In order to successfully test your charging system output you need to be able to put a load on it. According to the Triumph manual you should use a 1 ohm resistor. They show how to construct one, but a simpler solution is to buy one from Nebraska surplus.
http://www.surplussales.com/resistor...nd/WW05-1.html
The one I bought is made by Milwaukee and costs around 25 dollars. You need one that can handle at least 200 watts, the one I bought is rated at 240. Attach to each terminal a double set of leads. The white set uses female bullet connectors to connect to the alternator leads. Red set uses some sort of terminal to connect your multi-meter. This is a picture of how I rigged mine. Attach the resister to some sort of stand so air can circulate around it.
Disconnect the two alternator leads where they come out of the primary case and plug them into the two white leads. Connect your multi-meter to the other. Set the meter on 10 volts AC (remember its AC current coming out of the alternator). Start the bike and check the reading. A healthy alternator should be putting out 9 volts.
If thats okay, next check the output at the rectifier. Rig up a jumper with a slide on connector. Connect this to the middle terminal on the side of the rectifier. Connect the other end to one of the white wires. Connect the red wire on that terminal to the negative lead of the multi-meter. Connect the other red lead to the positive multi-meter lead. Ground the corresponding white lead on that terminal to the bike frame. Set the multi-meter on 10 volts DC this time (remember the rectifier converts AC out of the alternator to DC going to the battery). Start the bike again and you should be reading 7.5 volts.
Before I made these tests I was ready to replace the alternator on my bike. It checked out fine but the rectifier proved to be duff. Saved myself about 250 bucks.
Linear Mode
