[awsnap]

I was assuming that you might be adding a relay. That's pretty advanced, and not that you couldn't handle it, but you probably wouldn't think about it. That's what installing alarm systems too long does to your brain. Also, as far as testing for voltage is concerned. You can pretty much put those two leads on anything safely, so don't worry about that. Also, the battery should read 14 ish. Charging requires the movement of electrons (current) which is achieved by having a higher potential (voltage) connected to the battery. Even though your battery was 'dead' it would still read 12.6 after 30 minutes or so. All batteries will attempt to return to 12.6, the charge is a different story....

[Chef]

...I watched the volts plummet 8 volts...7.6...7.2....6.9....

.....Why were the volts plummeting so quickly when I ran the line directly to the battery?

My friend, your battery is shot.
It is either that, or you have a major SHORT in the system (which I doubt).
For the battery to drop to that voltage level due to a short, you would have definately seen that wire you tapped directly to the battery melting/smouldering... or sparks flying from a connection.

Check your battery fluid levels: If the electrolyte levels are topped up on each cell and you get voltages like this from the battery, then buy a new one.
If there is one or more cells that has low electrolyte levels, top the cell up with water and charge the shyte out of it. If you still see voltages like this after topping the cell(s) up and recharging, then turf your battery and buy a new one.

A car/cycle battery is essentially a Lead-Acid box.
These batteries should maintain a charging voltage (while the vehicle is running) of approximately 2.22 - 2.33 Volts Per Cell (VPC). That equates to 13.3 - 13.98 volts at the battery (2.22V or 2.33V X 6 cells). Charging voltage varies between manufacturers, but those numbers are close enough to represent most batteries.

Just for shytes and giggles... put your voltmeter onto the battery and start the bike. Do you get at least 13.5 (give or take) Volts? If not, then you have a charging problem.
Turn off the bike and watch your voltmeter. Turn your ignition to the on position (don't start the bike) and turn on the signals, press the brake pedal, press the start button to engage the starter, etc - anything to load the battery without actually having the bike running.
If the voltmeter drops below 11.5 - 12 volts and continues to drop, your battery is fried.

If your battery drops below 1.6 VPC (9.6 Volts total) while under load and not running, that usually means that the battery is unrecoverable and it is time for a new one.
Unfortunately, Lead Acid batteries are not as forgiving as other battery technologies when it comes to extending their life or reconditioning their state of health.

All that said... This thread is slowly becoming a major thorn in my side.
If I were there, I could probably find the problem within 5-10 minutes. Trying to explain things on the internet sucks B/\ll$ sometimes
source, you have realised that patience is a virtue because you have gone through a long-winded thread in order to find your problem.

Keep trudging, source - I sincerely hope that you pinpoint the problem quickly and 'wifey' doesn't crack the whip because you are spending too much time.... blah, blah, blah !!!

[Chef]

I believe he was talking if you run a feed off the battery. But now that I think about it, you don't want a feed off the battery or your headlights would be live with key off - right?

Hahaha !
It's called a smoke-test.
Running an unfused heavy wire to a circuit that is shorted will definately show the problem via smoking wires/components... You definately isolate the problem using this method because the smouldering component is generally the faulty one.

The smoke-test is a widely used electronics troubleshooting method (albeit, a frowned upon method) that is usually performed when all other avenues of electrical troubleshooting fail to provide results

...I don't think we are there just yet !!
And I know we aren't dealing with a shorted circuit here.

[source]

Thanks hehe.

When I get home tonight I'll take the battery off the tender and do some tests with a meter to make sure the battery is okay.

The smoke-test is a widely used electronics troubleshooting method (albeit, a frowned upon method) that is usually performed when all other avenues of electrical troubleshooting fail to provide results

That's in the Source's Manual to Life after the page on precision repair using a hammer

[The CyberPoet]

When I get home tonight I'll take the battery off the tender and do some tests with a meter to make sure the battery is okay.

Battery fully charged: above 12.6 volts.
12 hours later, not hooked to anything (neither bike nor charger): reading must be the same or higher voltage, not lower; if lower, order a new battery.

The 100/85 bulb is the culprit (or another bulb that was in there before drawing even more). If you (or anyone else) is considering that kind of power-draw bulb, I highly recommend using a relay and laying in new (heavier) wiring to power the replacement bulbs. They sell standard kits on the web from a variety of sources that will accomplish this without any wiring knowledge.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[source]

When I get home tonight I'll take the battery off the tender and do some tests with a meter to make sure the battery is okay.

Battery fully charged: above 12.6 volts.
12 hours later, not hooked to anything (neither bike nor charger): reading must be the same or higher voltage, not lower; if lower, order a new battery.

The 100/85 bulb is the culprit (or another bulb that was in there before drawing even more). If you (or anyone else) is considering that kind of power-draw bulb, I highly recommend using a relay and laying in new (heavier) wiring to power the replacement bulbs. They sell standard kits on the web from a variety of sources that will accomplish this without any wiring knowledge.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

Thanks TCP, I'll do that with the battery.

As for the headlights, a previous owner (bonehead) did that. I'll be buying 2 stock halogen bulbs recommended for the bike.

[source]

Battery fully charged: above 12.6 volts.
12 hours later, not hooked to anything (neither bike nor charger): reading must be the same or higher voltage, not lower; if lower, order a new battery.

12.67, 12.76 the next day. Battery appears to be okay, not in new condition, but not in need of replacement yet.

The wiring harness I bought on ebay arrived today. I'll be going through the joy of installing that next...

[source]

Completely removed all wiring & installed the wiring harness I just got. It sucked but wasn't that bad. It only took a couple of hours.

It turns out the "complete" harness listed in the ebay auction didn't include the headlight section of the harness...so I'm just going to order it from the local dealer for around $35. That should fix the problem and make it so I don't have to bypass any connectors in the new harness.

Guess I'll work on my idle problem while waiting for the headlight harness to come in.