Hello Steve,
The bike has a digital voltmeter (and thermometer)
http://web.ncf.ca/ag136/volthermometer.htm
and the voltage reads around 14.2 at all engine speeds.
Maybe Canadian bikes are different.
George, your bike has excellent ground paths and nothing to be gained from the extra wire except to add as a redundant path in the even the current path is compromised. Your results are certainly dis-similar to almost all the rest of the connies out there. I know with that efficiency in the electrical system your bike starts, idles and rev's better than most out there; This may account for times when you read of guys having this or that issue, and you think to yourself "mine isn't like that"... you're lucky, because most guys don't know how well a c-10 can run till they really iron out these little gremlins that most c-10s have. steve