Motorcycle Repair: DWELL-TACH-POINTS, stator coils, ac volts

Question
can i use my DWELL-TACH-POINTS meter to test my battery. the battery is new but the charging sys isnt charging it. if i cant use this meter can u recommend a voltmeter to buy, thanks
vic

Answer
Vic,

you need a volt meter and I don't know if your
Dwell meter has that ability. Some older
ones did have a voltage scale.
You can pick up a fairly cheap multimeter
at most hardware or liquidation type stores.
I got a couple of digital ones for around
10-20 dollars.
Depending on the model of your bike,
you need to check the output
of the stator coils in the engine.
The plug comes up from the side of
the engine and usually has at least 3 wires of
the same color. The multimeter has to
be set on "AC" volts and the output
checked between each of the three wires
from the stator. Should be 50-60 volts AC.
If that is okay, it is probably the regulator
or fuses/wiring problem.