There are a few electrical configurations depending on the model. I use an ammeter on my '70 (which I mounted in my headlight shell) If you have a workshop manual, the ammeter is shown in the schematic of the simple electrical diagram in the back of the manual. (I'll also paste the image below) I also added directionals and late model switch blocks to my bike, because even though directionals aren't required for vehicles made before 1973 in the USA, other drivers don't pay enough attention to be safe only using hand signals. (You add a hot lead from the ignition switch into the headlight shell and feed power to both switchblock cables from it, then add the wiring to the new directional lights from each switchblock and then ground the component to the frame... done)
Electrical work is logical. So long as your are making compete circuits, you have options. I wire my headlight shell lighting switch to the positive side of the ignition switch so the lights go off when the key goes off, and the only things that are hot without the key being on, are the horn and the main beam flash. (the schematic below illustrates this)
I have a 3 position headlight switch which is wired as:
Left position ------------ Center position --------------- Right position
OFF ------------------- Daylight bulb and tail lights ----- Headlight Plus Daylight bulb and tail lights
"OFF" is to kick the bike over without any draw on the battery besides the ignition circuit
"Daylight bulb and tail lights" only was to reduce electrical usage originally, but with the LED headlight bulb I use, it's not much more efficient than having the headlight LED on, so I rarely use the middle position anymore
"Headlight plus all lighting" is my normal position to ride the bike. Everything is on, and the ammeter shows positive charging above 2,000 RPM's, which is pretty decent. When I idle at a stop light the ammeter is in the negative for a few minutes. When I take off it charges strongly for a few minutes to restore the lost surface charge, then goes back to it's normal position, slightly charging as I ride along normally. I recommend an ammeter, but many are critical of them, so there's some homework to do if you want to install one.
As far as Pete's "rat's nest" goes, I don't mount my terminals toward the rear because I like to keep the rat's nest away from the terminals. I cut a 1/16"th thin sheet of stiff polyethylene to go between the battery and the back of the oil tank and I put the terminal connection side of the battery facing the oil tank behind the insulating sheet of plastic to prevent accidental contact with anything metal.
long winded, no doubt...
