71 Sportster Iron head charging problems?

Question

I've been dealing with bunk charging since I've had this bike, my solution has been hooking up a trickle charge every other night. I'm looking for a more permanant solution. I've always heard this era has charging problems but nobody will say more than they have the problem.

Answer 1

Make sure you flashed the generator,check the starter silnoid for grounding out,dead cell in battery,reg bad it happens,relay and makeing sure something is not wired hot when should b off, had same problem, last time was dead cell, now I can leave off for 4 or 5 days and will crank on first try.

Answer 2

A way to check you charging system is to hook a voltmeter across the battery terminals, run the bike, and see if the voltage climbs when reving the motor.
You year has a generator, rather than an alternator.
Generators tend to not charge at idle speed, plus alternators are better and more reliable, which is why generators haven't been installed on any new vehicles in years.
There IS a generator to alternator conversion kit for your bike:

http://www.jpcycles.com/productgroup.aspx?GID=F7EFE75C-4EAC-4DFB-8FE4-4CBCC4241A08

Answer 3

It doesn't sound like it's just a charging problem to me. You have a Regulator, and a Magneto. This feeds the battery and keeps it charged as you ride the bike, just like an Alternator in a car. Other than that, you are running strictly off of the battery. Once the battery dumps, you have to recharge it. Check all associated fuses, then have the Regulator and/or any other charging parts associated with the battery check. I guarantee you, it's one of them. And, I would recommend that you take it in to a shop for the inspection of such.

Take Care

Answer 4

quick check for 71 sportys, while it's running at fast idle, try pulling the positve cable off the battery, should keep running.