Need help, my charging system took a dump on my 2003 Eletra Glide Classic here at the Rocky Point bike run. Any ideas on how I can ride my bike back to CA? Battery is new, turned off the radio and diconnected the lights to save on power. Any other ideas? Thanks.

 

Maybe get a solar battery charger from a parts house and zip-tie it to the tour pac. Also I rode 11 hours once form NC with no lights at all, brake, turn, tail, or head. If you don't have EFI you might have a chance. Good luck.

 

I had a similar problem 100 miles from home. I got a battery charger and charged the battery overnight. Made it home the next day no problem. No idea how much further I could have gone.

If you are traveling with a buddy, swap batteries every 100 miles or so.

Turn off everything you can.

 

I shut everything off. Disconnected all the lights but I do have EFI.

 

Best suggestion was deadhawg's, keep swapping with a buddy.

How do you know the charging system's bad? It's unlikely, but make sure it's not just a loose stator or reg/rec connection.

 

I always ran 14 volts running the bike, check engine light came on then every ten minutes or so it gradually went from 14 volts to 13, 12, 11 etc til 8v then my dash died only thing running was my tach

 

How can I check the stator n those connections?

 

Here's a good how to


https://www.hdforums.com/forum/elect...sting-2-a.html

Ghost

 

if you make it back, and the border crossing will be a killer, obviously will have to push it thru the 3 hours of traffic, the closest dealer is Sweetwater HD off the 5. phone #619 477 4477 hope you make it

 

I will paste the link to make it easier to read for you:
Submitted by TCSTD:

Battery: Turn ohmmeter to the DC Volts setting that can read 12V or more. With your motorcycle off, read from Positive to Negative making sure the Red is +, Black is -- If battery is good you should get about 12.5 to 13.5 volts

Charging: Using same multimeter range, start the motorcycle and run RPM's up to above idle. Voltage should increase to several volts above initial reading, usually to about 14.7 V Voltage should not go much higher than 14.7 V. If voltage goes a lot higher when you rev the engine, you could be overcharging due to a voltage regulator problem. If voltage doesn't change, your motorcycle is not charging.

Stator: If your motorcycle is not charging, you need to check the stator. Locate the plug for the stator on the front of the engine block. Switch the multimeter to OHMS range on the lowest setting, usually 10 ohms. With the motorcycle off, read between the 2 pins or holes in the block. These should show continuity. If your meter is accurate you could read 1 to 3 ohms, but cheaper meters will not be that accurate. As long there is continuity it passes this test.

Now change the setting on the multimeter to the highest OHM range like 100K. Touch one probe to a pin or hole in the engine, the other to the engine case or a metal bolt on the engine. The meter should not move. Try the other pin the same way and it also shouldn't move. If you get any reading the stator is shorted and must be replaced. This requires special tools and you should consider taking it to a shop. If you get no movement on the meter, it's not shorted out so you need to check for output.

To check for output, change multimeter to AC Volts setting over 100 Volts. With the alternator plug disconnected, start the bike. Use the probes (not polarity sensitive) to read between the pins or holes in the engine block. You should read about 20V per 1000 rpm's. At idle expect about 25V, as you rev the engine it will increase to 60 or 70 Volts. If it does your stator is OK, if you get no output the stator is bad and you will need to replace it or take it to a shop.

Voltage Regulator: If your stator is not shorted to ground and has the proper output, your regulator is most likely the culprit. If your stator checks out OK but battery voltage don’t increase when the motorcycle is running, the regulator isn't doing its job and needs to be replaced. It's an easy swap, just make sure you bring the old one with you to make sure they give you the correct unit. If the battery voltage goes too high when you rev the motorcycle the regulator isn't limiting the voltage and again it needs replacement.