Electrical problem

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Jun 17, 2015 | 06:47 PM

Slimlou29

Thread Starter

Stage II

Joined: Jun 2015

Posts: 2

Likes: 0

From: Lancaster, PA

Electrical problem

Hello, I have a 2005 Sportster 1200c. I am having spotty electrical issues. I have always had electrical issues with this bike going through batteries once a year. The first real issue I had was about a year and a half ago when I bought a cheap battery that had a very small terminal and I melted the terminal to nothing. I still can't figure out why it did that. Recently I when to start my bike and heard a click when I engaged the starter and the lights and everything went dead. I messed around with the battery cables and got the bike to light up again and then it was able to turn over. I ended up not riding to work because I didn't want to have that issue at work. When I got home I decided to tackle the issue and took the battery out and looked at all the cables to see if they were corroded. I could not find anything that needed anything more than a wire brush. I now can't get headlight on the bike to turn on or give me any signs that it is hooked up to the battery. I tested the battery and it was fine. I am now debating weather or not to take it into HD because I am out of solutions. I can hold my own mechanically, but when it comes to electrical I am up the creek. I did stumble into one thing that I think is a problem. I know the bike should be grounded but I am getting positive feel off of the bike. I checked this by hooking up the battery cables and touching my LED lights to different parts of the bike and they turn on... I don't know if thats normal or if I have a positive wire touching the frame at some point causing it to ground out. Before I spend the money to have it looked at I didn't know if anyone had any diagnostic tests or solutions that could be of help. Thanks for reading.

Jun 18, 2015 | 06:13 AM

Thumper26

Outstanding HDF Member

Joined: May 2005

Posts: 3,146

Likes: 50

From: A barrier island in NJ

Sounds to me like you are getting intermittent ground continuity. You need to disconnect the battery's ground cable from the engine. Clean the cable end with a wire brush and sandpaper, coat with dielectric grease, and reattach. Actually, doing this on all cable ends would be a good idea.