This is on a 96 model Heritage Softail, the bike is acting as if the starter is draging a little for the first turn over, then it will start to spin real fast and start, the bike has 16,000 miles on it and they also put a new battery on it and it still does it, I know it could be the starter but the bike doesn't run all that well, it never has, also it seems as if it's starting to cut out a little while driving down the road, I guess my question is, can the pick up in the ign.can cause this problem, will it advance the time to much or cause the unit under the seat to go bad, we was just trying to come up with the right problem.

 

Could be ignition switch.

 

Maybe, but that doesn't explain why the bike is shutting off like the swicth has been cut off for a second while driving down the rd,the bike has always been weak, after he bought it he put new coil, plug wire's, rejetted the carb and other things that the Harley shop told him to do and he said it made no difference at all in the way the bike performned.

 

All the right things have been checked or replaced.Rejetting the carb was probably unnecessary unless the pipes have been changed.I would either take the carb off to clean or use some good carb cleaner...or put an S&S E on it.I wpold also check the battery connections ,If one is loose and loosing contact,it will do what you described.

 

This seems to be a more common symptom than you might think. My 93 will do this, if the battery is weak or is on it's way to the dumpster. Check all the connections on the battery, clean them up with a Scotchbrite or emery paper. You indicated it was a new battery, but what mfg? I've had brand new AC Delco batteries do the same thing. I've never had an issue with using the 'pricey' HD battery that the Stealer sells. Also you might want to check the connection where the regulator plugs into the stator...It's a known bad design, prone to loosening up. It'll cause your battery to go bad long before it's time.

Is the bike stock? If so...They never ran that well from the factory. They ran eitherokay orso-so. But never like one would expect an 80" bike to run. Get rid of the factory air cleaner and swap to a free flowing exhaust (doesn't have to be obnoxiously loud either). This will give you instant satisfaction. Next stick a different cam in. Depending on how you load the bike an Andrews EV3 or EV27 may work for you. Don't forget to change the cam bearing. Lastly, swap in a SE ignition or aftermarket module. Get the bike toa good shop with a dyno and someone that knows how to tune a carb. The stock CV carb can be tuned to run real nice. You'll be amazed at how well that EVO will run.

Do you mean it's feels like a 'miss'? Or it is loosing power? Or does the motor stop running? Could be a number of things from a shorted wire, to a bad carb tune (running in the transition), or a stuck float. Just out of curiousity, is the bike leaking any oil?