1988 Honda VT800 shadow will not keep battery charged. I have replaced the stator, regulator and battery. With the head light disconnected bike puts out between 13.3 to 14.4 (at 5000rpm)Do I have a short in wiring and where do I get a wiring diagram for this bike. Haynes and Clymer don't offer a book on it.

Search archway salvage

i have the same problem, The most likely problem is that your charging
system is not working or your battery has a faulty or shorted battery cell.

The battery should be load tested at an
auto shop or motorcyle dealer.
This will verify if it is still okay.
It must be fully charged to do a load test.

You can connect a multimeter to the battery
terminals and see if the bike is charging.
Speed the bike up to about 3000 rpm
and see if the battery voltage is about 14 volts
or slightly higher.

If the voltage is only the same as the battery
or under 13 volts then the bike is not charging
properly.

This could be a faulty alternator stator coil
or a faulty regulator/rectifier unit.

The alternator stator connector
is under the seat. It has a white
connector with 3 yellow wires.

Unplug the connector and check the
"AC" voltage between each set of yellow
wires with the bike running fast idle.

Between any two yellow wires you should have
30-60 volts "AC"
Also, none of the yellow wires
should have any connection to ground.
You can check that with the ohms setting
on the meter.

If the stator voltage is low or none
then the stator coil under the
left engine cover will need to
be replaced.

If the voltage is okay on the stator
but not on the battery then
the regulator/rectifier unit is likely
faulty. There is no test, just replace
it if the stator voltage is good and
the battery is good.

To check for a drain just remove your
negative battery cable and put a test
light between the battery and the cable.
If it lights up with the key off, that
is a drain. Pop fuses until it goes off
to find the troubled circuit.

Charge and load test the battery. If the battery sat dead for as little as two weeks , it could be sulfated and no good. If it is a Yuasa battery it only has a 6 month warranty , grab your receipt and race back to the dealer. They will charge and load test it three times . If it does not pass the load test you will get a new battery if it is still under warranty. Grab your voltmeter and unplug the plug with three yellow wires that is coming out of your stator. The three yellow wires coming from the stator should have continuity with each other and no continuity between any of the yellow wires and ground. That is the test for the stator. If the stator is good , the battery is good , then you probably have a bad regulator/rectifier. I suspect you just have a bad battery.

something may have broken, like a dowel on the shifting drum and jammed the mechanism.

The brake may still be slightly sticking and motor is using more work. or floats may have gotten stuck