Motorcycle Repair: XVS 650, ammeter, stator

Question
I am having problems with my 1997 XVS 650 DRAGSTAR. The battery keeps loosing its cahrge and the bike breaks down. I have changed the battery and I have checked the voltage while running, The stator is pushing out around 14.3 v. Do you have any suggestion as to what may be causing this problem. The battery will run flat over about 3 days.

Regards

Richard

Answer
You need to establish where the leak is.  Either the current is draining faster than your alternator can refull it (large current draw, short, etc) or you have a current drain when the ignition switch is off, which could be a bad diode in the alternator, or a fault in the wiring.  You need an ammeter to verify this, care must be taken when connecting an ammeter, so check with your mechanic.  Good luck,  Jan