I recently charged my battery and reinstalled it. i'm having a problem getting the gauges to power on and staying on, every couple turns of the key the gauges powers up for just enough time for me to start it. i'm not sure if its the connection, spark plugs, a short in the system, or maybe the alternator (since when i hit the brakes the lights dim?) i'd appreciate any help

Sounds like you either got a bad battery, or the connections are bad.

Did you put the acid in yourself? Did you put any acid in at all? What brand of battery did you get?

General consensus is that the battery wont charge until the bike is over 4k rpm due to the low output of the stator. Go to the link in my sig and search there and you will find other's experiences to back up what I told you if you want to check my validity.