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[1fstrde]

I bought a 2005 se Electra glide 2weeks ago&
When I picked it up, volt Gauge was around 14 volts!
Put 80 miles on and now showing around 11 volts?
It has a 1 year old battery(interstate)
That i charged about 2 hours on 30 amp(12 volt)
And still no change? Bad battery?
And is a HD battery recommended ?
Hoping nothing else is wrong?
Yes starts up great, runs great, but
Don't want it to leave me sit?
Any ideas?
Thanks,matt

[Foot Loose]

I don't think using a 30 amp charger on a small battery is a good idea.  Your battery, with out the bike running, should produce 12 volts, 2 volts for each of the 6 cells. As any cell dies, the voltage should change less 2 volts each. If the bike is running, you should see about 14 volts.  How do you know your volt meter is accurate?  If the bike starts fine, relax.  If the battery has had proper care, it should last a good 5 years, then consider replacing it if your worried. 

[bissjim]

Don't go by what the volt meter on the bike says it is not very accurate. Your battery voltage should be in the 14 volt range and the only good way to test it is which a good volt meter.

Check the voltage at the battery it should be in the 12.8 to 13.5 volt range.

If the bike starts without a problem and runs good I suspect the battery is OK.

You do not need the Harley branded battery any battery that meets the spec is OK.

If the voltage is below 12.0 volts when the bike is not running you have a battery that is going bad or needs charging. If the voltage at the battery is in the 13.5 to 14 volt range when the bike is running then the bikes charging system is OK.

If I recall correctly, 12.67v is considered a full charge (standing) at 20degC (68 degrees F). If the temperature of the battery is higher or lower than this, the voltage will be slightly higher or lower.

 At 20degC, 12.0v would be considered dead.
 12.5v is probably around 75% charged.

Jim@hdbomm.com

[1fstrde]

 Ok, thanks guys, great info!!
Thanks agian,matt

[nascaroutlaw]

you may need a new stater, the same thing happened to my 05 seeg.

[1fstrde]

Is that something I can do, or have to take in to the Harley shop?
Thanks,matt

[Twolanerider]

Is that something I can do, or have to take in to the Harley shop?
Thanks,matt

You can check the stator in the bike.  Only "special" tool needed is a multimeter for it's ohm function and AC voltage function.  Use a meter on the batter first though.  Just to make sure what the output actually is without relying on the dash gauge.

If you do have a bad stator and need to ask to begin with if you can do it you'll probably not want to.  Replacement entail removing the primary cover, the compensator, clutch and chain, the rotor (strong magnet there, some like to use a small puller) and then, finally, the stator itself.  Changing the stator also requires getting up under the regulator to unplug the the stator connection and working the wires and sealing plug through the hole in the engine case.

[1fstrde]

Wow, well I installed a new battery and drove it to work( 161 miles away) and so far so good!! So I will keep my fingers crossed!
Matt( if not, I will take it in)

[Para Bellum]

Matt,

If your charging system (alternator and/or voltage regulator) has gone bad, you'll see the exact symptoms you've had.  Your bike will run OK until the battery gets too weak to support the ECM or to turn the starter motor.  Several people have mentioned the stator, which is part of the alternator.  I noticed nobody has mentioned a voltage regulator problem.

When the engine is off, the gauge will measure the battery voltage, which is somewhere around 10 to 11.5 volts.  With everything working correctly and the engine running about 2500 RPM, the voltage gauge should read about 14 volts; this shows the charging system  output.

If your engine is running about 2500 RPM and the gauge still shows just battery voltage, you aren't getting anything from the charging system.  This can be a bad alternator, bad voltage regulator, bad connections/wires, or any combination of these.

Replacing a voltage regulator isn't too hard, and is much easier than replacing the stator.

[1fstrde]

Thanks boublechoppers!!!!

[Mr John DEUFF]

I had the same kind of problem, sometimes when I started the bike the voltage was still around 11v then after a few minutes it was coming up to 14v. It happened a few times then is was getting more and more frequent. So I changed the voltage regulator (it can easily be done in 15 minutes) and the problem had never happened again (it was in May 2013).