Motorcycle Repair: 1973 kawasaki 175 Enduro, regulator rectifier, volt meter

Question
Battery wont hold charge, friend says I need to replace the rectifier? Thanks.

Answer
Try this before you buy. With the battery charged and the bike is running put a volt meter on the battery to see if the stator is charging. It should be no more thar 13.8 volts. This will be a process of elimination,going from expensive to cheap. The voltage regulator/rectifier changes the stator output to a usable battery charging voltage. If they short out they can drain the battery when shut off and may need replacing.