So this is a dumb question,:icon_quest ion: what keeps the battery charged while riding? Unlike a car I don't think bikes have an alternator?

the other day I went for a short ride, came home and was going to leave again right away. Bike was shut off for about 3 minutes and would not start. Just didn't have enough juice. So I pushed it into the garage and put it on the tender. it was on for two days. went out this morning to take her to work and fired right up. drove three blocks to get gas then tried to start and would not fire again.

Is this a bad battery of something else? Excuse the ignorance but I'm not familiar with how bikes charging systems are. I was able to walk home and get my charger with a boost for cranking, found an outlet on the side of the gas station. let it charge for a few minutes and was able to get it to fire back up and get it home.

is this a bad battery or is there a generator or coil pack or something that I should be looking at?

Bike is an 06 Dyna Street Bob. not sure if it is the original battery I bought it used.

 

bump, looking for help?

 

The Stator combined with the Voltage regulator


The stator is essentially the alternator. It charges the battery as you ride. A bad one will not and the bike will run directly off the battery and it will drain down.

A bad stator can also drain the battery while it sits.

This doesn't cover your year dyna but the principle is close. Scour around JP for the updated article


http://community.jpcycles.com/articl...g-systems.aspx

 

Sounds like it may be the battery, how old is it?
Even if the system was not charging, the battery wouldn't die within three blocks unless it wasn't holding a charge.
I usually replace my batteries every 4-5 years even if they're not giving me trouble.
You can swap one out in 5-10 minutes for $100 or less, pretty cheap insurance and better then getting stranded somewhere.

 

I thought my battery was only two years old. Maybe not. I guess im not real sure but I thought when I bought the bike they put a new one in. Guess im just going to get a new battery and see if that helps. even if it isn't I think I would be due anyway.

 

Just pull the battery and take it to the dealership, batteries plus, or any car parts store.
They'll test it for free and tell you if it's good or not.
If there's any question that it may be 4-5 years old, I'd just replace it though.

 

Depending on how often you ride, you battery might only last 2 years. My 2k11 street glide battery wasn't holding a good charge and needed to be replaced, but it was still under warranty. I also recently had a battery with bad cells that needed to be replaced, it just happens some time.

The battery replacement is the cheaper of the options. I would start there.

 

Thanks guys, I will get it out tonight and have it looked at. im hoping its just an old battery.

 

Your bike does have an alternator! It is inside the primary chaincase and that plug on the front is the wiring from it. Those wires go to a rectifier, same as on a car, then the battery. Your battery may be defective, or not getting a decent charge. If you have a multimeter you can test your charging circuit by following the guidelines here. The DIY section has other useful stickies you should also read.

 

Start ur bike and put a multimeter on both posts of battery. Should be putting out around 14 volts d.c. When revving up a bit. If u r getting proper voltage then check ground wire from battery. Also make sure rectifier is grounded good on frame and check pin connectors on regulator. More than likely just a bad battery though