Kawasaki Forums - 94 Vulcan 1500 Electrical Issues

Hi Guys,

Brand new to the forums so forgive the ignorance...

A month ago I bought a 94 vulcan 1500. "How's it run?" I asked the guy "Flawless bro, never had any issues." Checked it out but I knew nothing to really look for, except my limited experience on cars. Cranked it, rode it, seemed fine...missed the friction zone, but I figured I'd flush the clutch and that would be a no issue.

The day I got her home, battery dies. Now the guy said it was a new battery. I charged it, bike cranked, then died the next day. Swapped the battery, and it still won't hold a charge. Clearly the rectifier or stator....

So I find the connector that houses the current in and out wires, had fried a bit. Took the wires out, cleaned connections, replaced....so here is where I am having issues...

When I fire the bike, the battery is sitting at about 12.5 volts, give or take. At idle it drops to 12, at about 3000rpms it will climb to 13.5'ish, but the lights dim.....what could I be looking at?

Also, the guy had jacked the wiring all up and there was a wire ground off the stator negative to the frame. Everything I have read said that is a no no. I disconnected but I'm not sure that was the right move. Is the lighting normal? What could it be? Is my stator bad?