I was curious as to what the charging volts should read at idle?

I noticed that my HD battery tender light was not green and the bike has been ridden regularly with tender used when not ridden. Normally I see the green fully charged light on -

I noticed today that the light was amber ( battery charging ) so...
the battery is 4 years old OEM. Maybe it is starting to take a dump on me.
I noticed recently that it is a touch weak at times starting like the compression releases are not open at the start up.

So, I put one of my PV gauges to battery volts and at idle is says 14.40 volts.

I hope the tender is at green tomorrow.... and that the battery is not going south -

 

Its charging good. What does the voltage show when cranking?

 

14.4 is optimal while running but as your tender is staying yellow it may be an indication that the battery is coming to an end. Better to have a new one on hand than to have to get one in an emergency. Don't ask me how I know....

 

First things first.

Check the connections to the battery and the ground.

 

You can check your battery and charging system more scientifically by referring to the Stickies in the Tech Electrical section. However it does sound fine.

 

The 14.4 is what your charging system is putting out, not indicative of the state of your battery. Go to your nearest AutoZone, O'Reilly's, etc. and have them test the battery (it's free). Chances are good you just happened to walk by while it was charging and you have nothing to worry about.

 

I suggest you start price comparing your battery options.
You may get by a while longer, but don't act surprised when it conks.
Get these, and ride it to the end, if you must...

 

................ a zener diode determines the point at which regulation begins. The stator output can vary widely, but the zener is like a circ saw being guided by a fence cutting uneven length boards.

If the tender is constantly indicating charge, I'd suspect the battery - but as mentioned it could be loose connections.

 

Read the directions for your maintainer. Mine say the maintainer will monitor the battery voltage and when it drops to a predetermined value the maintainer will go back into the charge mode restoring the battery to full voltage. If yours works the same way you just happened to walk by during one of those moments.

Forums are full of stories about people trying to get the last start out of their batteries and ultimately over loading and ruining the voltage regulator and stator. In comparison, a new battery is cheap. With your volt meter connected to your battery, start your machine while watching the meter. If voltage drops below 9.6 your battery flunks the shade tree load check.

 

The rate is fine however, you should load test your battery. Your battery could be that its not holding a deep charge. A good indicator is if your bike starts cranking slower especially after sitting for a short period, even after topping off with a tender means the battery is usually starting to go downhill.