Motorcycle Repair: harley charging, ac volts, stator

Question
Hi Mike I have a 2002 dyna wide glide and am having charging problems, I think. The battery keeps draining down after a period of a couple weeks. How do I check the voltage regulator and stator? I have an ac/dc meter Is there a resistance ck I can do and if so what are the values I'm trying to isolate here so any info would be greatly appreciated. One last thing when I start my bike at idle I'm reading about 12.5 volts when I bring up the rpms to 2000, 3000 and up my voltage only jumps up about a half a volt is this a normal reading? thanks Jim  

Answer
Sorry I didnt get back to you sooner. The all experts site was down for a day and i couldnt get in to answer you!
Now to your question. Your charging system has 4 components. The battery, the wiring, the stator and the regulator. FIrst make sure you have a good battery. If you have a bad or dry cell you will not charge. Next check the wiring. If both of those are ok then test the stator.
To test the stator, start with a OHM meter. Unplug the regulator. At the two posts coming from the stator go from one post to ground then the other post to ground, then test both posts. You should get OHMs when testing both wires. When going from one post to ground no OHMs. If it passes this test then test for AC volts, not DC. Start the bike and using the probes at the stator wires you should get around 60 volts at 3000 RPM. If it doesnt pass this then the stator is bad. If it does then the regulator is bad.
Good luck and happy riding
Mike