Guys, I've got a bit of a starter problem going on with my 02 Low Rider (VERY low miles - like 1500, yes hundred didn't miss a nought off). Fault is intermittent and happens hot or cold. Turn ign on, click the run switch to on and press starter button. starter motor won't spin but I can hear the solenoid clicking as I press the button. Do it a few times and it'll start - sometimes after turning ign off and back on again and sometimes not. It happened again tonight as I got the bike out to take run over to a friend's house. Feels like a dead battery at first, then it'll just fire up. Called for petrol on the way over there and it was fine in the garage - started no problem. Came to leave friends house after it had been standing for about 1/2 hour and wouldn't start. Couple of tries on the starter button and it fired up ok again.

I'm going to spend a bit of time going over it with a meter tomorrow, but thought I'd ask here first to find out if it'sa common problem I can go straight to and fix without having to faff about for hours

Cheers
Derv

 

I would guess dirty/corroded/loose electrical contacts, possibly at the starter/solenoid.

 

Ground Cable from the bat to the bolt they hook it too under the seat. Sand down both sides of the "eye's", and snug it all down tight again. The Dyna's have a wicked U bend for the ground cable. Over time, it will "wiggle" the cable loose inside the connectors. There are way way better battery cables out there, and I suggest you go and get a set.

 

+1 on the dirty/loose connections. Remove the cables from the battery and clean the connections real good. Then start checking all the connections down to the starter. Don't forget the main circuit breaker. Good luck.

 

Thanks fellas, I'll check all that out but this bike is spotless so I'd very much doubt there's a corroded / dirty join, although there could be a loose one. The bike was never used from when it was brand new until I bought it last October. I've got a few hours to spare today so I'll get it stripped and have a look

Derv

 

That bike is just plain pissed at you. How does a bike that old have that few of miles on it. I havent even had mine for a year and its almost got 9k more miles on it than when I got it. Definitely a connection problem.

 

Yeah I thought that too. I have told the story on here before but here goes again: a guy bought it new in very early 2004 and had a S/E st1 one fitted - it's a 2002 model year which had been sat around the dealership for a little over 12 months. He didn't even have a bike licence so had it delivered to the factory he owned and stored it there. His wife then caught him "playing away from home". She divorced him and took him for everything, but she didn't know he'd bought the Harley, so he hid it somewhere else in the factory and covered it up with planks of wood and tarpaulin sheets. There it remained unused for 5 years until the recession hit and he had to sell off loads of stuff to meet his debts. He turned up back at the dealers with it on the back of a wagon and asked them to buy it back off him.

I saw it advertised with the mileage at 54 miles. I thought it was misprint and rang to ask. I was told it had just been sold, but yes the mileage was right. Over the next few weeks I carried on looking for my, "Dream Dyna" but everything I went to look at was overpriced rubbish or not what I was looking for. I was starting to look at Sporties, so popped on to the website where I'd seen the low mileage Dyna - lo and behold there it was, back up for sale. I rang to make sure the advert hadn't just been left on there after it being sold, bur the guy said, "No, the deal fell through because the buyer couldn't raise the money". I jumped straight in the car and did the 100 mile drive to dealers. Looking at the bike, it was indeed a 100% genuine 54 miler, it had one or two scratches from when it had been stored but nothing major - it was in effect a new bike. At the time the young sales guy I was deling with didn't know the story of it's low miles but I haggled anyway, and he knocked Ł600 (about $750) off it and agreed to deliver it to my house, plus road tax it for 12 months and change all the oils - so I bought it on the spot, it was a great deal.

When it was delivered the driver was an oldish guy, and he asked if I knew the story of it, so I said no. He then went on to tell me that he used to be the head sales guy at the HD dealership - been there years. After he retired he carried on working part time delivering the sold bikes for them. It turned out he had actually sold my bike to factory guy, so he filled me in on all the above details.

Anyway - the bike has no right to be pissed at me - I was the guy who rescued him. I only started using it properly in April, but I've put 1500 miles on it so far, I've had to run it in and do the first services etc. I spent winter doing a few bits'n bobs to it, to get it how I wanted it to look and make it more comfy to ride. Some photos of it here from when I bought it right up to now. http://www.oldgitbiker.pwp.blueyonde...ide_Page_1.htm

Bet you're sorry you asked now eh?

Derv

 

Try checked all or your cables for a good connection by loosening, moving moving around and re tightening.
The contacts inside the starter solenoid can become corroded and possibly miss alligned if a positive cable was over tightened. After removing the starter you can take the solenoid cap off and clean the contacts, it's not hard. If you use an abbrasive make sure you blow it out.

Mike

 

Just stopped for a cuppa tea. Checked everything under there - bit tight ain't it? Battery's out and on the bench, had the main earth cable off which goes between the frame & starter motor, cleaned that up and put it back. Taken all the fuses out and cleaned them with contact cleaner. Battery terminals now squeeky clean. Found a little wire going into the back of the solenoid so had the contact cleaner on that and blown it out with the airline. Split the plug between ign switch and fuse block and done the same with that. Just cleaned up the battery earth and the pos cable. Can't see much else under there to clean now, there was nothing obviously dirty, loose or corroded - more dusty than anything else really. I'll get it all back and see how it goes, I may just have disturbed something causing the problem. If not I'll have to delve deeper - maybe take the starter motor and solenoid / ignition switch out for inspection. Given the low mileage though I wouldn't have thought there was anything amiss there.

Derv

 

Good job on the clean up... but its the ground (earth) cable from the battery to the attachment under the seat. I say this with complete confidence because it happens allot to Dyna's. The ground (earth) cable from the battery makes a serious bend to the attachment point under the seat. Over time, this will pull the cable, ever so slightly, from the connector. Get a longer ground (earth) cable to replace it with so that the bend is not so short to the attachment point under the seat (sorry, I don't know what else to call it). (Pic Included)