TOPIC:

Been reading that this is something that should be replaced on our bikes due to the age. Can just strike out a no where and go bad. Hope you luck and I'm thinking of starting to save quarters so I can replace mine by next year.

Ok, rectifier is toast it's overcharging. Now what if I unplug the charger, ride with the battery until it's almost empty, hook it back up and charge a bit and so on. How far do I get on a fully charged battery with lights off? Kind of inconvenient doing this for 1,000 miles....

I wouldn't attempt doing that. You will need to charge the battery several times to go 1000 miles, and each charge will take a long time because motorcycle batteries must be charged at 2 amps or lower. Add to that the fact that you don't know where you will be each time the bike dies, so it could be a long walk/push to a charger.

Instead, I would contact www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com/Products.html and ask them to use overnight shipping to get you a new rectifier/regulator. Tell them your predicament and your bike's year/model and I'm sure they will be able to help. Ed

Yeah I thought the same and already ordered the replacement from Z1. Should be here tomorrow. At least I am stranded on Route 66, that's not too bad

anotherZ wrote: I am 1,000 mls from home....can someone give me a link where I can see how to test it?

You test a reg by reading the battery voltage when the engine is revving about 2k - 3k RPM. If it is 13.5 to 14.5V, the reg is probably OK. If the reg let the battery voltage go too high, that's what blows a lot of bulbs in the bike.

Big thanks again to Z1enterprises who overnighted the regulator to me. Since then I have ridden another 1300 miles and made it back home without any issues. 2300 miles in total in 8 days, still feeling good! And thanks to everyone who helped me out with their advice!