2006 Buell Lightning: Electrical 7-27
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TESTING
Milliampere Draw Test
NOTE
Be sure accessories are not wired so they stay on at all times.
This condition could drain battery completely if vehicle is
parked for a long time. Check for this by connecting ammeter
between negative battery terminal and battery.
1. See Figure 7-28. Connect ammeter between negative
battery terminal and battery. With this arrangement, you
will also pick up any regulator drain.
2. With ignition key switch turned to OFF and all lights and
accessories off, observe amperage reading.
a. Maximum reading should be 2.0 milliamperes.
b. A higher reading indicates excessive current draw.
Any accessories must be considered and checked
for excessive drain.
NOTE
A battery with a surface discharge condition could suffer a
static drain. Correct by cleaning battery case.
Total Current Draw Test
If battery runs down during use, the current draw of the
motorcycle components and accessories may exceed output
of the charging system.
1WARNING1WARNING
Turn battery load tester OFF before connecting tester
cables to battery terminals. Connecting tester cables
with load tester ON can cause a spark and battery explo-
sion, which could result in death or serious injury.
(00252a)
1. See Figure 7-29. To check for this condition, place load
tester induction pickup or current probe pickup over bat-
tery negative cable.
2. Disconnect stator wiring from voltage regulator wiring at
the connector [46] under front sprocket cover See 7.26
SPROCKET COVER WIRING. Start the motorcycle and
run the engine at 3000 RPM.
3. With ignition and all continuously running lights and
accessories turned on (headlight on high beam), read
the total current draw.
4. Compare this reading to the reading obtained after per-
forming the CURRENT AND VOLTAGE OUTPUT TEST.
a. The current output should exceed current draw by
3.5 amps minimum.
b. If output does not meet specifications, there may be
too many accessories for the charging system to
handle.
5. Reconnect regulator after testing.
Figure 7-28. Milliampere Draw Test
Figure 7-29. Check Current Draw (Ignition Switch On)
b0325x7x
12 VDC
Battery
Ignition turned
to OFF
Battery negative
cable
2.0 milliamperes
maximum
b1093x7x
Load tester
12 VDC
Battery
VOLTS
AMPS