Electrical gremlins on an XS360

[WesleyGarrard]

Hello all,

I have experienced an electrical fault on my 76 XS360. On my way to work, the bike was riding beautifully. % blocks from work, the bike cuts out and I have no electrical power. After getting it back home I test the usual suspects, battery, fuses, loose wires, bad grounds. All checks out. However, if I hook my battery charger up to the battery, everything comes back to life. Has anyone experienced anything similar?

 

[FarmBoy72]

Does the battery read 12V or more on its own? I have seen a battery that reads a good voltage but causes all kinds of havoc and charging issues.

 

[WesleyGarrard]

The battery reads 13v when tested off the bike. When I hook everything back up and turn on the ignition, voltage drops to just above 7v. All the wiring looks great and there are no loose grounds. Your reply makes me wonder if the battery can no longer handle the load. I am going to put a load tester on it this evening and see how bad the voltage drop is off the bike.

 

[FarmBoy72]

I would think that it shouldn't drop down any lower than 10-11V under load, I would definitely be looking closely at the battery. Unless the coil is causing that drain, since its a points bike if one of them is closed a coil is ON constantly while not running and would be a large load, can turn off the handlebar ignition switch to turn the coils off.

Unless there is something shorted in the electrical system on the bike that is causing a huge drain, But that would most likely make some wires quite toasty and should be easily found if they are getting hot.