Hey all. Any ideas on this one?

I have a HD Sportster 883 (XL883L), with the HFSM security system in case
someone tries to move the bike without the magic keychain.

This morning the bike wouldn't start; it won't do much of anything in fact. The
headlight and tail lights do come on (yes, I know what a dead battery looks
like), and the Neutral and Oil lights come on as is usual. But that's it.

It doesn't charge the fuel injectors and the starter doesn't operate. The turn
signals do not operate, and hitting the brakes doesn't cause the brake lights to
come on. The odometer never displays its mileage.

If I press and hold the speedo/odo reset button, the needle moves for a moment
to below zero, then back to zero. But nothing appears on the odo LCD. Exception:
If I have the key turned Off and then press the odo button, I can cycle between
lifetime odometer and the clock. But once I turn the key to Ignition, nothing.

The Security light continues blinking all along, about once per second. This
normally indicates that the alarm is armed. But the keychain is here and the
spare one, both with fresh batteries. And the behavior isn't really like the
security system at all: when you trigger security, the the odometer LCD still
works so one can manually enter a code, the fuel injectors charge, and the turn
signals do a blinking back and forth thing if you move the bike.

Stuff I have tried:

* Tested keychains' batteries.
* Removing battery to reset.
* Removing and re-tightening both battery cables.
* Leaving it alone for a few hours.
* Holding down the odo button while turning key to Ignition. This does not bring
up any diagnostic mode, it does nothing at all.
* Checking every cable I can find, including the HFSM's antenna.

Any ideas on this?

 

check your fuses

 

Oh, I do not BELIEVE this.
I DID check the fuses.
Of COURSE I checked the stupid fuses!

But I guess I was too pissed off at the time to really pay attention. The Ignition fuse was blown and replacing it with a spare fixed the situation. I probably checked the Instruments fuse twice and missed the Ignition fuse.

I feel like such a dummy right now.

Thanks a lot, James. A lesson to be taken about diagnosing while angry.

 

Glad I could help. Electrical problems are frustrating sometimes and Ive been plagued by them lately. Ive had 3 bikes in my shop in two weeks with them. It can make you want to **** in your hand and swear it in your hair.

 

:i con_laugh:
too funny

and now that it runs I bet it still doesnt LMFAO

 

An update:

The bike had blown the Ignition fuse and the Accessory fuse. Why, I didn't know. I replaced them, and the ignition worked fine -- but the turn signals and brake light wouldn't work. They are lit as running lights, but wouldn't blink when I hit the button nor would the brake light come on when I hit the brake.

Next step: I replaced the Accessory fuse, and it kept blowing. Figured out after 3 of them that it blows when I activate either brake. Ah-HA, there's a short and it's related to the brakes.

I took apart the front brake level and throttle grip, and found a inch-long gash in the insulation, and two pinched wires in the right-side grip. I don't know how it happened, as nobody has taken a butter-knife to my bike, but the problem was obvious and the solution readily achieved.

It's good to be back on the road!

 

Not sure how you mean here. The '08 is injected, not carbed. And when the key turns to ignition, one can clearly hear (what I'm told is) the fuel injectors being filled/charged.

If that's not what that whir/whine sound is when the thing first powers on, please do correct me.

 

It's the fuel pump ( inside the gas tank ) that you hear.

 

was just being a smart *** I found it funnny
never heard or saw someone refer to that noise as charging the injectors lol

 

Yeah, that's the wording they used at the shop: the fuel injectors being charged. Yeah, I figured a fuel pump was involved somewhere in there.

Point being, the filling of the injectors is a pretty loud noise, hard to miss, and definitely a good sound to hear.