new battery @ 12.8V , new Ultima Starter, new Accell Solinoid, new relay, Starts now!! , but half the time, starter makes a grrr sound for a second, then cranks, so, my question is, what would be the next thing to look at?

 

Try an accel # 151304 starter gear as long as the ring gear is good.

 

What was it doing before the new battery @ 12.8V , new Ultima Starter, new Accell Solinoid, new relay?

 

sometimes it would just barley start, sometimes it would click, sometimes nothing, and a few times, the starter would just spin, ignition off, keep spinning untill i couldn't spin anymore, and the battery would cook down to zero volts, if i couldn't get the cable off quick enough ( pull of bags, ect...) Good thing the battery had a warranty and the guys at the parts store like me since it was obvious that i was cooking batteries...

All of these symptoms went away with the new starter... but now the new grrr sound, like it dosn't have enough power to crank over, then goes. dosn't do that every time. Didn't all day yesterday and then i stopped for fuel and did the grrr thing when i went to leave, and only once today.

As far as the starter drive gear, i took it to the Harley Shop down here and the they said it looked fine, looked fine to me too, whatever thats worth. Ring gear looks good too by the way. Could my solinoid just be getting stuck?

I'm not against spending $50 bucks of a new gear... cooked batteries are no fun

 

Sorry but still some questions left in my mind, Never heard type of bike and state of last tune up, fi or carb, stock or highly modified. If its carb and adjusted to rich side for open exhaust (you can tell by looking at spark plugs for the color) it could be slightly rich and until it cranks over about a 1/2 turn or so to clear this remaining pressure and get the fire to help. My bike does this once an a while. Sounds like the battery is a little weak on my bike since I can not describe it as grrr sound --just weak battery sound. However I know state of battery is good on mine. Give me some more info on bike plus we may pick up some more experience with other posts. Obliviously you had a starter solenoid sticking before you changed it out. Not sure of the quality of your replacement parts. I hate it every time I must get a part at the Harley Dealer but they do not sell junk and with aftermarket price does not determine quality.

 

Have you checked the ground real well? No corrosion or anything? One time in a normal check out during an oil change I grabbed the ground to the frame and the dang thing came near out of the clamp. I redid it with new cable and check it regularly. I friend with a bagger runs a ground from the starter mount bolt to the frame to enhance his ground.

 

It is a '88 Flhs, rebuilt engine about 13k miles ago, from what I was told and from what I can gather from receipts, bored to 88", S&S Crank, and other things where modified during the motor build, but my uncle doesn't remember exactly what all was done. The carb is a Mikuni, I checked for intake leaks and found non, the intake was a bit loose a long while back , (cut an Allen to get to That). Exhaust is mostly open, you can see a baffle on the muffler pipes bit not much, you van see through around the baffle inside held up to the light. I went with ultima starter because i figured that a higher draw starter may help.
Tune up is due, runs real strong, idles great,
Have not checked the plugs on a while, i will do that.
This bike was a gift, inherited it type of thing, so I have been going over it, taking care of things as I find them or as they come up. I love it, by no means Am I complaining. I'm thinking that it has a bit higher compression, maybe a lot, I don't really know. That could be the real issue right there, and it just has a hard time when the motor is on compression stroke, like I have read on here.
I have my common battery cable going to my starter, and I have checked resistance on various points on the motor, frame, and starter motor.

 

It is a '88 Flhs, rebuilt engine about 13k miles ago, from what I was told and from what I can gather from receipts, bored to 88", S&S Crank, and other things where modified during the motor build, but my uncle doesn't remember exactly what all was done. The carb is a Mikuni, I checked for intake leaks and found non, the intake was a bit loose a long while back , (cut an Allen to get to That). Exhaust is mostly open, you can see a baffle on the muffler pipes bit not much, you van see through around the baffle inside held up to the light. I went with ultima starter because i figured that a higher draw starter may help.
Tune up is due, runs real strong, idles great,
Have not checked the plugs on a while, i will do that.
This bike was a gift, inherited it type of thing, so I have been going over it, taking care of things as I find them or as they come up. I love it, by no means Am I complaining. I'm thinking that it has a bit higher compression, maybe a lot, I don't really know. That could be the real issue right there, and it just has a hard time when the motor is on compression stroke, like I have read on here.
I have my common battery cable going to my starter, and I have checked resistance on various points on the motor, frame, and starter motor.

 

Sounds like nice bike. Probably much over anything stock starter system is designed for. Sounds like you know what you are doing. If it was I and all this was done and I thought I still had a problem I would. Replace plugs and make sure timing was not to high. Insure engine is running well from what ever else tune up is required. Pull primary cover. Make sure ring gear on clutch was OK smooth on all teeth and running true with indicator. Same for starter pinion. Then I would check backlash between starter pinion and ring to insure they are not tight in a full 360.degrees. Then with an ammeter across line and a voltage meter on battery set so I could see I would watch it for a few days of starting and write down the reading to I could get a clear picture of what was going on. May be easier to just convert it to a kick start? HA

 

I will let you know what I find - THanks For the input -