bad alternator

i got a new battery when my bike was shipped to me but since i have been doing nothing but working on it i havent charged it yet thus every time i go to run the bike i just jump it from an extra battery i have in the garage. i'm missing a left foot peg so i havent ridden it yet which means i have never had the urge to move it farther than the jumper cables will go. the other day after testing my toggle switch ignition mod i decided to see how well the charging system works. so while the bike was running i disconnected the jumper cables and the bike went dead. RATS. does this mean i have a bad alternator? there was not a battery installed in the bike when i did this.
the bike should have kept running regardless of the aux pwr being disconnected wether there was a bettery installed or not (such as if the battery was dead)

as a side note i recall having battery problems with this the summer i bought it which was the only summer i rode it until i joined the ol' USAF and got shipped here to beautiful north dakota aka the middle of fricken nowhere. now my bike has joined me once again and when i get her fixed up it'll be fun times had by all!

ps. i don't know a thing about motorcycles other than what knowledge i can relate from cars, and jets. ha ha

thanks in advance for any suggestions/tips

Post edited by: scirocco17, at: 2006/06/03 23:50

I think the battery needs to be in hooked up. Do you know how to set up and charge a bike battery?

Charging system troubleshooting in the Filebase

I'll just say that Minot was never on my dreamsheet

You have a permanent magnet alternator that generates electrity whenever the motor is running, whether there is a battery or not.
Most common is a bad connection.
2nd is a bad reg/rec.
3rd (and not real common but it does happen) is a bad stator.

Well, steell if it is indeed a bad connection where / how should i start trobleshooting? Should i charge the new battery and install it. For it will most surely run out of juice and leave me stranded somewhere if i don't fix the prob.

scirocco17 wrote:

Well, steell if it is indeed a bad connection where / how should i start trobleshooting? Should i charge the new battery and install it. For it will most surely run out of juice and leave me stranded somewhere if i don't fix the prob.

Follow the steps in the link steell gave. Electrical connections get corroded over time. Check the connection to the regulator/rectifier. Pull it apart and spray contact cleaner on it. I had to cut off and replace many bullet connectors and the R/R connector on my bike.

OKC_Kent wrote:

scirocco17 wrote:

Well, steell if it is indeed a bad connection where / how should i start trobleshooting? Should i charge the new battery and install it. For it will most surely run out of juice and leave me stranded somewhere if i don't fix the prob.

Follow the steps in the link steell gave. Electrical connections get corroded over time. Check the connection to the regulator/rectifier. Pull it apart and spray contact cleaner on it. I had to cut off and replace many bullet connectors and the R/R connector on my bike.

Also check the location where the wires from the alternator exit the housing, it's not unknown for them to wear through the insulation at that point and short against the case.