I have a 2013 Road King FLHR with 91,000 mi.
I bought the bike used from a used Harley Davidson retailer. It has a Vance & Hines two-into-one pipe and no tuner. I have no idea if the ECM has an updated tune or if it is even possible to do that.

The bike is out of warranty and I like to do my own repairs as much as possible.
I have done a lot of looking on the internet and am being led to either a whole in my fuel pump line, a cracked regulator, or a cylinder head temperature sensor.

I recently went on a 1,400 mile road trip around lake Michigan and noticed after 6 or 7 hours in the saddle that the fuel pump was noisy. At first I thought I was hearing a vacuum leak but putting my ear to the tank it is definitely the fuel pump making the noise. My half hour commute to work does not cause the fuel pump to be noisy at all. It seems to be only if I'm in the saddle for hours. I have checked the codes and there are none. Here is what I am experiencing, this started about 3 weeks ago. This will happen if it is 90° outside or 50° outside. Outside temperature does not seem to affect it. And this happens on every ride, every commute.

The first problem I ran across was the bike would crank and not start unless you let it set for a half an hour or so after riding. I noticed that the fuel pump was not priming when you turn the kill switch on and the ignition on. I found the system relay to be bad. I initially swapped relays and the fuel pump would prime. So I got a new relay and have not had the non-priming issue again.

Now in the last three weeks I have been experiencing intermittently, a high idle of around 1,800 RPM and when I shift gears, let out the clutch and roll on the throttle it burbles for a second or two and then seems to run fine until I need to shift gears again. Sitting at a stop, intermittently, the bike will have the high idle which makes it difficult to take off without stalling the bike due to the burbling\misfiring at initial throttle.
Other times, the bike will run perfectly normal with no issues at all. Even with the old spark plugs.
I replace the spark plugs which definitely needed it especially the back plug which was black and had deposits on the electrode. After replacing the spark plugs the bike ran fine for only about a half an hour. When I got back home I pulled the plugs to look at them and the back plug was already getting blackened while the front plug was a nice white\tan color.

In the back of my head, I'm wondering if the fuel pump caused the relay to go out.

Does anyone have any suggestions before I start throwing parts at it, or ordering everything inside the tank and not having any of that be my problem.

My motorcycle is my main form of transportation in the summer and even in the winters here in Indiana. I will ride down into the teens as long as there is no snow and ice on the road.

I need my bike fixed, and running properly!
Please help!

 

I'd first check for any diagnostic codes (DTC) and go from there. But I'd also look at the MAP sensor (and the o-ring on it) on the intake manifold, remove and clean it and then clen the throttle plate to remove any oil or carbon build up.

Based on the condition of the rear cyl plug, it sounds like it is running rich. So hopefully you will find some DTC codes that give you enough information about other problems you may have causing this. Like a bad injector or o2 sensor etc.

Paul

 

I have checked the DTCs and there are none.
I will be tearing it down this weekend. I want to check everything out in the fuel tank and while I'm at it I will clean the throttle body throttle plate and check the map sensor. Anything that does not cost me money is worth checking into.

 

With 90k on the bike , I would get into the tank and check things out , the fuel filter should have been changed at 25k and I would think a couple times after that , but who knows . When going into the tank , it's always wise to change the hose and regulator at the same time ( unless they're fairly new ) , especially since you just bought the bike and don't know when the last time it was done .

The noisy fuel pump could be a sign of it wearing out or a plugged fuel filter / faulty pressure regulator , which is causing the pump to work that much harder to feed the system . Check the bottom of the tank for debris , just to be sure the filter is not getting plugged up .

It wouldn't hurt to run some seafoam through it to , 1 ounce / gal , clean up some of that carbon build up and fuel injectors .

Another thing you might want to do , is a get a can of electrical contact cleaner and clean all of your connectors , fuses / box , ground connections ect . Corrosion is not your friend , the cleaner the connections , the better . I do this every winter , just make sure you remove your main fuse first or disconnect the battery .

Have a close look at the 2 connectors on the front of the frame , under the oil filter ( crank sensor and voltage regulator ) , they usually get caked with oil , cleaning should be done at every oil change .

Wouldn't hurt to have the battery load tested as well , most shops will do it for free , then test your voltage system . Check out these 2 threads .

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/elect...sting-1-a.html

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/elect...sting-2-a.html

Hope you get it running right , good luck !