Motorcycle Repair: discharging battery, honda shadow ace, regulator rectifier

Question
i have a 1997 honda shadow ace 1100, and lately the battery gets discharge very often. I can drive it for approx. 2 weeks and then i have to charge the batttery again, what can i do to keep it charged, or what can i do to check whats going on?

Answer
David, you could have a poor connection at the stator and wire harness interface. Also, one of the diodes in the rectifier could have failed. If the battery is more than 2 years old, it may just be tired out.

http://www.electrosport.com/electrosport_fault_finding.html
should help you determine the exact location of the fault.

If the battery is discharging while driving, then the reg-rectifier may be the main issue, plus poor connector contacts. Stators seldom fail, unless the bike has a lot of miles and the connector melts down.

If the battery discharges while sitting idle for a week or so, then the regulator rectifier is the most probable cause.

Bill Silver