Motorcycle Repair: Electrical Probs, dyna lowrider, harley dyna

Question
Ok a 98 Harley Dyna Lowrider 1400cc

Heres the prob.  We were out for a ride and the gauges started to cut out one at a time.  After losing the speedometer and the tach the bike simply died.  Now she had the bike sitting in her garage for a few months (what a shame).  I am thinking that it is a battery prob but I know very little about the magnitos and charging system on motorcycles. If it were a fuse would things cut out one at a time like that or would it all go at once?  I ordered a new battery and am going to replace that first in hopes that its the problem.  Either way chances are it needed a new one anyways.

Thanks for any advice

Scott

Answer
Harleys have a stator not a magnito. I would first have the battery tested to make sure you have a good one. Next you need to check the charging system. You can test the stator with a OHM meter and a AC volt meter. Find where the regulator plugs into the stator. Test the stator with the OHM meter to see if its grounded. Nest, start the bike and with the AC volt meter see how much voltage is coming from the stator. You should be getting around 60 AC volts at 2000 RPM. If the stator does not pass any of the tests then it needs replaced. If it passes then the regulator is bad and needs replaced.
Good luck and happy riding
Mike