Need help in charging system

[chief]

Congrats... love doing things myself on my drifter... always worked on my hd's myself.

[cochise]

Finally done.  It was either the stator or rotor. Called a starter atl rebuilder and told me he could bench test them. Took them off and when I walked in he said " we can't test that kind" The manual said even if they pass the tests you do on the bike they may still be defective. Only way to know is to replace it with a new unit. Found new stator on e bay, ordered it, three days later they said exactly what model and year? Two days later, sorry, not avail. Did that route twice more over 10 days. J&P cycle was 7 days shipping, came in 9 days later, put it on today $ 140.00 with the $ 20.00 dealer only cover gasket and all is good. I did go to the Kawi dealer and he said 'Bring it in , we'll put on a new regulator, stator and rotor $ 965.00 plus labour. It pays to learn about you bike. A Clymer or reprint Drifter factory manual is a must have.

[cochise]

Load test showed new battery ok. Started to follow the Clymer book testing procedure for the regulator. I've never seen anything like this before, you need to use 3, countem , 3  12 volt batterys wired together and move the leads from one terminal to the other, praying two never touch each other or zzzzzzz!!!. Went the route of using a buddys known good regulator on my bike and still can't get it over 12.3v at 4000rpm. That leaves the alternator,stator for tomorrow. The book says drain the oil to remove the alt cover but when you get to the test for the alt it says to run the bike at 4000 rpm.Hmmmm. I'll try loosening the cover and see if oil leaks out.

[chief]

You need to use a load tester - if load testing - and follow the equipment instructions.

Do the simple stuff first... cables - take them loose, clean and replace. Run with the spots off and see if that makes a difference. etc.

I suggest you wait for your manual to do any testing of charging system.

[cochise]

Replacement battery is an Interstate and the other one Parts Unlimited. Didn't take it out to load test it yet. How long do you load test it for. I'd think a small battery like that can"t hold as long as a car battery. You never know, could be a bad battery. What voltage should I be getting at about 2500rpm, would it be up around 14v? Varoom, where is the voltage reg and how would you test it. Bike has 14000 mi on it so I wouldn't expect brushes to be worn. All the connections are clean and tight. When I installed it I looked for any slight spark at the terminals when touching the cables and got nothing. Thanks bro's for the quick replys

[chief]

First thing, take the cables off the battery, clean everything - no corrosion etc. and reinstall cables. Recharge battery overnight and see if that helps.

You should disconnect the battery and check the voltage. If its NOT 12.6 or better - recharge the battery and retest it.  After a re-charge, you should wait 30 minutes before measuring.  12.5 or higher = Good; 12.0-12.5 = insufficient charge; 12.0v or lower = replace battery.

Did you replace the battery with the same brand, etc?   It is possible you got a bad replacement battery.

You can load test the battery - or have it load tested. A lot of bike shops and auto parts places will do load testing for you.

If the battery checks out, then you have to look for power "drains" -  a bit more complex, but there is a procedure for finding these things.

[Varooom]

What Voltage is the battery at with the bike off?  Did you check your voltage regulator?
Varooom

[cochise]

Trouble free in the three months of owning my 02. When I bought it The owner didn"t know how old the battery was so I thought I was on borrowed time ( they owned it for 6 yrs)  . It gave out and I push started it. New battery in on Friday. Saturday, went for a 125 mi ride. Last 5 mi at low speed with my 35 watt spotlights on as usual. Stopped , for a minute and woulnd't turn over. Paid a kid 5 bucks to push me to start it. Back home I put on the multimeter and without the spots at 2500 rpm only getting 12.2 v . With the spotlights on and idle down to 11.8. Where do I start? I ordered a full manual today but it will be awhile before its here. The bike may have a brighter headlight bulb than stock and I added the 35w spots on a switch. Need some guidence. First bike without a kickstarter, what a sh*tty feeling in the middle of nowhere by yourself when you turn the key and hear that sound. Where do I start?