batery died got a new one finished the ride went to start the bike battery is dead. installed a new voltage regulator charged the battery started the bike , put a meter on it charging at 12.5 amps checked all the connections seem to be fine. any ideas

thanks
Roaddognk

 

i had an 02 dyna a couple of years ago, and it turned out being the stator. also check the ground lead under the front of the seat, and all battery leads. but i'd be suspecting a faulty stator. any codes being thrown into the speedometer window? might want to have the harley guys plug in their diagnostics tool to chase down the gremlin.

 

"put a meter on it charging at 12.5 amps checked all the connections"

Are you sure that it was not Voltage that you were getting. Put your meter on voltage and put your probes between the two battery terminals. Run your RPM up to 3000 and you should get somewhere around 13 to 14 volts on a low battery. If you are getting 12.5 volts your alternator is not charging the battery.

 

Not my words, taken from somebody else, but this might help....

Step 1. Normally, you'd first load test the battery, but we know you replaced yours.

Start the engine and measure DC Volts across the battery terminals, the regulator should be putting out 14.3 - 14.7 vdc at 3600 rpm and 75 degrees F.


Step 2. To check the regulator unplug it from the stator. Take a test light and clip it to the negative terminal of the battery and then touch first one pin and then the other on the plug that goes to the regulator. If you get even the slightest amount of light from the test light the regulator is toast.

To do this with a meter which is more accurate: black lead to battery ground, red lead to each pin on the plug, start with the voltage scale higher than 12vdc and move voltage scale down in steps for each pin. Any voltage is a bad regulator.
You may get battery voltage on all three pins on the newer 3 phase regulators.
The no voltage is for older type regulators with diode indicating the diode is bad and the regulator needs replacing.


Step 3. On the other part of the disconnected regulator plug. Set the multimeter for Ohms x1 scale and measure for resistance across the pins of the stator. You should read something around 0.1 to 0.2 ohms for the TC88 32 amp system.


Step 4. Then check for continuity between each pin on the plug and frame/engine ground. The meter needle should not move (infinite resistance)(digitals will show infinite resistance) if the meter needle does move (indicating continuity)(digitals will show some resistance), recheck very carefully. If the meter still shows continuity to ground the stator is shorted (bad).


Step 5. Set the meter to read A/C volts higher than 30 volts (the scale setting for voltage should always be higher than the highest voltage you expect or you may fry the meter). Start the bike, and measure from one pin to the other on the plug (DO NOT cross the multimeter probes! - touch them to each other). You should read roughly 16-20 vac per 1,000 rpm.


Step 6. If the battery was good under load test, if the stator is NOT shorted to ground, and the stator is putting out A/C voltage, then the regulator is bad (most likely even if if passed step 2).


Generally the following is true:
Check your owners/service manual for the system amp output for your bike.
22 amp system produces about 19-26 vac per 1,000 rpm, stator resistance is about 0.2 to 0.4 ohms.
32 amp system produces about 16-20 vac per 1,000 rpm, stator resistance is about 0.1 to 0.2 ohms.
45 amp system produces about 19-26 vac per 1,000 rpm, stator resistance is about 0.1 to 0.2 ohms.