rotor breaks loose from the shaft, it could fall out quickly. Take precautions to prevent injury to people, your bike, and the rotor by laying down a thickly padded landing beneath the area, being ready to catch it, and keeping clear, as best you can.

If your bike is a model 2003, or earlier, I highly recommend you do the Starter Spin Fix while you have the generator exposed. See the Fixing the Starter Spin Problem article in this website for details.

If your bike is a model 2004, or earlier, you may wish to upgrade the power of your generator stator. That is not a misprint. Yamaha did not update its marginally adequate stator and rectifier until the 2005 models.

See the Replacing Your Generator Stator and Your Rectifier/Regulator article in this website for details on upgrading your stator, as well as installing this area of the engine.

To access related articles, refer back to the Complete Engine Tear Down, Orientation article in this series to see which additional articles best address your situation.

Questions should be asked in our forum (Use discuss link below). The forum is very active and you stand a good chance of getting your questions answered there. If you would like to leave feedback for the author, or have additional information you think will benefit others, please use the comment section at the bottom of this page.

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DISCLAIMER: This information and procedure is provided as a courtesy and is for informational purposes only.  Neither the publishers nor the authors accept any responsibility for the accuracy, applicability, or suitability of this procedure.  You assume all risks associated with the use of this information.  NEITHER THE PUBLISHERs NOR THE AUTHORs SHALL IN ANY EVENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OF ANY NATURE ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR MISUSE OF THIS INFORMATION OR LACK OF INFORMATION.  Any type of modification or service work on your motorcycle should always be performed by a professional mechanic. If performed incorrectly, this procedure may endanger the safety of you and others on your motorcycle and possibly invalidate your manufacturer’s warranty.

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