Been there, done all that at one time or other. Everything helps, for a while, then it starts again. What works best for me is to clean the solenoid contacts, then disassemble and clean EVERY connection in the starting/charging circuit. Start at the battery, then the starter, circuit breakers, relay, all connectors, all ground points, and ignition switch. Use contact cleaner and electrical contact grease when reassembling. I did that this year and everything has worked like it should this season.

Expect to have to do this every couple of years. These bikes are old, and the wiring wasn't intended to last forever.

 

There is something wrong with your bike if you have to keep doing stuff like this. IT IS NOT NORMAL. The harness for the most part should last many more decades. Some contacts may need cleaning every 10 years or so if not left out in the weather, but that is about it. Sure, the starter motor does wear...but not really degrade with age. Vibrating wires can chafe...but again, not age....miles. A good inspection of the harness should catch any pinch or chafe points. To say the wiring is old and tired is just dopey. The wiring just needs contact points cleaned, lubed where needed and should last 80 years. Well, unless you live a block or closer to the beach. Then the salt air will do some funny things.

 

So what would you call it when the wires are corroded inside the plastic coating?


I finally found and bought a new OEM harness for my '95 because every time I striped off some of the wire for a splice I found corrosion all the way up the wire.

 

Double, sorry...

 

Very odd. Have only seen that on vehicles that have lived near the ocean or bikes and mowers and such that have been stored outside in the elements for long long stretches. Not taking one wire...that can be the sign of another electrical problem and may be what you had...not age. But if the person is getting good results from cleaning the contact points and then that breaking down again shortly..he needs to find what is accelerating that.

 

I think I`m losing my mind...

 

There is good reason to clean all electrical contacts in the starter circuit and starter relay circuits.

These bikes don`t protect the electrical connections like the engine compartment of a car, the connectors get hit by rain and what ever crap mixes with it thrown up from the road many times over the life of the machine, all this causes corrosion to form on the connectors, which increases the resistance in the circuit, and decreases the current flow.

OP:

Test for voltage drop between the battery and the starter solenoid as follows:

Touch the positive probe of the voltmeter to the positive battery post.

Touch the negative probe to the small terminal on the starter solenoid, remember, the probe must touch the terminal on the solenoid, not the terminal on the wire (the wire must be connected to the solenoid).

When you press the starter button the meter will tell you how much voltage drop is in the circuit, you should see a very low reading, less than .5 volt.

The circuit that supplies current to the starter solenoid takes a pretty convoluted path, a much better way would be to run a wire from the main breaker directly to terminal 30 on the starter relay, like the older Softails.

 

Softails like mine, built before '96 use the old Amp/Molex connectors which are not sealed against weather, but are completely open to the elements, as are the circuit breaker connections. If you ride in the rain, wash your bike once a month, or so, they get wet, then corrosion sets in. They also get full of dust, so they need cleaning. Sure, if you don't ride much this might not happen, but ride 8,000-10,000 miles a year for 22 years and see where you are.


Remember from science class, that it takes 1 volt to push 1 amp through 1 ohm of resistance. You have only 12 volts to supply the 120 amps the starter draws to start the bike. ANY amount of resistance anywhere in the circuit will give you nothing but a "click".

 

I'm having this same problem on my softail. Anyone have a picture of this jumper wire?

When I push the button on the handle bars it just click. My dad installed one of the starter mounted push buttons but it sticks when you push it in and the started gets stuck.