what do u all think about this problem. the key switch on the bike doesnt work right. when u turn it off bike still runs although the speedo goes off and you can jiggle key and bike will then quit. well sunday we rode. about 4 miles into trip the speedo quit didnt pay to much attention to it at the time. well the next time we stopped battery was dead. now the battery was just replaced about 2 months ago due to same issue. now i wonder if it was the battery. i also wonder if the switch is bad and not working correctly and the speedo not working will not let the battery get a charge? when bike is running and speedo not working we have no headlight or cooling fan. taillight is very dim .........any ideas ????

 

Very possibly that this could be a regulator problem. This device brings the charging system to where it needs to be for proper charging from the stator. I had the exact same thing go wrong and finally i replaced the regulator and all went great. You need to take off your front rack and the hood. The regulator is at the right front facing the machine. Before you do this did you or do you have a diag. mode on your machine. I think your machine is a 2001 so I dont know if it has one but you can get a reading if the charging system is working. Simply hold the override button in and hold for 15 sec. turn your key on and you should be in the mode. see if your charging system says and rises to 14-15 when you rpm the machine up. Like I said I dont know if the machine has a diag. mode otherwise you might need to test with a meter. the proper proc. for this will be stated in the machine manual. Hope this helps in anyway...
You can button threw the modes to get to the charging mode...

 

Being that you can wiggle the switch and get it to cut off, I would start there and check the wiring and connections near the switch area. The contacts inside the switch could also be bad which could be causing the charging system problems. I'm not sure if the HO models have the diagnostic port to hook up to or not. Maybe someone else can answer that part.

 

well i got a switch but havent put in yet. seems like the problem. the tech at the local dealer seemed to agree with me too we'll try it. ill post on this issue after the switch is changed out

 

well put in new switch and charged battery went for a ride and after 20 minutes of run time no start again. well we checked the battery with voltmeter and found only 11.5 volts after charging bettery. we checked my bike and it has 14.0 volts at idle. well we switched batteries and both bike are the same as before the switch. has any one had bad regulator, bad alt or stator causing these symptoms... help i am tired of useing by bike as a test bike!!

 

since it is putting out 14v at idle, i am wondering if you have a loose wire or connection. my 2002 ho did the exact same thing, speedo crapped out twice, same battery issue also. after 5 trips to the dealer, they finally traced the wires back from the battery and found a loose bullet connector it wasn't pushed together fully-so when sitting still the voltage was fine, but when bouncing around the trails the wire would jiggle and the connection would fail. try pulling, jiggling wires around the battery and solenoid with a voltage meter on and the engine running.