I have a 1992 FXR with the big bore kit and Screamin' Eagle parts (bought it from the dealer already modified), and it sometimes pauses when I start it. The salesman told me that was normal due to the high compression from the engine modifications. This being my first HD (I traded in a 2003 Vulcan 1500 Classic), I figured he knew what he was talking about. ????

 

My 92 was doing the same thing.A 3 year old battery was the culprit. Then it started doing it again with the NEW battery!! Then I found BOTH the terminals came loose, I tightened them up and it starts like new again.

 

I once bought a new HD battery that was defective. Talk about frustrating - caused me to keep looking for something else.

I don't know if it's true, but an HD mechanic told me that if you don't fully charge a new battery before using it, it may never take a full charge. Is that bunk or is it true?

 

Any battery should be fully charged before using it.
The cranking problem can usually be traced to resistance in the battery cables higher than normal.
Welding cable flows more amps than standard battery cables of the same size because of the increased strands of smaller diameter and it is also more flexible than standard cables.

Replace the battery cables or make a replacement set of battery cables out of welding cable and watch the starter problem disappear.

 

OK, I've read about this and researched it a bit as well. IIRC, Donny Peterson mentions this on his website. It basically boils down to this. The hesitation is due to the initial ignition of the air-fuel mix in the combustion chamber. The engine is not spinning over very fast and the pressure build-up in the combustion chamber, as ignition occurs, is enough to cause a slight hesitation in the starting cycle. It's nothing to worry about. However, if you are worried about it then you can change to an aftermarket ignition module. These will generally allow the engine to spool up to a higher RPM before igniting the mixture. The higher RPM negates the pressure buildup in the combustion chamberdue to the engine having greater inertia. I believe that the EFI models actually have this feature built into their modules.

Of course, all this only holds true if everything else (as mentioned in this thread) is running as advertised.

As a side note, I actually like the hesitation.

 

I had this happening on my '94 Ultra.. I ended up rebuilding the starter.. The stealer had a kit for around $60... That fixed the whole issue.. The only thing is that I can mention; sorry that I didn't read this thread indepth, so I may repeat something, is to replace/check the charge of the battery before hitting the starter, all I can say is it's easy to do, however it takes quite a while!

 

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Did have it checked back then, but now... It's Kaput or not depending on wether the Green LED that says 'Don't Worry' is accurate or the lack of 14 volts and indication of 10-11 when it has warmed up is of concequence.&nbsp\\; At this writing I am scheduled for 'away camp' at a local MoCo Service Station.
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On the EFI , mine anyway, there is no plug connection at the crankcase.&nbsp\\; Solid wires through the grommet from stator to regulator.
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Like they say\\;&nbsp\\; New Battery - $125.00 and change, Stator and Regulator diagnostics - $$Ouch, Sitting at the&nbsp\\; Dealership all day to hear 'We don't understand why, maybe tomorrow'&nbsp\\; Priceless....

 

My 90 bagger does the same, checked the battery and cables nothing of concern. I spoke to a Harley dealer that came back with a sensible response. He believes it is likely to be caused by the natural aging of the starter motor struggling with the EVO compression. His suggestion was to either replace with a high torque starter $$$ or just treat it as a character of the bike, he was not concerend about the starter failing.

Hope this helps&nbsp\\;

 

My '85 FXEF has done the same thing since I bought it in '93 with less than 17k miles on it. It now has over 101,000, and over the years, the starting has not been affected with a different cam, new starter, new solenoid, new relay, new battery, etc.......that's just the way she seems to want to start. I did notice that cold starts got better when I cleaned all of the starter wire contacts, though.