So my '07 Road King has developed a hard starting problem when cold. Happened for the first time a couple months ago after I hadn't ridden in a few weeks. I figured it may have been an isolated incident, but now it happens on every cold start.

Basically I have to crank a bit and let off, crank a bit and let off, and it usually fires on the 3rd try. It seems like either the fuel system isn't pressuring up (I can hear the pump running when I flip the switch to Run) or maybe a sensor is malfunctioning (crank position maybe??). There don't appear to be any codes as the engine light is not on.

After the first start, it fires immediately until it sits for a few hours while at work. The after work start is better than the early morning one, but it's still several seconds on the starter before the engine fires.

Idle is not an issue cold or hot, just the starting.

Few details about the motor/tune...

105"
10.2:1 compression with manual compression releases
Andrews 54H cams
TTS Mastertune

Any ideas/tips would be appreciated.

Matt

 

Number of miles on the fuel filter? Original battery? How "enthusiastically" does it crank? Has there been an extended "out of service" period-how old is this load of gas? Is it parked outside overnight-high humidity, rain in the ignition switch? How many miles on the spark plugs? Check for an oily crank position sensor plug under the front engine mount (oily from spilled oil from oil filter changes) and separate and clean if necessary. Any codes?

I don't know of any service bulletins on this year and model which might address this, I suggest a search.

 

Original fuel filter with 27000 miles (on my to do list before spring)
2 yr old battery always kept on a tender and it cranks great
No extended out of service period. Ride pretty much year round so the gas should be fresh (from the station to my tank at least)
Kept in a garage (Tulsa) and not ridden in the rain too much (none lately).
Spark plugs were changed at 20k miles.

Crank position sensor is my leading suspect at this point and it probably is a little dirty. I use the aluminum foil method with shop towels stuffed under that so the oil is pretty much controlled when I do a service.

 

sounds like gas flow to me

 

I BELIEVED I always cleaned up thoroughly after a filter change and at 40,000 miles was surprised to see the goo on the crank position sensor plug under the engine mount. It is hidden under the frame and you'd never see it unless you were looking for it. In a cold start, the starter is absorbing lots of juice and not much is left over for the electronics. A poor connection may be all that is causing this. If that plug I describe is clean, perhaps disconnecting and reconnecting the computer will "refresh" a poor connection. It's cheap to try.

 

I had the same issue with my 07 Ultra and knew others that had the same issue. I chalked it up to the new change from 06 to 07.

 

I have a 02 with 65000+ miles. Last summer, over a period of a month, the bike was starting harder. I checked the fuel pressure and it was 35 lbs, compared to 58 normally. Instead of just changing the filter, I changed everything(pump,filter, regulator). It wasn't cheap, but my bikes 10 years old and I figured I'd get it all done while it's open and I'm all set for another ten years.

 

Anyone got a pic of that crank position sensor? I have a similar problem with mine, and no doubt this thing is probably dirty. Anyone got a pic of theirs so I know what to look for?

 

Thanks for the tips. I'll check the crank position sensor and maybe change my fuel filter. Hopefully that's all it is.

 

I had the same problem. Turn out to be the tps sensor. 'THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR'