Trying to replace the battery in my '91 XLH1200 Sportster. Followed the store catalog recommendation and bought a 16LBS battery. As soon as I put it in I heard a relay (or something) click. Seemed pretty loud. So I immediately pulled the cables back off the battery and noticed (the terminals and cables are all black) the polarity of the new battery is opposite of what I remember the original one being. I did some research and found that the L in 16LBS means the terminals are opposite of what I remember the original battery being (positive is on my right as I'm putting it in). So I returned that battery and bought a 16BS battery. When I went to hook this one up I connected the positive terminal, then when I went to connect the negative terminal sparks fly when the cable makes contact, and if I leave it connected the relay (or whatever is making the clicking noise) continues to click every 5 seconds or so, even with ignition off and key not even in. I didn't even leave the "L" battery hooked up but two seconds, but this battery I tried to turn on the ignition and the lights don't even come on. And the clicking sound continues every 5 seconds from under the seat.

HELP PLEASE!?!






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Well, I would start by finding the battery cable that has one end bolted to the frame or motor case. That's the one that should attach to the negative post on the battery.

Once you get that worked out, you'll have to figure out what got fried.

 

The clicking sound is probably the main circuit breaker going nuts , get the polarity figured out like Charley suggested and start looking for the smoked parts .

 

Used an Ohm meter and verified the polarity of this battery is correct. Zero continuity between the positive cable and the engine case (a good sign). But when I touch the negative cable to the negative terminal with the positive already hooked up it DOES spark. And as mentioned, there is a fairly loud "click" every 5 seconds or so if I leave it hooked up. Even without putting the key in or anything. Lights don't work, nothing. Just the clicking noise. Can't find any fuses on the bike for the life of me! Just a couple relays and a terminal block under the seat.

Got this schematic. That claims there are FOUR fuses... :/ I've yet to find.

 

Wasn't the case stamped "+" and "-" or pos ,neg.? when you get the cables figured out put a piece of tape on the positive cable for future adventures. Post this in Sportsters forum and they might have some answers for you, good luck.

 

The fuses will look like small relays with 2 studs on them . These are the circuit breakers
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GOTCHA! Those are easy to find in the bike!

Getting to dark out now, but I'll be out there tomorrow with a meter "Ohm'ing everything out". With a little luck, it's as simple as a blown fuse, or relay. Definitely have the correct battery now.

Found out the main breaker on this bike has been a recall item in the past... Might be able to get a replacement FREE if I'm lucky.

NOTE: DON'T TRUST PARTS STORE CATALOGS! VERIFY EVERYTHING!!!

 

With the battery disconnected, do these fuses/circuit breakers have continuity like normal fuses? Or do they only have continuity when 12vdc is applied or something? Concerned because parts stores are calling them circuit breakers not fuses and it'll make a big difference in troubleshooting. Thanks for all help!

 

They will but doesn't mean they are good they can even read voltage across the poles and still be bad when under a load . They're cheap replace the main one anyway , bikes old enough and yours getting a work out like that just change it .......

 

Well, looks like the circuit breakers are ok. But I'll have to do one more test. All four show continuity. And all is fine when I connect the main battery cables. But when I connect the small wire on the positive side that is going to the circuit breaker, it sparks and gets HOT immediately. According to the schematic, the wires on the other side of that circuit breaker lead to the voltage regulator and ignition switch (which was OFF for the two seconds that the wrong battery was connected). I'm going to disconnect the wire to the regulator and connect the small wire to the battery to see if everything is fine, or if it still sparks and gets hot. If there are no sparks, the wire doesn't get hot, and the breaker doesn't make the "clicking" noise every five seconds, I know the breaker is fine, but the FARR more expensive regulator is a dead dog.