Dead battery :-(
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Tourer
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 459
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From: Florida
Dead battery :-(
Took my bike up to bike night and it wouldn't start for the ride home. The generator stopped charging. Rode home behind my buddy for 20 miles (9 p.m.) with the lights turned off. When I get home I'll get out the paper work and start testing. A year and a half ago I replace the Gen and solid state volt reg. Very pricy to have it go out already. I think I will look into the alternator convertion. I wonder if anyone has used this?
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 407
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From: georgia
RE: Dead battery :-(
If you have already up graded your system,perhaps this could be a simple short or connection maintainance situation. The only other issue I can cheaply think of is riding with lights on under 2500 rpm, on the old systems this made charging the battery impossible. If you rode with your lights out,was your battery firing the plugs?or the generater? Did you notice any significant loss of power before you got to bike night?
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Tourer
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 459
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From: Florida
RE: Dead battery :-(
I did notice the lights (turn signals) weren't working correctly. Blinkers don't flash if the battery or charging is low. The ride was the same ride I have taken for the past 2 years. Engine rpm stays about 2500-3000. Last time I replaced the Gen. with a stock style and used the Cycle Electrics volt reg. that bolts to the end of the Gen. Same set up it had when I bought the bike. I did the testing with the makers guide and HD service book. I have power to the volt reg. but nothing at the posts between the Gen. and Reg. I did the amp test on the Gen. Motor was running, field was grounded, Amp guage connected to POS battery post and A post on Gen. 10 amps like the book says. Looks like another $120 volt reg. The Alternator convertion is over $400 from J&P Cycles. Funny thing is I looked at the add for the Crane Dual Fire ignition to replace the pionts. They suggest upgrading to a high amp charging to power thier system. Guess that's another can of worms.
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: georgia
RE: Dead battery :-(
I sit here thinking and yup,does sound like the regulater. 120 is alittle cheaper than 400. I dont always belive more expensive is the answer. A mech friend of mine has told me that blue streak has always proved itself in the long run for ign. parts. Points and cond. about 20. Ill be talking to him in the next few days, Ill check back and see how you are doing.He rides an ironhead also. good luck.
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 99
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From:
RE: Dead battery :-(
try V-Twin on your parts next time..I have found them to be cheaper..Sometimes much cheaper.And a better part..http://www.vtwinmfg.com/NewVtwinWeb/...alogIndex1.htm
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 407
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From: georgia
RE: Dead battery :-(
I didnt want to let you feel forgotten. I havnt been able to get out and about last couple of days.One of the reasons I wanted to talk with him is after pitbulls thinking... less expensive parts.I dont know what region you are in but he orders most of his parts from a co called midwestern. Im pricing a wish listand among the wishes is a replacement coil.I have to be very mindful of keeping the old one clean of oxidation to insure good fire. everyone else ran about 80. midwestern had a good one for 39. ill keep trying to get the catalog address to post,it may still take a day or so.spend money on gas...not parts respectfully Ladyhawke
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Tourer
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 459
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From: Florida
RE: Dead battery :-(
Well it is back together. After the Volt reg was installed it still didn't charge, the Gen had to be changed also. I was too pissed to go back to it for awhile. It seems that this is the same as old 60's and 70's Fords. Any time the alternator or volt reg would go bad, you usually had to change both. Too bad aftermarket Ironhead parts aren't as cheap as classic car parts. I could have rebuilt the Gen. but a new armiture w/ everything else was more hassle this time than I cared. I wish I could give an opinion to support new solid state volt regs or say stay with the way less expensive stock ones. I have only the experience of this one bike. I also take repossibility for possibly damaging the charging parts myself. I wonder how often the generator has to be polarized? Even if the battery is not disconnected it often goes dead sitting in the garage for a month or two when work gets in the way. I have battery tenders, but not one I could leave on for months without boiling the battery dry. The battery was slow charging all night so I can take it out today and relearn how to ride. I need to get out more on it. I rode the new shovel almost 1400 mile in 4 months and this one has less than 2000 in a year.
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Tourer
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 282
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From: Georgia
RE: Dead battery :-(
Let me jump in here and add a little personal experience.
I got a '77xl from a friend and the weekend he brought it down we went riding. After that I spent a few weeks cleaing up the wiring, (control wires through the bars etc.). Wouldn't start when it was back together. To make a very long story short, I ended up with a new starter and new battery that would still go dead if left for a week without running.
I USED to have a bad habbit of leaving the key in the bike at home in the garage. Turns out that doing that put a small drain on the battery and killed it within a week. I only found the cause by trying to start her later and she fired right up... the key had not been in it for 2 1/2 weeks. She's been strong ever since. Even a few months in between start-ups isn't a problem.
With that said, I'm not up enough on electrical to be able to tell you how to look for a drain, I only know that they can exist and that I had one and was lucky enough to recognize the problem before I got a new generator.
Just another option,
Rich
(edited for grammer)
I got a '77xl from a friend and the weekend he brought it down we went riding. After that I spent a few weeks cleaing up the wiring, (control wires through the bars etc.). Wouldn't start when it was back together. To make a very long story short, I ended up with a new starter and new battery that would still go dead if left for a week without running.
I USED to have a bad habbit of leaving the key in the bike at home in the garage. Turns out that doing that put a small drain on the battery and killed it within a week. I only found the cause by trying to start her later and she fired right up... the key had not been in it for 2 1/2 weeks. She's been strong ever since. Even a few months in between start-ups isn't a problem.
With that said, I'm not up enough on electrical to be able to tell you how to look for a drain, I only know that they can exist and that I had one and was lucky enough to recognize the problem before I got a new generator.
Just another option,
Rich
(edited for grammer)
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