Long battery life is an anomaly. Most folks get 3 years. Cars or bikes.

It also seems most “clicking” issues I read about, 9 out of 10 times it’s the battery.

Get a new battery and as noted, leave it alone, just ride the bike.

 

You can use a car battery to jump your bike, just don't have the car running.

 

All modern motorcycles have alternators.

 

Now you did it....

The nuisance will be here soon to dispute that with his own facts...

 

I get that, have done it. Just don't understand why one would use a car battery to keep the bike running. What does this accomplish? Maybe I'm just being dense tonight.

 

Screwing around with jumper cables accomplishes nothing.

Jumper cables are not troubleshooting tools, but they are an opportunity to screw something up...

 

https://www.uti.edu/blog/motorcycle/...eration%20task.

Are they considered alternators? Or are they a little different in function? I’ve never had a car die after starting, even though it had a bad battery. I have had that happen on my motorcycle

 

The rotor and stator on a Harley Davidson produce Alternating Current, yes, it is an alternator, but of course not like in a car, where the parts are all in one replacable unit.

The voltage regulator turns the AC into DC, and controls the voltage.

The other day while out on the bike, I saw something on the road ahead at an intersection, as I rode by I saw it was a car alternator...

 

hd uses a PMG
it is not an alternator since it has no field forcing capabilities. the only hd that had an alternator was the shovel and only a couple of years.
a PMG is fixed and output is in direct relation to rpm. that is why the engine stalled but if you look at the schematic you will find it is tied in before the battery and technically the engine does run off the PMG with the battery making up the short fall. on the PMG unlike the alternator, spikes are more reserved since it cannot go full on, the alternator will go full on since the regulator sees no feed back as to voltage level.
but there is one thing to consider with electronics as voltage goes down, amperage goes up so there is a possibility of damage.
do not rule out a bad connection or a bad contact in the starter solenoid and or relay.
jumping with a car battery and same issue points in a diff direction.

 

Whether the magnets are simple permanent type or electromagnets, the unit does the same thing, it produces alternating current.