On vehicle charging system check

Another of the new 'Basic Skills' family of short videos, this one covers how to do a quick and simple check of a vehicle's charging system using a volt meter.
Its really common for the battery on your vehicle to be 'blamed' for the engine not cranking due to it been flat (discharged).
But its not always the batteries fault, it could be any number of faults, maybe a large parasitic drain, overcharging, undercharging, wiring fault, faulty starter motor, faulty ignition barrel or maybe something mechanical too.
If there is an overcharging fault then the new battery you fit will be damaged over a short period of time and fail. If its an undercharging fault then all that will happen is that the new battery will slowly discharge and eventually the car will either stop or the engine won't re-start.
This quick test will highlight either of these problems before you go spending heaps of money on replacing a battery that might not actually be the problem....
I'm doing this test on a motorcycle but its the same test for cars, ride-on lawnmowers, tractors, trucks and pretty much any vehicle that has a battery. It takes about 2 minutes to do so you'd be crazy not to check!
These 'Basic Skills' videos are NOT meant to be a decisive, all encompassing, training video on teaching you all the various aspects of professional skills, no, not in the slightest!
Its a short video showing the basics giving you a starting point on how its done, the tools you need and a few tips along the way...
Any questions then please leave them in the comments section below and I'll do my best to get back to you asap...
Andy Mechanic!