My '06 Rev3 250 just died. No warning, the fire just went out and it refused to restart, initiating an extremely sweaty and sweary 45-minute push back to the car. Got back, pulled the plug and there's no spark. Fiddled with the wiring (bypassed the kill switch etc.) and changed the plug but still nothing. I'm assuming at this point that after owning 4 Betas in succession with no major mechanical issues at all, the curse of the dodgy stator has finally been visited upon me. But I thought all that silliness had been resolved from 06 onwards? Anyone else had stator issues with an 06 bike?

Anyway, I guess I'll be on the dog to JLI on Monday but apart from the stator, is it worth asking them to send a CDI as well? Anything else I should be looking at? Many thanks for all advice!

My mate has an 06 which he has owned since new and had a new stator a few months ago. Not sure how religeously he removed the cover and allowed it to dry inside. JLI exchanged it FOC.

Might be your CDI but since the stator is the pre 07 Beta's achilies heel I would put money on it being that. Also try kicking it over in the dark with the headstock plastic covers removed just in case it is shorting out elsewhere.

Good luck and keep us informed re the result.

...........and the push to the car park will be great for your cardio and endurance!

Has anybody yet dared to spend money on this at the link below to avoid the long push and can they report if it is indeed a permanent fix?

http://www.uk-motoplat.com/

Every 06 rev 3 that we have seen here in Michigan and Ohio has had the orginal kill switch short out. Remove the kill switch and see if you get some spark. I heard that it was very common. All of my buddies have been switching to the yamaha style kill switches and have not had any problems. Actually that is about the only beta problem i have heard of with the 06's. It sounds kinda buyable now.... (oops inner monolog got out)

--Biff

Has anybody yet dared to spend money on this at the link below to avoid the long push and can they report if it is indeed a permanent fix?

yes i have used moto plat steve there is very good and when hes done it its better than the beta one

My mates have used a company called 'west country windings'? in the past but I think the owner re-located to Spain or mainland Europe.

I recall they could only fix 4 coil stators and not 6 ( or vice versa) so not all Rev3s can be rewound (could have been the 2003 yellow model that was a problem??).

The fix was permanent (until the CDI failed!!??) much better than the (many) original-replacement?? stators that they were suplied with.

Sorry if this is all a bit vague,I'm getting old ( over 40 )I've got silver hairs sprouting from everywhere, apart from me head.

West Country Windings can re-wind your stator.

They had to stop doing six coil ones because they couldn't source the cores. (pre 2003 and a few in 2003)

They are still in the UK I believe.

A company called Bradford Electrics? is the company which is often referred to when talking about stators, they are in Spain.

West Country Windings have an Ad in TMX most weeks I think, they were reccomended by a friend who used them several years ago.

Every 06 rev 3 that we have seen here in Michigan and Ohio has had the orginal kill switch short out.

Correction. I was talking to my buddy and he states that the 06's were ok with the kill switch. The 07's had the problem.

Let us know what you find...

--Biff

OK, after bloody work getting in the way for a week I'm now armed with a new stator and CDI (brilliant service from JLI as always). One teensy questions: How the bloody hell do I get access to the CDI and wiring (I want to check everything) without removing the radiator and engine??? I have a nasty feeling I've already damaged at least one wire while trying to fish it all out with a screwdriver!

I'm now contemplating a new approach involving a delicate blend of mechanical sympathy and extreme mindless violence, delivered using every item in the Yorkshireman's toolbox (ie, end cutters and big fuggin' hammer). Please, give your advice generously and save a Beta from death at the hands of an inept numpty.

Unless you are an Indian Rubber Man or have very small girly hands, rad out of the way is the only way as far as I know. Dont need to take the engine out.

If it was my bike I would change the stator first then try it. If you then need to investigate further then do so. Changing one thing at a time is usually best way of isolating electrical faults. Take your time, plenty of cups of tea and think twice before removing anything. If you have a digital camera take some pictures to make sure things are replaced as they came out.

Hope this is of some help.

You might need to loosen the rad to get the stator off if the wire is routed behind the down section of the frame from the headstock. Although looking back I think I removed the down section aswell.

Access the the CDIshouldn't be impossible, just awkward, are you removing the plastic cover round the tank cap to get access from there? I can't remember if it connects to the coil or not. The CDI should be the simple thing to change and is least likely to get damaged when replacing in my eyes.

Good luck, see you up at the camp some time maybe.

Bob

Thanks for all the advice! Now, there's good news and bad news (for me): The good news is that I've fixed the no spark problem (it was the stator). The bad news is that while wriggling the radiator out of the way I managed to crack the weld on the lower right mounting bracket and now it's leaking coolant. I swear I'm cursed on this one, what looked like a simple job has now taken 4 hours and the bike's still a long way from rideable.

Anyway, what's the best way to plug this hole in the rad? Does it need to be rewelded or will some of that putty-type stuff from Hellfrauds do the job?

get a hot air gun and warm up the area around the crack. Mix some araldite and let it run into the crack. The warmth will allow it to run into rather than just around the offending crack

oherrrr.........