Motorcycle Repair: 1983 fxe shovel, ac volts, dc volts

Question
hey mike i have a problem i put a new voltage regulator on my bike but when i went to test it it was only putting out 1 volt..so i checked the stator and it was putting off about 28-32-volts ac at a little above idle..my question is does the voltage regulator have to be hooked up to give off dc volts or can you just check it by putting the positive lead to the line out of the voltage regulator and the other lead to ground? also does the voltage regulator have to be grounded? and how much ac volts should i be getting from the stator at idle? when i rev it it i can see 58 ac volts but drops way down when at idle.

Answer
You need to check your regulator at the battery. With a volt meter you should be getting around 13.5 volts at the battery. If not then test the stator for OHMs as well as ac voltage. The voltage will drop at idle on the stator. Your voltage seems ok at the stator, but check the OHMs. It might be getting grounded. The regulator has to be connected to get voltage. It is grounded by the bolts holding it down. Also, if you have a bad battery you will get a false reading
Good luck and happy riding
Mike