Motorcycle Repair: low charging, ac volts, ohm meter

Question
2003 full bagger,
low or no charging from alt. or should i say at battery. how to check voltage regulator  and/or stator instead of just swapping parts till something works. I did not know if they had a common problem (ie;bad plug/wireshort/ect....
thanks,

Answer
First, test the stator at the plug for a short with a OHM meter. Bothe wire to ground and then wire to wire. If it passes then test for AC volts. Start the bike and at the stator you should have about 50 AC volts at around 2000 RPM. If the stator fails the above tests then you need to replace it. If it passes then the regulator is bad and needs replaced
Good luck and happy riding
Mike