Resolved: intermittent no start issue
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From: Honah Lee
Does the BCM on a 2019 Harley handle the function of what use to be the low amperage relay in the fuse box for the solenoid?
Did you capture the battery voltage before trying to start it and it would not start?
How many miles on the 2019? Have you had it since new?
When it was good before those issue, when you start it, did you hold in the starter till it's running?
Or are you from the school who I can only guess are concerned they may hurt starter by doing that, get on and off the start button resulting in may false starts.
The later group age the solenoid and starter very quickly doing that.
Did you capture the battery voltage before trying to start it and it would not start?
How many miles on the 2019? Have you had it since new?
When it was good before those issue, when you start it, did you hold in the starter till it's running?
Or are you from the school who I can only guess are concerned they may hurt starter by doing that, get on and off the start button resulting in may false starts.
The later group age the solenoid and starter very quickly doing that.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; Dec 14, 2025 at 03:30 PM.
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Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2024
Posts: 157
Likes: 65
From: Virginia
The BCM does perform that function from my understanding. The battery was strong at 12.8. The battery is basically new and the charger is functioning.
I hold the starter until it starts or it quits cranking over strong. It tends to crank a few times and then runs out of juice. I can turn the bike off and back on and it will crank and the battery will kind of die. Lights on the speedo go out until I let go of the starter.
i got the bike 2 years ago with ~13k. There is a little corrosion on the bike which leads me to believe it may have lived outside some. It has seemed a little sluggish starting for quite some time which is making me think solenoid.
I hold the starter until it starts or it quits cranking over strong. It tends to crank a few times and then runs out of juice. I can turn the bike off and back on and it will crank and the battery will kind of die. Lights on the speedo go out until I let go of the starter.
i got the bike 2 years ago with ~13k. There is a little corrosion on the bike which leads me to believe it may have lived outside some. It has seemed a little sluggish starting for quite some time which is making me think solenoid.
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From: Virginia
thanks, but not the battery.
I pullled the positive cable from the starter lug. The cable seemed like it was almost welded on. I removed the nut and then had to bang on the connector to get it to let loose. I cleaned up the connector and the lug and reinstalled. I will let it sit a couple of days (really hard to not run out there and test it) and then check it. I'm thinking corrosion here would cause high resistance at the connection that can damage the solenoid.
On the starter lug, which, is on the solenoid, it sort of looks like there is a washer of some sort in between the cable and the body of the solenoid. It didn't look like it was designed to come off so I don't know.
If this latest fix takes care of it, great. In the meantime, I'm going to test the voltage during starting going into the solenoid and also coming out.
If Input is healthy, > 10.0, upstream should be good now. If not, need to check/replace positive cable, main fuse connection. Based on previous testing, I think this is ok.
If input is good and output is low, solenoid is likely bad.
If input and output are good, probably the starter motor.
Seem logical?
I pullled the positive cable from the starter lug. The cable seemed like it was almost welded on. I removed the nut and then had to bang on the connector to get it to let loose. I cleaned up the connector and the lug and reinstalled. I will let it sit a couple of days (really hard to not run out there and test it) and then check it. I'm thinking corrosion here would cause high resistance at the connection that can damage the solenoid.
On the starter lug, which, is on the solenoid, it sort of looks like there is a washer of some sort in between the cable and the body of the solenoid. It didn't look like it was designed to come off so I don't know.
If this latest fix takes care of it, great. In the meantime, I'm going to test the voltage during starting going into the solenoid and also coming out.
If Input is healthy, > 10.0, upstream should be good now. If not, need to check/replace positive cable, main fuse connection. Based on previous testing, I think this is ok.
If input is good and output is low, solenoid is likely bad.
If input and output are good, probably the starter motor.
Seem logical?
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Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2024
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From: Virginia
Well, figuring out electrical problems and dropping the nut down between tthe battery and ground cable is probably worse. 
And, then, after you pull the battery to retrieve the nut, you drop the positive cable bolt trying to reinstall the battery. Sheesh.
I had the battery off the maintainer.
And, then, after you pull the battery to retrieve the nut, you drop the positive cable bolt trying to reinstall the battery. Sheesh.I had the battery off the maintainer.
- battery voltage was 13.1 from the terminals and from the pigtail
- voltage at the starter solenoid input was 13.1 with switch in RUN.
- voltage at the starter solenoid input dropped to 10.2 when I started it. The bike started.
- voltage at the starter solenoid output (connects the solenoid to the starter motor) seemed to make it above 10.0
- There is no voltage until you hit the starter button
- The voltage feed is pretty quick since you get the power surge for starting and then it drops. The input is a drop in voltage whereas the output was more like a rise and fall curve.
- I wasn't really sure what to expect here so not sure what is "normal".
- Based on this result, I *think* the solenoid is probably ok but I will closely monitor.
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Cruiser
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From: Virginia
It wasn't the battery. I already replaced it as I said earlier.
I had corrosion and a loose connection on the main ground and then I also had corrosion on the connection to the starter solenoid. This seems to have done the trick as the bike has been starting consistently now. I just thought it would be helpful to share since replacing batteries is expensive, particularly when it doesn't solve the problem.
I had corrosion and a loose connection on the main ground and then I also had corrosion on the connection to the starter solenoid. This seems to have done the trick as the bike has been starting consistently now. I just thought it would be helpful to share since replacing batteries is expensive, particularly when it doesn't solve the problem.
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