Stator and Synthetic Oil

[Guest]

Ok, dumb question time...

I understand synthetic oil is better than conventional oil at reducing / controlling temperature. If that is correct, would it make sense that a new stator would be better protected as heat is a real enemy of the stator and is reduced by the synthetic oil?

[Feetup]

It makes sense that anything that reduces the temperature of the stator will prolong its life. That being said, the majority of the heat a stator will suffer is made by the stator itself. If the temperature of the air and oil spray around the stator is reduced then the cooling effect will obviously be greater.
I tend to think though that reducing heat in the stator by not loading it heavily makes the most sense. I also think that acids in the oil are as much to blame as heat in stator destruction. The failures are generally from the windings shorting together because of insulation failure, or the windings shorting to the grounded lamination's of the stator poles, again because of insulation failure. Honda gets criticised for having the alternator wet, but this could have worked if the varnish used to insulate the wires was acid proof, and the whole unit was capable of greater output without thermal overload. I just think Mr. Honda's engineers had no idea how much we like our bikes to look like downtown Vegas at night.
Bottom line seems to be to keep your engine cool by whatever means, keep your electrical requirements as small as possible and change your oil more frequently then you think is necessary. And still no guarantees with the stock stator. The jury is still out on the latest crop of aftermarket stators like the ones out of Quebec but visually they seem much better insulated than the OEM.

[Guest]

Considering the engine temperature is greatly regulated by the thermostat, I'm not sure the type of oil makes a difference outside of the reduced acidic effects.

Of course, synthetic has other advantages, but that's outside the scope of this discussion.