Hey guys, new to the forum, I have a problem that I could use some help on. Last night my bike shut itself off and when I try to start it, it sounds healthy, and it wants to start. When I hit the starter in neutral it will turn and turn, but won't catch, when I pop it down into 1st and hold the clutch all the way in, it starts pulling forward while turning over...which i'm PRETTY sure is NOT supposed to happen, anyone know what the problem might be or that has experienced this before? I'd appreciate the help.

 

Therea coupleof things to check out that are easy. You have to have spark, gas and air.

Of course always the first thing is make sure you have gas.

You can pull a plug wire, put a screw driver inside and hold part of the screw driver near any piece of metal to ground itand then turn the starter over.
Two things with this. Don't try and use the gas tank for ground. Make sure you don't get between the screwdriver and the ground or else you will feel it.
If you see a blue spark that is good. If not go backwards on the circuit. The plug wires are connected to the coil. The coil is a transformer. Even without having the ohm readings you can at least check for continuity through the coil. How old is your bike?
I know on my Heritage ('91)the ignition switch is kind of funky. The switch consists of a rolling bar that is rolled to make connections between contacts points. These contact points are conical in structure. Over time a little carbon will build up and prevent contact. If you ever go to replace it watch out if you get an aftermarket switch. The piece that is spring loaded needs room to move down. If the mounting bracket is not tall enough the spring loaded piece will bottom out and will not move.

You really should pull the air cleaner off and check it. Try cranking it with out the air cleaner on and see if anything unexpected happens. Please realize that this hole you are looking at is a direct path to the inside of your cylinder. Never run with out the air cleaner on. While you have the air cleaner offcrank the throttle while not running and smell for gas. Just for the heck of it if you have some starting ether squirt some of that in while hitting the starter. If it starts firing while on ether then you might not be getting gas. If you don't have ether you can squirt a little gas in there. Squirt the gas just before you hit the starter.

I really would like to know what model, year and type of riding you do.


twobits

 

It's a 1998 Sportster XL1200 Custom, and as far as type of riding, Iride it every day, but not very hard at all.

I bought it used though, and when I got it there were (as usual) some things that needed a little work, but nothing major and it ran like a champ. The only thing I've started to notice lately is what seems to be infrequent over-scavenging symptoms, there's a loud pop from time to time whenengaging throttlefrom a dead stop, it's like it cuts out quickly then comes back. It has only done so a couple of times, and it's never died out on me until now.

The latest tests this morning show that it is firing correctly and it's getting fuel, but it seems like it's got something to do with the clutch...I put it in 1st and tried to start it that way, and while it's turning, it pulls itself forward...and I did have the clutch completely disengaged, it never did that until now either. The clutch cable is not loose, but the shift lever is acting up, it's hard to find neutral and it makes a rattling noise when I shift it to 1st and back to N, the linkage is not loose at all, it's nice and snug.

As far as the gas goes, it's got a full tank, and the air cleaner is a brand new K&n. I'll definately check on the ignition switch, but the strangest part of this whole situation is that the motor still sounds like it's trying to start normally, all my lights, horn, everything works, but the transmission won't shift past 2nd and now finding neutral is very difficult.

 

First, make sure the gas is turned on at the petcock. I know, that's obvious, but it doesn't hurt to ask. As for the creeping when the clutch is disengaged in gear, some movement would be normal, but from your description about accessing neutral you may need to adjust the clutch at the bottom, behind the derby cover. (I'm assuming a Sporty works like a BT in this regard.) A dragging clutch wouldn't affect starting, though.

Remove a spark plug and look for anything untoward, like gas-drenched electrodes (flooding). How did you determine you are "getting fuel"? It could be something as simple as a stuck carburetor float, and sometimes rapping on the float bowl with a small object can dislodge it. About 9 out of 10 problems of this nature are ignition related, but if you're sure you're getting spark, I'd double-check that gas is getting to the cylinders. When you crank and it doesn't fire, you should be able to smell raw gas emitted from the exhaust pipe. Make sure the choke is pulled out, then try it without. Then try with choke out and before cranking hit the throttle twice to squirt some gas from the accelerator pump into the cylinders. If you are getting gas, have a good spark, and it isn't flooded you should hear some sign of life doing these checks.

 

Determined getting fuel because when it's cranking you can smell it coming out of the pipes, like you said. It's also firing infrequently, there is combustion but it won't actually run. I'm going to try and test the coil again when I get back home today, but we did get a blue spark off the plug wires last night, so I kind of ruled out the ignition system. I'll definately take your advice and run back through everything again, a little more in-depth this time though, as I'll have more time tonight, so thanks again to you guys for your advice. I really appreciate the input. Anything else you can think of just post it, it will only help!

 

So what was it? I might have the same Problem.

 

Check your shiftershaft assemblyif it is not contacting the shifter drum correctly you can have shifting problems. You should also adjust your clutch first if it has not been adjusted recently as it seems to be dragging if the bike is lurching forward.Clutch dragcan be caused by overfilling theprimary chaincase oil so be sure to check the level as that is very easy to do. Check your neutral indicator switch too as it is connected to the shifter drum.

I guess I would start out by adjusting the clutch & changing the primary oil (making sure you fill with the correct amount)and see what effect that has on this issue. If you still have problems then go to the shifter shaft assembly, shifter drum & neutral indicator switch.

Might be a good idea to invest in a service manual. Or if you are not real hands on mechanical take it into a mechanic who deals a lot with Sportsters. (or a dealer)