1984 Trail 110 Charging System

[bills82honda]

I recently purchased a 1984 Trail 110 but I am having an issue with the charging system. All the lights were dim and the battery was at least 2 years old. I bought a new Yuasa battery and now the bulbs are a little brighter then they were but even with the bike running they are very dim. It is not charging. Assuming the previous owner ran the bike with the dead battery it fried the rectifier?

 

[OLD CT]

Check the charging system with a voltmeter. It's only a 6 volt system. The headlight is basically for show, not real nighttime riding.

 

[Old Guy Too Many Bikes]

Also check your wiring. If a PO tried to wire a CT110 like a CT90 they'll jack it up. The stator has a separate wire just for the headlight, and the rectifier is wired differently. On a 90, the black wire is your basic key-on power, not so on a 110. Get a wiring diagram and follow the coil, stator and regulator/rectifier wires. Also do as Old CT mentioned above with a voltmeter.