Regulator rectifier or Stator?

[Will]

My 82 Suzuki 550 Katana was fine. Then the other day while riding, lost all power then I stalled it, I tried to restart but wouldn't. I jump started it from a car and got home. I put in a freshly charged battery and it seemed fine. I haven't ridden it since cuz of rain, that was a week ago. I just went to try and start it and the battery died after trying to start it like 4 times. I guess somthing is drawing power even when just sitting. I am trying to figure what is gone, the reg rec or the stator. Dose anyone have an idea?

[txironhead]

http://www.thegsresources.com/garage/gs_statorfault.htm

[SqDancerLynn1]

If the battery drains while parked It's the reg. You do need to check the stator
A bad reg can fry the stator

[Redman]

Will, You can make all kinds of observations about how it operates after charging the batty, and how long before it dies again, and such as that. You can tell us that you started it and drove so far, and parked for so long, and started it again and drove so far, and then it turned slow...and such ... and so on.
All of which are not very helpfull in diagnosing the problem.
Symptoms of a bad/week/old battery are a lot like the symptoms of weak/failed charging system.

What you need to observe (after charging battery) is the charging volts, the volts acrost the battery (like 13.5 volts DC) with the engine running at mid RPMs. ANd the volts from each of the 3 phases of the stator (like 80 volts AC) with stator disconnected from regulator, again with engine at mid rpms. Check ouyt the "stator papers" as pointed out in previous posting above, such testing described in detail. If that is too much detail, check out the major things I mentioned.

So what you need is a volt meter. Other wize you will just be quessing and replacing parts.

Ah, Oh, when you said 'you put in a freshily charged battery', did you mean that you got a new battery? And if it was a new battery, do you mean at the store they said you dont have to charge it?

Tell us more what you find out.