My 2014 Street Glide began with the stock 103, then upgraded to a stage 2, then two years ago to a 124. All along the way the engine has been slow starting. A bit of hesitation and slow turn over to finally catching and starting. 2-5 seconds. Very, very rarely (a couple times per year) it will start as soon as I hit the switch. Comparatively my 2023 FXLRST M8 turns over and starts immediately.

With the TC 124 (bored engine cases, not an S&S) the only items that remain from the stock and stage 2 that could have issue are:

• ACRs
• compensator
• stator
• regulator

I just recently upgraded the starter to an All ***** 1.4kw unit. Bike turns over slightly better, but takes slightly longer to actually start. Weird.

I've upgraded the battery cables to 2ga about two years ago.

I've been through 4 batteries since I bought the bike in 2016. The latest is a 2.5 year old Interstate. Bike was with my builder for a few weeks and I am not sure he kept it on a tender. I can't say that the bike started any better with a brand new battery. I'll go through testing the current to be sure it's still good.

I've been suspicious of a parasitic drain. When I first bought the bike, I parked it for a week not on a tender and the battery was dead. Could have just been the original. If I leave the tender off for a few days or couple of weeks I'll note a weak start for sure. I've done some cursory checks and don't believe I see a drain, but could be wrong.

Any tips or advice on tracking down the slow start issue?

 

My stock ‘07 had slow starting issues until I replaced the compensator.
Rather than going OEM, I opted for the Darkhorse Man-O-War sprocket.
No issues since.

As a “first pass” for a parasitic circuit test, I make sure every switch is in the OFF position, then I start by pulling fuses.
I use a DVM to measure across the contacts in the fuse block to see if there is voltage or current.
If I get a reading on the meter, I’ll make a note of which circuit and the measurement/reading.
After checking all of them, I go back to the offending circuits based on the value of the test… worst offender first for further/more detailed diagnosis.

Good luck.

 

Try advancing the cranking timing some a degrees or 2.

 

You didn’t mention if it is charging as expected when ridden… should read >14.0VDC above idle.

 

put a meter on the battery to see what the voltage is when cranking.

 

Yes, by the stock gauge it does charge >14.

I'll conduct the circuit and battery tests.