Sounds like ur on top of it IMO. The biggie indication was the power sag as indicated on the fitted voltmeter. Anything under 14.5vdc and ur doomed sooner or later depending on the charge in ur battery. I'd strongly suspect the regulator or poor ground on same. Sounds like you realize that a good ground is absolutely essential for the reg to function correctly.

 

Bought a new one off ebay made by Drag. Got email today he was out of stock! I hate when they sell crap on ebay and they don't have it in stock. Got a refund and bought another one from a different seller. Got email a few minutes ago, black is out of stock but I can get the chrome one for the same price. Drag Speciaties again. I replied with send it on, hell I am broke down and can't ride.....LOL. I would have preferred the black, but I want it going now!

 

Well I got stuck with a chrome regulator as the vender was out of the black ones and I didn't want to wait. My other motto is "chrome don't get you home"....LOL.

Anyway the new Drag Specialties Chrome regulator came today and I got it installed. That is a pretty easy job except the oil cooler hoses make it a real PIA. Took it out for a little test ride and it is working like it should again.

 

Glad you got it worked out. My bike has been having the same issues. I left it on the tender overnight and rode it bout 50 miles today. The charging system mostly worked today at 13-14 volts and the battery tested at 12.79 after the ride. My stator only has 2 wires and I checked them today after the ride. I got .2-.3 ohms between the 2 pins and infinity from each pin to ground. All was good until the output test. I got 11 vac per 1000 rpm or 11 @ idle, 22 @ 2000 and 33 @ 3000. I got identical readings with 2 different digital voltmeters.

Am I correct in expecting around 15-20 vac per 1000 rpm? Does this mean that my stator and/or rotor need to be replaced?

 

This link may help you understand the system better than I can.

http://www.cycleelectricinc.com/Dieg...lternators.htm

Now that being said, I only checked my AC voltage at idle, 1000 rpm, and mine showed 16 volts AC on all three leads. That is a couple of volts low according to that site with their number showing it should read 18v. I can tell you that the bike is now charging good and at a steady 14-14.1 volts DC. You only need 13.8 under normal conditions. The Harley gauge reads different than my meter or the gauge on my PowerVision as it shows 14.5.

I don't believe a stator would be intermittent. It would either work or not work unless the rotor splines were stripped out and it was slipping.

Make sure your battery cables are clean and tight. Check the connection at the starter too.

 

Thanks for your help - all good thoughts. Great info in your link. I had already posted in the Chat section-

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/gener...l#post11510976

before I saw your post. I did already clean all the connections and changed the battery. I have also considered the rotor splines after reading another thread. Although my stator output increased steadily from 11 vac at idle to 33 vac at 3000 rpm. Very consistent but low.

 

Mine was fluctuating on my digital gauge. Going between 10.8 to 14.1 then stuck around 11.4. I took the derby cover off and took a whiff. Burnt stator.

 

I ordered the Cycle Electrics 3 phase 50 amp upgrade kit - CE-84T-99. Hopefully this will be my last charging issue with this bike.

http://www.cycleelectricinc.com/

 

I have heard their stuff works great, but I don't have any first hand knowledge with it. I have 78,000 miles on my ride and plan to put a lot more on it too. I have been one of those guys that said " if it ain't broke, don't fix it". So I just replaced the one part that needed replacing. Of course that doesn't apply to better exhaust, breather, cams, 103 upgrade, damn maybe I am a fix it if it ain't broke guy after all......LOL

 

LOL, I usually just plan to replace the one thing that's broken and just get carried away. My 97" build started with a cam chain tensioner upgrade.

I need to replace at least the stator and/or rotor. I got the kit for 420 shipped to Hawaii so I figured I may as well upgrade my old single phase to a 3 phase that puts out a lot more power for my 360 watt amp, etc and will hopefully be more reliable. I just replaced the stator and regulator 5 years ago.