heres the story..bought an 02 softail standard with 25k miles fuel injected, had factory alarm which was removed... i rode the bike once to los angeles, and on the way up it after about 40 mins of riding the speedometer would shut off and turn back on intermittently. didnt really think it was that big of deal. when i went to ride it about twice more, it would do the same but this time around 20 to 30 minutes of use. So i went to ride it this weekend and suddenly check engine light came on, pulled over to check oil and possible turn the bike on and off, when i tried to turn the bike back on.....it wouldnt crank over like it had no battery. mind you I had no issues starting the bike when I took off this morning. so I decided to push start it, and it worked....i jumped back on the freeway and after about 5 miles on the freeway...bike lost power, and completely shut of.., couldnt get it to crank what so ever. So after about an hour or so, waiting for my brother to bring me a new battery from harley....swapped it out, started back up, fine...no check engine lights, nothing....rode it back home for another 75 miles, pulled over to gas up and bike hesitated to start at the gas station, at this piont i was only bout 2 miles from my home, jumped back on the freeway, check engine came back on, would come on and off, and got home, turned the bike off, and tryed to start it, and now it wont start again...mind you i bought a new battery from dealer this same morning, and it makes the sound when your battery is dead. Sooooo with my dilema out in the open......I need your help....dealer says stator....??

UPDATED.. CHECKED BATTERY, BATTERY IS GOOD 12.4 VOLTS, INSTALLED BATTERY AGAIN SOON AS I TURNED IT ON PUT DIGITAL VOLTAGE METER TO IT AND BATTERY AT IDLE READ 11.40 VOLTS....REVED ENGINE UP....STILL THE SAME...NEVER REACHED THE 12 VOLTS....DISCONNECTED THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR...AND OIL TYPE SUBSTANCE LEAKED OUT..A GOOD AMOUNT....TOOK GROUND TEST LIGHT TO IT NO VOLTAGE....AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES OF IDLING CHECK ENGINE CAME BACK ON AND STAYED ON....VOLTAGE AT BATTERY STARTED TO DROP TO 11.20...AND BEVER CAME BACK UP....ANY LAST SUGGESTIONS??? SINCE ITS NOT SENDING ANY VOLTAGE IS THIS THE REGULATOR ISSUE??

 

yeah im thinking stator also because of the oil that cme out of the plug. you can check the stator easely with a volt meter. if its putting out 40 volts then id suspect the regulator. its could also be a fuse or circut breaker in the line from the reg. to the battery also.

 

checked all the fuses, everything was fine...that oil in the plug really threw me off...tests said to check for any measureable about of light coming from the ground test light...and nothing...so not sure...

 

I'd think the speedo issue is the speed sensor. I'd vote for stator as well. Open up the priamry and take a whiff. If it smells burnt in there it's the stator.

Drew

 

I just replaced a stator on my 08 deluxe. Went bad at 29K. I replaced it and back and running strong again. I didn't use a HD stator though. I bought a cycle electric one. They seemed to get great reviews and came highly recommend from a few of my friends. Bike is charging at 13.4 volts

 

how much did you pay for that after market stator?

 

Did you tighten the end of you negative/ground battery cable where it attaches to the frame? The off/on/off/on makes it sound like you are loosing a connection, not failing to charge.

 

I dont think having oil in the stator plug would tell you anything except someone was messy when they did an oil change.

As far as the speedo flipping on and off, thats a protective thing the computer does when it senses an overvoltage or undervoltage condition. It does it to protect the affected parts. A speed sensor will cause it too, but since you have a charging problem, thats not the case.

The CE systems ARE far superior to HD's lame excuse. The problem with CE is its considerable more expensive, and you'll play hell finding parts if it ever decides to take a dump on the road (rare, but it does happen).

The issues you're having sounds more to me like the regulator is taking a dump. The caveat here is you dont chance the reg without changing the stator. I can guarantee theres been a bit of overheating of the windings, and even if it checks out OK now, its gonna fail sooner then later.

Theres 2 checks you need to do to figure out which has failed. Use a volt meter and check the batt voltage when the motor is running. If it is under 14 volts, more then likely the reg has flown the coup. The verify, unplug the stator and check resistance between the three terminals in the plug going to the stator. If you have any pair showing less than 10 ohms, the stator has burned up.

My summation: change the regulator and stator, dont do just one or the other. Whether you decide to go with CE or not is up to you. If you do, change both anyway.

 

I was having similar problems on my bike with the speedo bouncing. Everything I could find online pointed to the speedo sensor but, one day on a ride my month old battery started cooking. Got home and checked voltage regulator with a trouble a light and showed bad. Put new regulator on and it solved my speedo problem. I have had no issues with charging system or speedo since regulator replacement 2000 miles ago. It is an easy fix, takes an hour or less.

 

yes checked all wiring, and connections....battery cables both tiight...and battery was checked as well...so 3 for regulator and 2 for stator? how much does the dealer charge to replace them both...dont want to be left stranded again!!