Bike slow to accelerate / doesn't reach top speed / trouble starting
 

Hi guys,

I'm hoping someone can help me pinpoint what might be wrong with my 2001 Sportster XLH 883. It has been running like a charm until recently when the following happened:

Primary Symptoms

• Slow to accelerate
• Revving lower than usual (full throttle didn't create more power)
• Exhaust backfire popping noises while cruising downhill
• Oil leaking out of air filter (this has happened before, but never caused a problem)
  
• This only occurred ONE TIME a few days ago. I have ridden it since then WITHOUT the above issues occuring

Secondary Symptoms

I don't know if this is related, but the night before the above problems occurred, I had trouble starting the bike

• Pressing the starter button just made the noise, but the engine didn't kick over
• To get the bike going, I had to roll it and then kick it into gear. Worked fine
• Since then, sometimes the bike starts on its own, sometimes I have to rolling start it

Before I take it into a dealer and they make up some story about what's actually wrong with it, I'm hoping someone here has some thoughts on whether this may be one particular issue (like the spark plugs, fuel injection, battery, air intake, etc). I'm curious also whether you see these issues to be interrelated or separate? Note - they all started happening at the exact same time.

Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks everyone.

Zick

Check for a faulty crank position sensor.

Check battery & charging system first, most everything on newer bikes is electronic & needs a fully charged battery to run correctly. This includes good grounds.