Is it the Ignition switch?

[hitman46mod]

I'm having an intermittent problem. I noticed this issue while ridding home the other night. The lights get a little brighter and then a little dimmer while ridding. I cleaned all the connections and reassembled them with dielectric grease (except the ignition switch). This made the lights brighter at idle. But still the issue persists. Sometimes it evens out and stays a consistent brightness. I performed the stator checks, all checked out, emptied and refilled the battery with fresh acid (battery was in perfect working order before and after). The issue occurs at different RPMs and speeds. Usually most noticable at cruise, anywhere from 40 to 80 MPH. The R/R is warm to the touch puts out proper voltage during tests. Does not affect drivability. Coils fire clean at all RPMs. Anyone have a clue?

Thanks in advance Jesse.

[barnbiketom]

I would check the ground and power wires in the plug at the rect/reg. they might be burned. that will toast the rect/reg in record time if not fixed with a new plug.....

[hitman46mod]

Plugs are clean and in good order. First thing I checked was the R/R.

[Redman]

You have a multi-meter?

Would be good to determine if problem is entire system voltage fluctuating (measure battery voltage), or if is a bad connection in headlight circuit.

Have you noticed if other lights fluctuate? Or just headlight? Both high beam and low beam?

Is hard to trouble shoot electrical problems with your eyeballs. Really need a voltmeter (multi-meter).

Tell us more what you find.

.

[hitman46mod]

Yes, I have a DVOM (multi meter) I checked all 3 legs of the Stator. They all read good from the reading given in the stator pages. The R/R makes 13.48v at idle and 14.46v at 5k and the highest restance from any ground to the battery neg was .21 or less. I know most people are knobs when it comes to electronics. But I'm really good with 12v systems. I'm just looking to see if people, who have been around the block a few times with these. Have run into this problem. I have recieved some advice, and will try some changes to the grounds. I will post any findings.

[Seana23]

Hi babes.
The trouble may be from vibration so even when you test stuff.its not vibrating at 8,000 rpm!
Just a thought.
Xxx

[surviverguy]

Check your connectors inside the headlamp bucket. Look for discoloration and feel them with the ignition on. Heat=resistance=voltage drops. There's a small green connector in there...if it gets warm or hot...it can be eliminated! Also check your ignition switch conneector also located in that headlight housing.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Whenever these symptoms manifested themselves on my bike it was because the stator was going out. It could be at idle, when the stator is relatively cool, the readings are normal. But when you've been out on the road for a while the windings on the stator start moving and shorting out.

Heat in the stator eventually breaks down the insulation between the windings and they start shorting out. This renders the charging system less than effective.

Keep all the connections and grounds clean. Keep an eye on the charging system. It will probably fail completely eventually.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[hitman46mod]

Ok after going through the wiring with a fine tooth comb. I found the headlight ground was faulty when wiggled. Replaced it with a bigger wire and added a new ground in the headlight bucket. Problem solved!