Motorcycle Repair: Charging issue with a 98 Honda Shadow Aero, honda shadow aero, stator coil

Question
Chris,

I have what I believe to be a charging issue on a 98 Honda Shadow Aero (1100).  

The issue first surfaced when my battery died trying to start the bike one night.  At first I thought that perhaps I had a battery issue.  After having the battery checked and verified to be good, I was told that the battery just needed to be charged.

After charging the battery, the bike ran great for about three days, then I went back to having the same issue.  I do not have any issues with starting the bike when I have a nicely charged battery or when I have to jump-start the bike.

So it seems like the battery is not getting charged while I am running the bike.  In your experience, where should I look first?  What components could be causing this issue?  Am I looking at a potentially costly repair?

I have been told it may be a fusable link on the gas line that does not allow the battery to be charged.  I was not aware of this link.

I also thought that there must be some sort of alternator (or similar process) to provide the charging.  

Thanks in advance for any direction you can provide.

Paul  

Answer
Hi Paul.
 It makes no sense at all to me that the fuel pump line would be part of the charging system.  I'll bet that the problem is the stator coil.

Here's how to check;

1)  With the battery fully charged and the bike on the centerstand or otherwise upright, start the bike.

2)  with a multimeter set for DCvolts check the charge across the battery terminals (or positive and the nearest ground to the negative terminal).  It should read 13 - 15 VDC.  Less than 13 and you are looking at replacing the stator coil.

Let me know what you find.
Good luck.
FALCON