Im a new member so please forgive any mistakes. I have a 1982 FL..supposedly a Duo Glide. . I am having trouble starting it. It has electric and kick start. I have changed battery, starter, solenoid, and cables It will try to turn over once in a while, not every time. Battery checks at 13.7 volts. Tried yesterday and it went clunk. never turned over. Any tips on what we might be missing? By the way...it kicks over fine and will start. Its an 80 cu in if that matters.

 

It's not a Duo glide, they were the 1958 to 1964 models. When they added the electric foot it became an Electra Glide.
If you remove the plugs does the starter turn the motor over? If it doesn't it may be the battery is failing. Also where the large starter shaft gear rests in the starter housing can accumulate crud and cause the gear to drag. Also if it has been rewired, did they use heavy enough wire to carry the current.

 

Thanks for the reply We did try to turn it over without the plugs. It does but it is very weak. not too fast like you would think. The battery is at 13.8 volts. It was rewired with a harness from Jireh Cycles. Still has points if that matters. Someone had mentioned timing ?

 

Try jumping it out the solenoid if it turns over then suspect the contacts are burned up in it

 

Yep, try jumping the solenoid as this will eliminate much of the system that could be the problem.

 

Since it cranks slowly even with the spark plugs out, I think you can rule out timing.

The first thing you must do is have the battery load tested. An auto parts store will do it.

Once you know you have a healthy, fully charged battery you can start trouble shooting.

Remove all the electrical connections and clean them. Battery terminals, solenoid terminals, relay terminals.

To test the solenoid contacts, touch the voltmeter probes to the solenoid posts (not the cables ), and read the voltage while cranking the starter.

You should not see more than .5 volt. Any more than this means the solenoid contacts need attention.

 

What battery do you have? Has someone over the life of the bike substituted the large lawn tractor size battery for a smaller one? If so it may not have the cranking amps to turn it over.