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I am trying to tell a harley mechanic that there is something wrong with my charging system because mine goes to 12.5volts at idle and he told me that's within harley spec's.well then the last 4 harley's that i had,and my wifes and my brother's bikes must be overcharging they're always 14v's and last season my bike was 14v too
and like mike said, don't use the gauge on the dash for anything other than a quick visual as to 'yep, it's charging' or 'oh crap, it's not charging'. for true diagnostics, use a know accurate standalone voltmeter.
and really, if your's is reading 12.5 at idle, it is in spec.... if you look at the electrical diagnostic manual, they don't even do a idle voltage test. only off idle. they say to run your engine at 3000 rpm. if the voltage is above 13v, you pass. BUT the big caveat to any of the electrical tests, is your battery good? if your battery is not good, it will skew many of the electrical tests.
if my 1st response was long winded- I am fueled by "fog breaker" coffee from Fresh and Easy markets...and I thought it may be helpful for an owner to have a basic understanding of charging system function.
I guess those of us without so many instruments don't have so much to worry about. It starts enthusiastically and the headlight stays bright, I'm a happy guy.
and like mike said, don't use the gauge on the dash for anything other than a quick visual as to 'yep, it's charging' or 'oh crap, it's not charging'. for true diagnostics, use a know accurate standalone voltmeter.
and really, if your's is reading 12.5 at idle, it is in spec.... if you look at the electrical diagnostic manual, they don't even do a idle voltage test. only off idle. they say to run your engine at 3000 rpm. if the voltage is above 13v, you pass. BUT the big caveat to any of the electrical tests, is your battery good? if your battery is not good, it will skew many of the electrical tests.
Jeff,
I'm guessing you have already checked, but make SURE your ground cable is tight where it hooks to the frame/engine AND the contact point is clean! That drove me nuts on one of my old bikes!
BTW: My voltage guage shows 14-14.5 volts at all times on my 12 Ultra.
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