A buddy of mine has a 02 classic. He is having trouble with the starter/starting. what is going on is some times the bike starts sometimes it just clicks. Getting a noise in the speakers like a short or something when this happens. Changed out the relays and starter but did not help. Kinda a interment thing.
He has like 190,000 miles on the bike. His mechanic is at wits end ,
So wondering if anyone here has run into this type of thing

 

have the ground wires been checked both at the starter relay and where the battery connects to frame?

 

On my older Softail 43K mi I had a simular problem,,,replaced the Starter button on the handle bar it it never acted up again...

3 weeks ago started having that problem on my '05 RK 19K mi,,,replaced the Solenoid plunger and cleaned up the contacts inside the solenoid,,,work great now.
I also put a starter button end cap on my solenoid to avoid future problems...

 

Thanks for the info guys, All the above has been done....Thinking it might be in the wiring loom some place...Now he says when you turn on the switch voltage meter reads 8 volts then goes up to 12.6 or so...Also mechanic said he did get it started and rode it hit a bump and the speedo stopped working and motor died twice....Think it is a short in the loom some place...

 

Sounds like a shitty frame ground.