I put one of those Voltage-HeadsUp indicators from Signal Dynamics on my bike about a year ago and have been generally satisfied with its performance. What usually happens is that I turn the ignition key on and the LED immediately turns Green for about a second and then turns to Red. As I rev the engine, it turns a kind of Orange and then when RPMs get above 3000, it turns Green and stays Green. When I am riding, it stays Green almost all the time unless I have a long wait at a stop light, but immediately goes back to Green as soon as I move on.
Yesterday, I cranked my bike and it refused to go Green. Even at 5000 RPM it stayed Red. I went out on the road and had to get up over 50mph before it turned Green and the second I backed off on the throttle it went back to red.
I came home and checked all the wiring around the battery for tightness and corrosion. Then I put the battery on the charger for a few hours. The battery is a maintenance-free and I've only had it a couple weeks. I even took the voltage regulator apart and looked at it.
I guess my question is first should I think I have a charging problem and second should I consider modernizing my charging system a bit. The bike was made in late 1971, but it only has about 40,000 miles on it. I have read that the more modern systems have a voltage regulator and rectifier combined. Would it be a difficult upgrade to replace my old parts with this new or would it be a waste of time and money?
