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Anonymous Posted on Jul 28, 2015

1976 Sportster. Why does the battery lose its charge?

Johnny my bike runs on a dead battery but when its fully charged it loses charge does that mean I have an open circuit somewhere could it be the on and off switch?

1 Answer

Mike

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  • Johnny Master 4,383 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 28, 2015
Mike
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Joined: Sep 07, 2009
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Hi Johnny,

No, it would not be an open circuit, as that would cause nothing. Most likely a diode issue.

You did not mention if the bike drains when running, or sitting...Kind of a big thing....

IF not running and the battery drains, isolate the battery by disconnecting all negative cables at the battery. If the problem resolves, the regulator is suspect. It has the diodes that fail.

IF the battery drains while running, look into the charging system. There is a lot of trouble with the plug, where the charging system comes through the engine block. they overheat and fail to function. Not something you can always see, until the plug is pulled out.

If this plug is damaged, it is fairly major to switch out the stator. I have successfully made a soldered connection in this area and filled again with black silicone.

Johnny, there are a ton of other areas that can be suspect, but much more rare for your condition, as stated.

5 Related Answers

Anonymous

  • 1 Answer
  • Posted on May 02, 2009

SOURCE: I have Harley Davidson 2000 Sportster 883. I

Neg cable corroded thru.
I bet you have 12v at the battery and less at the other end of the neg cable.
I had the same problem.

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Anonymous

  • 80 Answers
  • Posted on Jun 12, 2009

SOURCE: my 2000 harley davidson motorcycle wont hold a charge

Get access to the battery terminal posts, star the bike and set the meter to "Volts DC". Touch the leads to the positive and negative posts and see what the meter reads. If the voltage is between 13-15 volts then the bike is charging, if thats the case the bike is charging but your battery is hooped. Start with that and if the bike isnt charging then write back again for trouble shooting instructions.

Anonymous

  • 69 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 02, 2009

SOURCE: harley davidson 2002 1200cc sportster dead battery

Check the stator and regulator and make sure it is not over charging the battery and therefor burning it up. Should be putting out 12 - 14 volts

freetek

Steve Allison

  • 5569 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 03, 2009

SOURCE: Bikes dead!! Battery wont charge, been charging all night Help!

You didn't mention if you charged the battery in- or out of the bike. If H-D has a modern alternator, it may have failed diodes that are draining the battery and stealing charge current if charged while connected. If the battery was made in China . . . oh, well.

Anonymous

  • 108 Answers
  • Posted on Nov 04, 2010

SOURCE: battery keeps going dead. i can jump start my bike

The first thing you need to do is test your charging system. The easiest way to do this is by using a digital multimeter with the setting set on AC Volts, start the bike and connect the meter to the battery, the meter should read between 13-15 volts AC. rev motor a little and watch meter to see if volts go up it should. If the volts rise then your charging system is functioning properly. If the volts are less than 12 volts then you may need to take the bike to a shop to have further testing done by a mechanic to see if it is the stator or regulator/rectifier.

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