Motorcycle Repair: charging system old sporty, gage wire, volt dc

Question
i got a 72 sportster in several boxes awhile back and always having had shovels i'm lost all the time. my questions are do i have a dc generator and if i do would i need a rectifier.what gage wire would i run between voltage regulator and generator. if you can help me on any of this i would appreciate it.

Answer
Dude you need a Sporty service manual!!  Everything is so different from the shovels you will save yourself lots of headaches.  Manual part # 99484-78  Anyway you have a 12 volt DC generator.  It should say 29975-65A on it.  You can use 14gauge wire to the regulator cause it's a short hop.  But I would use 12 gauge from the regulator to the battery (that's what usually comes on the regulator) and make sure your regulator is well grounded to the frame!