I just got my 2004 Heritage Softail 2months ago. Today, either it is the first time it happened or the first time I noticed it, when I turned my bike on, the oil light came on. It went off as soon as I started it up, but when I killed the engine, it came back on again.

Is this normal?

Thanks!

 

That is normal and you must just not have noticed before. The lights come on when you first turn it on so that you can verify they work. If the lights burn out, they won't be able to alert you to a problem when one does exist so the system does a lights check at startup.

 

I had a new 2008 Road Glide, but the divorce stole it. It had different lights, if I remember correctly. I was away from riding for 3 years. This bike I bought used and might be a bit more nervous about what I bought.

 

When the engine is not running, there is no oil pressure. So, yes, what you described is normal. If the light stays on after you start the engine, then that is a problem.

 

I think its a common confusion. If you kill the motor with the main ignition switch the light does not come on because you kill all the power, if you kill it on the switch on the bars it does. Being more used to European bikes in the past we were always taught to kill the motor on the key switch.

If you drive a car it gets worse, because on some the oil light goes out before the engine is even started because its a bulb check function.