| Author | Message | ||
     Smac |
Well, made it over 34k miles but I finally stumbled upon my 1st charging issue. When for a ride on Sat afternoon (battery was fully charged up prior) & made it to my destination with no issues. After dinner, jumped back on the bike & started heading home in the dark. The CEL came on (not uncommon as it does bounce on/off from time to time), but I realized it was starting to get more difficult to see...headlight seemed dull & the dash lights were also dull. Bike was running fine though. Got home & turned off the bike...the electric fan came on & quickly turned off & the digital dash items went blank. I knew something was up...so I turned the key back on & tried to start. All I got was "click-click"...engine would not even turn over. I put the bike on the battery tender & tried it out today. Bike started right up no problem...no CEL on either. I'm assuming the stator and/or VR, but was hoping for some quick feedback to point me in the right direction. Thanks, Sean | ||
| Froggy |
You are going to need to test both to see what one is the issue, the electrical diagnostic book has the details. Personally I'd suspect the VR, and it is the easier component to replace. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I'll suggest its most likely the stator, just to be difficult.  Disconnect the connector between the stator and the bike, put your multi meter on AC, and measure each pin to ground output with the bike running. It should be well over 12 V AC, and climb with revs to like 60 or something. If not, your stator is bad. You can also (with bike off) measure the resistance of each stator pin to ground (should be infinite) and each pin to each other pin (should be like one ohm). That's all "good stator" readings. You can also pop open the primary inspection cover, and take a whiff.  means bad stator. (Message edited by reepicheep on August 01, 2016) | ||
| Etennuly |
Barring these problems.....check your battery terminals first. See if you can force them to move. If so, they can cause all of these problems also. | ||
| Reepicheep |
The "headlight dimmed and engine died while running" part makes me think it's not a bad battery connection. But its really easy to check and clean up, so no harm in eliminating it. It's good to remove and clean that thing from time to time anyway. | ||
| Griffmeister |
One slight difference on the stator test. Do not check one pin to ground for voltage. The voltage check is across the two stator leads with the engine running. You should be able to get 20-28 VAC per 1000 rpm, so even at idle you will have over 20 VAC. When you put the VR back into the mix, you should be able to see a steady (well, sort of with the stock VR) 14 VDC at the battery, give or take. That's kind of how my first VR went. Mine blew the low beam first, still daylight out so I didn't even notice. Then it pretty much started running off the battery. I had made one stop halfway home and noticed it cranked a little slowly when I went to leave. Got home right around dusk, that's when I saw the light out. Tried to restart the bike and that was a no go. I feel your pain. | ||
| Reepicheep |
My mistake. Thanks for the correction Griff. Measure the AC voltage coming out of the stator pin to pin on the stator connector. You should measure the resistance from each pin to ground, but you are just measuring to make sure the stator isn't shorted to ground, so you are looking for infinite resistance. In other words, you are checking pin to ground resistance to make sure the pins aren't connected to ground in any way. | ||
| Smac |
Thanks for all of the feedback guys! I did double check the battery terminals...nice and tight! I too recently had the low beam light blow on me a few times...I switched over to running the high beam light & that blew on me as well rather quickly. I thought maybe it was due to the automotive brand bulbs, so I replaced both with a Honda motorcycle part number...supposedly the motorcycle brand will last longer (they better last for $25/bulb!). I'll get started on the diagnostic checks this weekend. In preparation, does anyone have the VR & Stator part numbers handy? I'm assuming each is a Sportster carryover, so ordering should not be a problem. Also, is OEM the best option or is aftermarket better (Rick's, etc)? Thanks in advance! -Sean | ||
| Froggy |
Blowing headlights is an indicator of over voltage, again likely to be the VR The stator is a Harley part, but not the regulator 29971-08 Buell XB 08-10 Stator ass, SINGLE PHASE, 30A Y0302.5A8 Buell XB voltage regulator for all 2008-2010 I'm personally a fan of getting another stock one, they work good, and are plug and play. Aftermarket ones are better but are more work to mount and install. (Message edited by Froggy on August 05, 2016) | ||
| Smac |
Thanks, Froggy...much appreciated! I'll start calling around for some prices & availability. -Sean |
