Hi everyone. I recently pick up a 88 FXR that had been sitting a couple years from a family friend. The price was right so I didn't think I could go wrong. The day I got it I put a new 330CCA battery in it, did an oil change, and drained the old gas and topped it off with some fresh stuff. The starter solenoid was weak so I replaced that as well. Now the bike will not start. I have tried everything. I pulled the starter and hooked up power direct. Spins freely without a load on it. As soon as it's back In the bike it turns the bike over super slow. Practically one revolution and that's it. I pulled the plugs or and it still turns over super dry. Anyone have any ideas or should I just throw a new starter on it and be done with it. If a new starter is the answer what and where should I get. Thanks for your help in advance.

 

There's a bunch of connections that could be the culprit.
You will have to go through each one and make sure they are clean and tight.
The wires themselves can have problems underneath the insulation.
The battery cables are well known to hide problems underneath the cable insulation.
If you see any swelling of the cable insulation that is a clue that there is a problem there.
If the cable gets hot there might be a problem with it or something downstream from it.
The little start switch on the handlebars could have a weak contact internally, or one of the connections/wires on it.
Ya got a factory service manual? They have the wiring schematics in them, very useful.
The contacts for the battery cables inside the solenoid could be burned (not uncommon).
The starter may have trashed brushes (possible, but not common unless it was started a lot or abused in some way).
I'm just trying to steer you away from throwing money at it when some careful sleuthing might reveal the root cause of your starter woes.
With the service manual, a volt-ohm meter and some jumper wire(s) you will be well equipped to figure out the problem.
If ya got them...or the dough to buy them.
Good looking bike!
Oh yeah, remember the FXR is a rubber mounted engine/trans unit. Make sure you have a good ground cable from the engine/trans to the frame of the bike as well as from the battery negative terminal to the frame and engine/trans.
Also, old gas can do nasty things to the inside of the carburetor so you may need to get into it and do a very thorough cleaning.

 

check the relays..There's one that goes from the starter. But looks like the post above me has a lot of good options for you to check out

 

Lots of potential problem sites, certainly. Check the voltage at the starter when you are trying to crank it. That is, red lead on the heavy cable on the starter motor itself, black lead on the battery negative. If it is low, move the red lead back one connection at a time: Starter solenoid out, starter solenoid in, battery +. Post your results.

If it does come down to the starter, I recently replaced mine with an All ***** starter. Spins the motor like a top.

 

It's likely wet sumped. That's when oil flows slowly through the oil pump and into the crankcase. Any FXR that sat that long will have wet sumped. Some oil will remain in the tank which is likely what you drained.
Remove the timing plug before cranking. When you rotate the engine that will blow the sump contents out the timing plug hole. It's an old trick. (Apply anti-seize to timing plug threads before reinstallation to protect the case threads. )Do outdoors or cover with towels because it can be messy.

 

Congratulations, and welcome to "FXR World"..!!!
You are the proud owner of one of the finest motorcycles H-D ever made.
Others have provided a bunch of good places to look for the problem you're having. I'm going to add one that's kinda unconventional, but is based upon my own real, personal experience.
Have someone who knows what they're doing check that NEW battery. I put a new H-D battery in my '85 FXR a few years back. Began to have slow starting problems, weak starts, etc. Of course...I chased the problem all over the bike without ever questioning my NEW battery. You know how that went...turns out my new battery was bad. Got it replaced and the problem went away. That bike doesn't NEED a high dollar starter. If you have any of the other connection/cable/wiring problems mentioned one of those won't help.
You didn't mention how many miles are on it, or how old the tires are. Not how many miles are on them...but how much age is on them. I'd be looking REAL hard for signs of "rubber rot" on those tires before taking her out for a ride.
Take a look at the shifter linkage. If your '88 retains some of the same parts that were used on my '85 the following might be helpful: The Transmission Shift Rod that connects the shifter linkage to the tranny has a bad reputation for working loose and "wallowing out" (that's a technical term we use down South) on the hard splined transmission mainshaft to the point that it can't be tightened and has to be replaced. Checking it now and then to keep it tight in the first place helps prevent that. Also, in that same area...the shifter linkage, known in the parts book as simply "ball joint" can give you a problem. There's a little ball joint on each end, sort of "protected" by a little rubber boot. Periodic inspection and a little spray grease in there now and then will help prevent one of those ball joints from rusting out and failing just about the time you need to down shift to make a curve and get on the Interstate, 2000 mi from home about daylight on a Sunday morning after leaving the Grand Canyon.
Get her up and reliably starting/running and you're in for a GREAT ride..!!

 

My 86 FLT has done the same thing since I bought it in 94,Spins quicker on warmer days but when it's below 45 deg. not so much. I did try a new Harley battery a few years back which helped.Maybe the starter is the solution,mines 32 yrs old now.

 

Usually when I fix something and then it doesn't work right it's because I missed something while fixing the original problem.
Take a breath and then go back over everything you did step by step and I'll bet you find your problem.
That said if you still have the starter out of the bike take it to a someplace that can bench test it with a load to rule out that you got a bad solenoid.

 

I have had the battery tested and that checked out. I have checked the connections from the battery to the starter and it all appeared to be in good shape. I guess I'll have to check them with a voltage meter to see if I have a break in any of them. I pulled the timing plug and was told if it was wet sumped that oil would be coming out of it once the plug was pulled.

 

I bet THAT was interesting!
Those cheap stock joints are the same parts used on millions of riding mower steering linkages and were obviously chosen for cost reasons. Far superior milspec aircraft Heim/rose joints are cheap via Ebay.
Pic shows male and female 5/16" fine thread x 5/16" hole size Heim joints installed on my '88. The steel Dyna transmission shifter arm replaced the soft aluminum stock arm. The pinch bolt was replaced by a Grade 8 socket head cap screw. I use red Loctite gel on the splines and pinch bolt threads.Heim joint threads get anti-seize. I drilled the steel Dyna arm to match the distance between centers of the stock arm. There is a lock nut on the transmission side. The arm on left is also a Dyna part which has a longer distance between hole centers than a stock arm. It's a common mod to increase the throw on the transmission side when using a stock length FXR transmission arm.
Had I left the transmission side arm untouched there would be no mechanical advantage because that "Dyna + Dyna" arm combo would be neutral. (When that bike comes down for paint I'll remove the extra hole/length and recontour with a flap disc. I'll also install the same all-metal lock nut I used on the tranny arm on the forward arm for improved appearance) I've run this setup for years. It's cheaper then the repop versions of the stock assembly.



--------------------------------------------------
Getting back to OPs problem, an ohms check on the cables is nearly worthless because all it takes for a good continuity reading is one good wire strand. Continuity does not measure ampacity. My rule for all my used vehicle purchases over the past ~40 years is replace and preferably upgrade battery cables (power and ground), remove all corrosion on ground connections, and use dielectric grease on terminal lugs and threaded connections. I make my own cables using light gauge welding cable (they sell it cut to length, but always get more than you think you'll need) and lugs from my local welding supply except for the battery terminal lug (1/4" nominal hole size fits battery bolts) which I buy in packs via Ebay. I use adhesive-lined heat shrink to seal the lugs to the cable. Welding cable is fine strand for ampacity and flexibility, the insulation is of course heat-resistant, and its superior ampacity compared to cheap stock cables makes it a wise mod for any starting system.

Another cheap trick I use is installing brass acorn nuts on my power cable solenoid studs. (Hit those threads with dielectric grease too.) That protects the soft copper stud and gives you plenty of contact area when jumping the connections with a screwdriver etc. No burnt studs and it looks good.