Starting Issues
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5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: Redlands
Starting Issues
I have 2003 XL 883 Custom. its a 100 year anniversery edition that I recently bought with only 9500 miles on it. When I first got the bike I put about 100 miles on it then one day I was riding to school and it shut off going about 45mph. The bike started right back up and but then died again a couple miles down the road. i was able to get it home but I can't seem to figure out what the problem is. it has a full battery, new spark plugs, spark plug wires, and I have taken the carb apart and cleaned all jets. the bike was sitting before I had brought it so some of the vacuum lines have been replaced because they were they rotten. I am getting fuel to the carb but the bike just won't start. please help.
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,100
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From: Marietta, Ohio
do the lights still work? Could be a short in the kill switch on the handlebars if the lights continue to work. If they go out too, might be a fuse/circuit breaker. If the bike dies, and then needs a few mins to cool off, I would look at the coil.
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5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: Redlands
the lights still come on and work, they don't shut off at all. what fuse would I have to check to see if it starts. also if the bike does decide to start it usually will shut off after about 5 min or so and I have to hold the throttle open.
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5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: Redlands
just tightened all the battery cables and checked the voltage. everything is secure and battery checked out good. if I'm lucky I can get the bike to randomly start but most of the time it just sounds like it wants to start and can't.
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5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: Redlands
bike won't start when its cold or hot. it will hardly start after trying for about 20 min or so. overtime it has started though has been when the bike is completely cooled. I'm going to check the fuses later tonight but I don't know what else it could be. my guess is that there is some sort of electrical problem somewhere.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,610
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From: Southconsin
This may sound strange but I bought a Sportster in 1972 off the show room floor that would run a few miles then quit run a few miles then quit. It would start right up when I took the gas cap off so I turned around and went back to the dealer and put another gas cap on and it never had a problem again. The gas cap was not vented or was defective.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,832
Likes: 67
From: Phoenix
First thing I would check is fuel. You said you have fuel to the carb, and you cleaned the jets, so I don't think that is the problem. But just to be absolutely sure, crank it for a few seconds, then pull the plugs and make sure they're wet, so you know you have fuel. Clean the plugs then check for spark by grounding the plug while you're cranking the starter. It sounds like spark is the issue. If spark's good, it's time for a compression test, but I think this is going to wind up being an electrical issue. Let us know if you have spark and we can go from there.