I have a 95 Ultra with the intermittent dreaded click. I installed the push button on the solenoid thats already saved me once.
I took my fairing off to replace speakers and figured I might as well replace the starter relay while I was in there. Is there anything else I could check or replace while the fairing is off? I'd like to resolve the issue, although I'd probably still leave the button on just in case. When I'm out on long trips I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

check the ground wire on the battery to see if its loose.

 

There's a wire, orange, from the switch to a super-cheap looking inline push connector. At least on the 86. Clean that contact real well. Also, if you have breakers, clean the contacts on those and the wire terminals on the breakers. At least for the "accessory" breaker. A new starter relay doesn't hurt either.

 

You can buy a kit for the solenoid that replaces a few pieces in there.

 

I had a click once last year, then no problems. Cleaned all connections so far so good. Do they make a push button fo a 87 FLHTC? Thanks

 

+1 or two on cleaning all the connections, and put some dialectric grease on em, they might seem tight, due to rust, but not neceesarily a good electrical connection. Also, I question alot of the crimped connections, if you can, soldered is better.

 

I went through this last year... I call it the Click of Death. I replaced EVERYTHING, one thing at a time... relay, switches, wiring, battery cables, solenoid kit, etc. But I could never make it go away and work reliably until I finally sprung for a new Ultima 1.4KW starter. Since I put that on, she fires up every time! Sounds a lot better starting than the old starter did, too.

I have a theory that the solenoid windings increase in resistance over time, until they require too much current to pull in the solenoid plunger, and it just won't work reliably any longer. You can't replace the solenoid separately - you have to get an entire new starter/solenoid unit. I only paid $140 for mine tho - from Eastern PC on eBay, and shipping was free. It arrived in two days. They are great folks - I've bought quite a bit of stuff from them.

Big Bad Bertha's a '95 FLHTP, so the starter was 15 years old anyway, and butt ugly. My new Ultima starter is nice shiny chrome - real chrome, not just chrome tape - and is super-reliable. I put the pushbutton from the old one on it though... just in case. Haven't had to use it with the new starter though, like I used to have to all the time with the old one!

 

The starter on my bike has a separate solenoid. I replaced it. Twice. Once with a chrome accel part and once with Genuine H.D. It got worse.

I spent a week once and tracked it down. The problem is lthere are over a dozen electrical connections between the battery and the coil of the solenoid. Each adds a tad of resistance, plus the wire itself going around the bike twice+ to get there. You could have any of those connections bad, or all of them. Some are inside breakers. Some are inside the unobtainium ignition switch. I finally solved mine by adding an additional relay under the seat in parallel with the start relay to supply +12V directly (through a fuse) to the solenoid.

 

By Request, How I Added The Extra Relay.

First off, buy a relay at the auto parts store. I used one that is the same as the regular start relay, located under my right side cover, bolted to the oil tank. You can get the part number off the old relay and have them cross it. It's a common relay and not expensive. Two types are available, one that has a screw mount like the original and one without. Get the screw mount one. Relay sockets are available as well, or you can use wire flag type connectors and push them on the relay terminals directly. Pull the seat off. Mount the relay to the inside of the left panel using a screw that holds the rear brake MC reservoir on. Run a heavy guage wire from the starter solenoid post that goes to the battery, like 12ga. Put a fuse in the line, like 20 amp or so. You can get a inline fuse holder for the newer automotive flag fuses at radio shack. Connect the other end from the fuse to a normally open post of the relay. Connect the opposite post (the one that connects to the normally open one when the relay is energized) to a heavy wire running down to the small wire post on the starter solenoid. Leave the original small wire there too. Now you only have to energize the new relay. Run a wire (can be smaller, like 16 ga smaller if you wanted) from the starter relay coil to the coil of the new relay. You can run both sides, or one side and ground the other, whatever you want. This way, when the starter relay is energized by the rest of the bike (push button, etc.), both relays engage in parallel and both relays put +12V on the solenoid coil. The new relay puts a full +12V without any of the dozen electrical connections and little bits of wire in the way. It is fused so that if something bad happens, the fuse blows and not the battery (or wire, more likely). When you're testing it, have the battery cables somewhat loose on the battery so you can pull them and stop the whole system should you have screwed up the wiring somewhere.

 

Any pictures? That sounds like a great sol'n. My ride just will not start - must be shorted somewhere...