I have been riding with the stepper motor disconnected. The amuture not the electrical connection. Gave a brand new one away a few years back to Warp 9 . During this rebuild plan on installing a new one. Makes starts on cold mornings just a bit easier. Living down a dirt road is not good on the stepper motor. I use the same stuff that i use on the computer keyboard to clean. Oil residue from wd40 and dirt roads do not mix well. Really a good idea to use a shot of wd40 now and then if you can.