over or under charging?

I have been having charging problems. It's really strange. Based on the research I've done most people would say it's over charging and it's a regulator issue. But I can't get it to happen when I have the volt meter on it. I can't actually get any useful information with the multi-meter, it just sort of ranges from 11 point something to 13 point something no matter what revs the motor is at.

Here is the actual behavior. It works fine on short trips, Usually. I ride it to school about a 15 or 20 minute ride and it starts again when I leave to come home. If I ride over half an hour, on the freeway, it runs out of juice, and if I stop it won't start again. Lights dim, won't crank. Then if I let it sit, it slowly gets some power back, but not usually ever enough to start, it may crank a couple times, but that's it.

I already replaced the battery, but that apparently wasn't the problem.

 

It certainly sounds like a regulator issue. You need to check you have good continuity through the connectors to.
At idle, you will get no more than 12 volts and it should be steady. As the revs rise - say over 3000 - the voltage should rise to about. 14.5. I am not sure of the exact figure but check your manual.
A crude test is to switch the headlamp on and let the bike idle. If the light gets brighter as the revs rise, the chagring system is working. If it actually gets a bit dimmer - the charging system is not wotking.

It may be the alternator brushes worn, especially as the mileage on you bike is quite high.
A physical inspection is needed and i believe they have wear indicator lines on them.

EDIT: The symptoms of overchargng will be blown lamps and a battery that has no electrolyte in it.

 

BINGO! I doubt it's the regulator; from your basic meter readings and symptoms it sounds like it's just not charging the battery. You should be seeing about 14.5V at the battery above around 2200RPM. The bike is running off the battery until it dies; the little bit of "recovery" you get is the battery itself.

The alternator brushes wear out; they're supposed to. Issues with corrosion and poor connectivity at the regulator/rectifier connector are common also; but it sounds to me like it's time to have a peek at the brushes.

 

Thanks, guys, I figured, it just wasn't matching any of my previous experience with alternator failure. (in cars) The part that is weird is that it clearly is charging on short trips, I mean I rode it today, and didn't put it on the trickle charger or anything.

Maybe it's charging for a while, then gives up the ghost?

Anyway, I didn't tell the whole story. I got stranded on the Banfield Freeway, in Portland Thanksgiving night, because of this. I pushed the bike up an onramp, then a mile or so to a friend's house. But on the way, as I was pushing it across an intersection, in a crosswalk(I had the walk sign and everything) a car that I had been staring at, trying to make sure he saw me, tried to turn right on red and ran over me in the crosswalk! I was like "what the hell? I was standing right there looking at you, waiting for the walk sign!" Turns out his windshield was so fogged up on the right side that he couldn't see me!

Careful out there.

Oh, I'm fine, I'm unbreakable but the bike needs some new turn signals, grips(I just replaced those!) and got a little scraped here and there. Brother.

 

check the plug to the alternator, the one with cloth insulation on the wires, that could cause the funky voltage readings, then check the brushes