this won't matter to you guys who have swapped out batteries, but when my VM started jumping around, the dealer changed the VR and that wasn't it. Turned out my positive battery terminal bolt had loosened up and welded itself into position, which is why it felt tight when I put a wrench on it. They had seen it before...

 

YES! YES! New wheel bearings fixed the issue. Not even a twitch on the gauges now. The radio is still having issues (though not as often), which I strongly suspect means the vibes have done some damage.

 

Redbeard, Glad to hear its fixed. The bad news is our bearings are going out at 20k miles. That is BS. I guess we change bearings when we change tires. Im not happy about this. I have owned four harleys and never had a wheel bearing go bad. Until I bought a new bike.

 

I'm amazed the front wheel bearing wasn't very noticeable except it caused gauge malfunctions. You'd thought it would take some dramatic play to make gauges move erroneously.

I was considering a shorting Stator, or malfunctioning Voltage regulator, if it wasn't the common bad battery connection / bad ground issue these bikes are notorious for.

 

I think I found something on my 2009 Street Glide that might be of interest to some. I know everyone checks their connectors, grounds, battery terminals etc. while trouble-shooting this problem. I don't know if I have cured mine yet (voltage climbs during ride and then sometimes jumps to full needle right and the back to around 16 VDC) although the actual voltage is steady at 14.29 VDC while using a multimeter. HERE IS THE FIX (I think): There is a small hole in the side of the gauge and in the hole is a very small adjustment variable potentiometer. I believe that over time the contacts in the potentiometer get dirty / corrode and this causes erratic readings. I used a small screwdriver to rotate back a forth the potentiometer several times as to "clean" the contacts of it. I then adjusted my gauge using the potentiometer to the value that my DVM was reading. I took it for a short test ride without the fairing installed and did not get any erratic readings. I will reinstall the fairing and we will see if I indeed "FIXED!" the problem. I get back and let everyone know if this worked.

EDIT: 100 kms and no re-occurrence (and it would have done so by now)!! FIXED!

 

I had the same problem last year. I found corroded plug where it plugs into the bottom of the regulator.

 

I read the thread on here & thought, no way is it the front bearing. 1500 miles later the front bearing on my 2013 Ultra Limited cratered around a corner!! Kept the bike up, all good. I probably wash my bike too much with a pressure washer, and the cheap Chinese bearings don't like it. Change bearings every tire change!! minimal charge at the time, well worth the extra insurance.

 

Now ya know...pressure washers and Harleys...actually, ANY motorcycle...don't mix. If you need to clean oil off, suggest that you use original Gunk, wash with a regular hose with a spray nozzle.


Yeah. I know this is an ancient thread. Just responding to the last poster.