Normal Voltage ?
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Tourer
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 372
Likes: 83
From: FL East Coast /Western NC
Normal Voltage ?
alright dudes.. i need your thoughts here... original regulator had become inconsistant and when it dropped to 10 volts one day and came back to life when i rapped it with my screwdriver ,i replaced last week with new oem from an online harley parts dealer... at start up volts show about 14 and stay that way throughout a ride as long as the rpms are up over 1500 or so.... just like old one always did.... however, after bike heats up slowing to idle voltmeter drops to about 12.5 ... as soon as i rev up it is back to 14 and will stay that way until the next idle stop... remember....at cold start up it will idle at 14... only when hot ( after 10 minutes or so ) does this idle voltage drop ... meter and gauge are right together on this... is this regulator bad also ? or is this a normal thing even tho my original never did drop much below 14... ever ! dealer says normal ...but i know not all do this... i have had no problems with bike starting, running, and battery checks fine .. thanks for your input
Banned
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 4,576
Likes: 978
From: Viet Vet, crossroads
I am guessing a real voltage regulator?
Anyway as the ambient goes up and as the batt charges it will taper off.
to 12.5 or 13 or so.
Not too important as long as it all works as it should,
I will call it normal
Anyway as the ambient goes up and as the batt charges it will taper off.
to 12.5 or 13 or so.
Not too important as long as it all works as it should,
I will call it normal
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 268
Likes: 36
From: Athens Greece
check it after restarting while hot, fastest way, pull the plug wires and crank it for the 2-3 seconds as if it was cold to yank some amps from the battery, reattach the wires , start and check.. chances are it would read 14 agan upon startup even while hot
And while doing that the wires are back firing into the coil or burning through the insulation...better ground those wires.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 5,064
Likes: 1,003
probably normal
reason:
the alternator needs speed in order to produce current. at low rpms, current is low, when you measure at the regulator, you are reading system, not the regulator. also, the machine runs off the regulator so the system load pulls down the system so you are more or less reading battery under present load(battery makes up short fall). as soon as rpm rises, current increases, the regulator is referenced via a zener to system and regulator has more on time which brings more charge. with a potted regulator, rare to have a loose component inside so wrapping with a screw driver makes me believe a ground issue, the case must have ground since the regulator cannot work without it.
reason:
the alternator needs speed in order to produce current. at low rpms, current is low, when you measure at the regulator, you are reading system, not the regulator. also, the machine runs off the regulator so the system load pulls down the system so you are more or less reading battery under present load(battery makes up short fall). as soon as rpm rises, current increases, the regulator is referenced via a zener to system and regulator has more on time which brings more charge. with a potted regulator, rare to have a loose component inside so wrapping with a screw driver makes me believe a ground issue, the case must have ground since the regulator cannot work without it.
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