i have a 1989 bayou 300 and the battery will not hold a charge,it is a new battery,just trying to figure out where to start,what would make it not hold charge,is the stator the other thing that charges the battery or are there other thing i need to check too.

 

Yes, a bad stator would not charge the battery. And a bad voltage regulator/rectifier (which is between the stator and the battery) is another possibility. Check the AC voltage output at the stator. Then you would know which one is the problem. When engine is just idling, what is your DC voltage reading at the battery terminal?

 

i charged up the battery so i could start it again and i started it up and let it idle and the dc voltage at the battery was 12.3,but after i ride it a while and turn it off i cant start it because the battery is dead

 

Yep, the 12.3 V is way too low. It should be minimum 13+ when engine is idling and 14+ when revving the engine at high rpm (>3000). You need to find out whether the stator quit working or the voltage regulator is blocking the current in the middle by measuring the AC voltage output.