I started to have issues with my 2011 fxdf last winter(2012).

I can start the bike at home just fine , if i take it to work ( 13miles away) it will start just fine after 9 hours of work.
However if I start the bike to go to..lets say get fuel or some random place less than 4 miles away. The bike will not start , the lights ( headlights,brake,turn signals ect) will work but when I try to start it will click rapidly and after a handful of tries it wont click or anything ( the light will still work)

I have taken it to the Harley shop and they said they could not find anything wrong with it. I'm hoping it's just the battery but I'm pressed for money at the moment , so I don't want to replace something that may not be bad/worn. I can't use the bike with out worrying about calling a tow later.

Any suggestions/help ?

Thanks

 

buy your self a cheap multi metre ,and check that theres the correct voltage , IS going from your alternator too battery around 14 volts with the motor running, motor off battery should be around 12.50 volts ... I sounds too be more like a battery on the way out,,

 

Take the battery out and have one of the auto parts stores test it.

 

Will it pop start when this happens?

 

nope , its dead in the water.

 

First place to check is the battery connections. Crap on most Harleys for some reason.

Take off all four ends of the leads. Clean up the contacts. Smear a tiny amount of Vaseline on the surfaces. Refix.

 

Dielectric compound works better. Vaseline wont take the heat.

 

Betcha the dealership didnt even take the seat off to even check the battery cable bolts.....my $ is on the cables not being tight.

 

just took the battery to the auto shop to be tested and its at 100% , put the battery back in ( i put the bolts on so I know they are tight now, didnt look when I took them off tho). There was no gunk or crud on the battery or cables. Going to test it all day ( start , stop ect). I'm losing my mind haha , i need my 2 wheel fix.

 

I use something called penetrox. It's made for high voltage electrical connections. It's pretty expensive but it does everything that you need it to do. It promotes current flow, not insulates them like the dielectric, and will keep air out of the connection so it doesn't corrode.