I have a 2001 Sportster 1200 Custom. Had to replace the voltage regulator last summer as the battery died and the bike stopped running. Originally replaced the battery but found out the regulator killed the battery.

Went to take the bike for one last run yesterday. Started up and idled fine. When I went to drive off the engine starting bucking and misfiring, the lights starting coming on and off, odometer and tach went crazy, etc. The higher the engine speed, the worse the problem got. When I got back to the driveway and dropped down to idle the engine seemed to smooth out and the lights and odometer stopped being erratic. I also noted at idle that the directionals would only work intermittently but the horn and high/low beam were fine every time.

I replaced the voltage regulator, fired the bike up and averything ran fine at idle for several minutes. As soon as I revved the engine up over approximately 2000/3000 rpm all hell breaks loose - engine misfires until it almost stalls, lights, tach, speedometer all start dimming and flickering, turn signals and other accessories go intermittent.

Checked all wiring for damage and continuity between positive and ground cables at battery and they are open. Bike has been stored inside since September.

Any thoughts.

Thanks

How are your connections at the battery and don't forget where the positive cable attaches to the starter and check where the negative cable attaches to you swing arm in front of the rear tire on the right side of the bike. I've found these to come loose on me from time to time. You are definetely low on voltage. The tach and speedo going erractic is the clue to that one. Your engine ignition needs more power to run faster that is why it doesn't want to rev. It is definetely a lack of power that is your problem here.

Check the ground connection on right hand side between
swingarm and drive belt. May have a loose connection
in that area. It sounds like it maybe a bad ground.
If you ride in alot of foul weather the battery cables
and ground cables which I described will usually
fall apart rather quickly and you may have to replace them.

Glad i live in a warm climate cause all my connections look
like they just came off the showroom floor. :lolsign

:feedback I guess he must have solved the problem seeing that he hasn't gottten back to us.

All,

I retightened all the grounds and checked the positive cable. Also trickled charged the battery overnight.

Disconnected the alternator connection from the voltage regulator to see if that made a difference. One odd thing was reading of 0.0 Ohms across the stator. I believe it should be .2 to .4 Ohms. It did run fine however. Reconnected the alternator and it still ran fine.

My guess is that either the battery had run down (I haven't been able to ride since September) or I had a bad electrical ground.

Either way I am all set.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Glad everything worked out for you, just keep a eye on
the battery it sounds like it may not make it thru the winter.
If you are storing the bike in a cold garage or shed pull
the battery out and put it in the warm house and trickle
charge it atleast once a week.
Once a month just go over all nuts and bolts on bike and
make they are all tight. :tour

Odd about the stator reading! was your Ohm meter set to the right scale when you measured it or is it a digital meter? You could get a reading that would look like a zero reading if your using to high a scale. You can disconnect the lead that goes from the voltage regulator to your battery and while the engine is running check the voltage from this lead to ground. I'd have to look up what it should be reading at rpm unless someone has this info handy? If you alternator isn't working you definately want to know about this before you go out and get stuck somewhere.