I ride an 08 Street Glide. For about a year I have had a voltage problem that comes and goes. At different times during a ride the battery will not be charging. From start up or occurring in the middle of a ride the voltage will drop, and then start charging again. Both the engine check light and battery light will come on and voltage indicator will be 12 or less then will start charging 14.5 without me doing anything. I have also ridden for 35 miles without it charging and when pulling into my driveway I switched it off, then back on and released the clutch to start my bike. The voltage indication then showed charging. Of course I had to put my ride on charge after that because I rode with the voltage indicator at 8 and dropping fast before getting in the driveway. I have done this kind of rolling start several times and most of the time the bike charged after. This winter I parked my bike for 11 weeks without putting the battery tender on. I have a new battery so I figured I would just change the 08 battery. Just for giggles I thought I would see if it would start. Fired up like I had just parked it. Rode a short ride and all OK. A few days later fired up, no problem. In less than a quarter of a mile, not charging, did my kill switch and rolling clutch start and all Ok again. Where does this ole girl start looking? Has anyone out there had this problem?

I hate electrical gremlins. After all these years I think it's easier to sell the bike than fix something I cannot see.

However, water, money and electricity need to 'flow' at a uniform rate or they cause problems. Sometimes your 'pipe' is full and the bike functions, sometimes the charging system is 'empty.'

That sounds like some form of 'gate' is opening and closing incorrectly. That would be two things. Either a voltage regulator isn't working, or there is a minor but sufficiently sized short most commonly known as "bundle chafing." That is a small crack or wear mark in a wire that sometimes exposes the wire itself. Despite the name, it could also be a slightly loose connection. There should be cable ties at regular intervals to keep things tight so they don't rattle around.

After I invented fire, created a round rock I called 'the wheel' and did a bunch of cave paintings, I built something called a continuity tester. And just for fun I designed it to require hours of fun by wasting an entire day poking around and verifying nothing is wrong when a bike won't start.

Like I started, call your no-brother-good-inlaw and tell him you have a great deal on a Harley. Then go buy a new bike...

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Electrical problems are not easy to find. Like the tourist suggested I would start with the voltage regulator. There are a lot of possibilities frayed wire that is grounding on the frame or just loose connection that makes contact every now and then. It could even be your alternator in your primary. There are all kinds of test that can be done to eliminate things.

I would check for broken wires and/or loose connections first and if you can't find the problem and you don't have access to test equipment then you might have to take it to a shop. There are shops that deal with auto electrical systems you may want to call up and see if they will work on your bike they might have better pricing then your dealer.

I had a problem with my low beam on my bike. When I turned the handle bars from side to side the lights would go on and off. So I knew that the problem was around the front forks. Quick inspection found a loose connection.

Hope that it is that easy for you. I am sure that it will cost less to fix your problem then buy a new bike. Good luck and keep us posted on how you make out.

Thanks for the suggestuIons, The Tourist & glider. Those are the areas I was thinking. Leaning toward a loose connection or fray at a connector. I will follow up when I find it. Bike NOT for sale. ;)

Read last sentence first! If you have a shop manual just go to the electical section and with a simple multimeter you should be able to find the problem. You start with diconnecting the connector under your voltage regulator remove the plastic cover so you can acess the pins and go by what the book says. Do it with the system working,and if nothing comes up, go for a ride and wait till it does it then go to work right there hopefully in a safe place and see if you can find it. One thing you could check first is your ground at the rear starter bolt, if that isn't tight it could cause an intermitten problem.

Any loose connection will cause what you are describing, sometimes you just have to check 'em all...