My '98 Softtail Custom, 50k miles, has quit on me twice:
I ride for 30-40 minutes-highway miles.
I stop for 5-10 minutes.
Head out again and about the time I hit 5th. gear, spit-sputter-spit-sputter...dead on the side of the road.
Motor will turn over-just spin and spin, but no fire, no crank.
Let it cool off, say 45 min. to an hour and it cranks right up.
???????????????????????????????????

Thanks for any help!

RTOLMC....still leaping...

 

Are you fuel injected or carb?

 

Check for recalls on this. Harley has had a problem several times over the years with the placement of the ignition module that gets too hot and will kick off. When it cools down it is fine (until it gets hot again). It usually takes about as long as you described for the motor to get hot enough to effect it. Of course since your bike has never done this before I would replace the coil. Same symptoms with over heating.

 

Bike is carb equipped.
I thought of the coil, but so strange that it fires right up and goes fine till 5th. gear 'half a mile down the road.
This is the 3rd. time in all, in about 2 years, and lots of miles trouble free between.

I'll look at recalls.

Thanks!

 

Try this, I met a guy last year that had the same issues, he spent $1,000.00 trying to figure it out. When it cam right doen to it, it was the "Cross Over Fuel Line" between the tanks. The rubber was soft, and when it got warm, the rubber would close up on him.

Bob

 

Good point. I had this happen on my 76 shovel years ago. It would let enough gas through to start ane run a short distance then would just die. After it sit for awhile it would let enough gas through again to start and run about the same distance. Very disturbing and hard to figure out.

Another thing along with the coil that I mentioned in my previous post. Check or replace your plug wires. Sometimes you can have a break in them that seperates when they get hot causing you to lose fire. Expands with heat. I still think your best bet is with the modual, coil or plug wires.

Good Luck

 

When it happens rule out the fuel tank vent by opening the tank and closing it and then trying to start it. If air can't
get in fuel won't get to the carb! It happened to me about 10 years ago with these symptoms on a carb bike.