Help with electrical issues
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 11,232
Likes: 3,054
From: St.Louis Mo.
battery is just a few months old, the reason I think it may be stator and or vr is the gauge is all over the place, while riding the lights will dim and brighten, there is a whirling noise in the primary but unknown if this is a normal noise from doing a comp delete after comp went out.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 14,210
Likes: 11,336
From: San Diego, CA
Any electrical problem, I always start by checking the battery (voltage & load test) then the main battery connections, including the grounds... Intermittent or low voltage can cause all sorts of gremlins.
Once I verify a good, stable 12v source... then I move on to checking the stuff below, like charging, connections, and/or shorts.
Of course, also checking diagnostic codes is always a good thing to do, after verifying the good, stable 12v source....
Ditto on checking battery voltage, and if there is a problem in the charging system once you check all the wire connections.
Hence, would replace the main breaker, from age alone since they are dirt cheap. Hence on the later bikes, the voltage regulator goes to the main breaker gold terminal, then everything down line of that is on the silver terminal, and as they get old, can get a lot of corrosion in them to not allow them to pass current correctly.
The main breaker is just a metal spring plate inside that goes between the two posts (welded to one side), will spring open if it gets too hot, but they tend to age out, with not the best connections across them as corrosion builds up on the post and plate post side.
https://www.thevog.net/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,onerror=redirect,width=1920,height=192 0,fit=scale-down/https://www.thevog.net/attachments/circuit-breaker-008-jpg.1114/[/img
Also, double check the voltage regulator ground to the chassis, since if it gets corroded, could be half the problem with the voltage regulator not seeing the actual voltage of the battery. Same with other connector, including checking the fuses for corrosion that may have build up on the blades.
Last one, and is an age thing as well, may want to pull the ignition switch apart to clean the contacts on it that may have started to corrode.
Note, before you pull the ignition switch to pull it apart, make sure you get the ignition tool to put it all back together.
https://www.amazon.com/OSBUN-Motorcy.../dp/B0BZTZD218
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...on-switch.html
The last one if you still have problems, maybe time to open up the fairing to check the connections and grounds in it. It's a Harley, and will shake thing loose, as well break gauge brackets from time to time as well.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,434
Likes: 802
From: Colorado
Many models they upped the main breaker around that time frame. There was even threats of lawsuits, bikes were dying on the road while riding, and people claiming unsafe. Even without that I would repalce based on age. But I don't that is his problem. If it was the breaker, they entire bike would go dead for a period of time.
Personally I would buy it from Harley not amazon, so it meets ratings. Not that I am a buy harley guy for everything. When it comes to electrical there are more ratings than just amps. Granted it probably doesn't mater. But I am just not into getting weird stuff off amazon that are that important.
But again I think the breaker has nothing to do with this, unless it is loose.
Personally I would buy it from Harley not amazon, so it meets ratings. Not that I am a buy harley guy for everything. When it comes to electrical there are more ratings than just amps. Granted it probably doesn't mater. But I am just not into getting weird stuff off amazon that are that important.
But again I think the breaker has nothing to do with this, unless it is loose.
Yes, no maybe, since early HD's had the voltage regulator, and positive wire to solenoid (and back to battery from there) on the same gold terminal, and on the later bikes only the voltage regulator went to the gold terminal, and all others where off the silver post isntead.
So the reason that they had to up the breakers on the later bikes (97 would be one of these), is when when you are running the charging current through the breaker, more heat and causes the breakers to trip, and as stated, the older the breaker, the more chance of corrosion on the end of the inner stud where the heat trip plate makes contact, and can cause a less then desirable contact to pass current through the breaker, even before it trips.
But more with you on something lose somewhere, or just a corrosion problem with a switch, if voltage regulator is ground out correctly to ground, and good connection from ground back to battery, as well as postive of regulator thought breaker, to battery as well.
Hence on a 97, should be able to check the voltage regulator at the main breaker gold terminal and ground terminal next to it, then double check at battery next, to make sure your getting same reading. If not, then you know that problem is from breaker to battery, and ground back to battery as well.
As for voltage regulator, should be around 13.8'ish at idle for two wire system, and engine at plus 2K, around 14.1'ish instead.
If your getting a spike over 14.3'ish at the voltage regulator wires with them connected cleanly, then voltage regulator has gone south and will cook the battery in no time flat with it seeing plus 14.3 volts.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2021
Posts: 18,630
Likes: 3,776
From: backwoods
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As for voltage regulator, should be around 13.8'ish at idle for two wire system, and engine at plus 2K, around 14.1'ish instead.
If your getting a spike over 14.3'ish at the voltage regulator wires with them connected cleanly, then voltage regulator has gone south and will cook the battery in no time flat with it seeing plus 14.3 volts.
As for voltage regulator, should be around 13.8'ish at idle for two wire system, and engine at plus 2K, around 14.1'ish instead.
If your getting a spike over 14.3'ish at the voltage regulator wires with them connected cleanly, then voltage regulator has gone south and will cook the battery in no time flat with it seeing plus 14.3 volts.
You should be around 14.4 when you rev the bike up to 3-4k rpms. 14.3 is normal when the bike is at speed.
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