Greetings. 95 XLH 1200

It was a long day in the garage. Start switch malfunctioned last week which resulted in starting motor staying on when bike was running and the engine starting by simply turning the key- the stop/run switch did nothing.

Installed new switch and the same symptoms were present! 4 hours later I traced it back to rushed solder/wrap job where the run/stop switch and start switch wires could touch a tiny bit of the other's exposed wire.

Got everything back on and connected...run/start switch seems to be working as it should but now bike won't start! The engine cranks as it should (though I had to try dozens of times to start it while hunting for the original problem: bike is now on a tender for the night) but feels like it is not getting gas. The manual gives little insight into the various lines that need to be connected and I've read throughout the forum about vacuum lines, etc. Please help!

For now I have the main petcock connected and a rubber hose that connects to a small nipple under the front right side of the tank. Are these all the lines to connect to the tank? I spotted a random rubber hose dangling off the lines that come from the carb...does this connect to my tank too? I am praying this is a bone headed fix.

 

Jack, have you done any mods, like high bars and extended wiring? Any other recent changes we should know about?

 

No mods at this ppont, everything is stock as far as I can tell. I thought a wire could have been kinked or damaged after being pulled through the bars, but all the pins and wires seem ok. Thanks for the reply!

 

Whoa there! You say the handlebar wires have been pulled through the handlebars? That is a regular source of electrical problems! However you did it, go back over your work with a fine toothcomb, preferably with a multimeter, checking continuity. You may have a damaged wire causing a false ground.

 

Thanks man. I pulled out the right hand side wires yesterday when all this started. I assumed that because the original symptoms had been resolved yesterday (engine would try to start by turning the key, run/off/start button did nothing. All buttons function as they should now.) Could a damaged wire be causing this?? I've never tested for continuity before but have a multimeter- though unsure of the setting to put it on and the process of checking. What a pain!

 

Just pulled all the wires and inspected individually. There are definitely some kinks in a few of the wires from being pulled through the bars three times now. From what I can tell, they appear ok. Some of the pins are also slightly bent but the wires are all still connected and crimped properly.

I tried using multimeter but mine did not have a continuity setting, so tried measuring using the lowest ohms setting, but it was reading all over the place. Apparently a "1" or "OL" would suggest no continuity but it is supposed to read near .8. Mine was jumping all over the place. There were a few tiny sections in the wires where wire was exposed...could this be the culprit? Would a small dab of solder and electrical tape remedy this?

Also, weirdly enough, I did not change or attempt to fix any wires and plugged the wires for the starting switch into the deutsch connector (gray, white, and black) and the bike started! It only ran for about ten seconds then died. I tried it again, it started, but with the throttle disassembled I do not know if there needs to be tension on the throttle cables to stay running. With the choke out it was only sitting around 1,200 RPM's when it ran for that short minute. After those two times, the engine again would not turn over and would just crank when I hit the start button.

The turn signal wires were equally worn out due to all the passings through the handlebars...could one of them be the problem? I'm wondering If I should wrap each wire in electric tape and then wrap all them in the self fusing wire tape I purchased. Any help here is appreciated guys!

 

You can get a cheap continuity tester for a few bucks at AutoZone. It's basically a light bulb and battery with two contacts.
Start with the wiring. Make sure all contacts are good, all wires are unbroken, no bare wires are grounding out or touching each other. When you've got the wiring nailed down, move on to the next thing.
There are no vacuum lines except for the VEOS. That vacuum line comes out of there intake manifold directly to the VEOS.
There are only two lines from the tank. The petcock-fuel line, and the tank vent line at the front/bottom of the tank.

 

Thanks man! I'll grab that tool today. Here is that hose from the carb I was talking about. I just tried starting it and again the bike wanted to turn over. When I plugged this hose with my finger the bike started but struggled to stay on. When I manually pulled the throttle cable to give it gas the bike died. Is this the line that goes to the VOES and will this perhaps be my problem?? Where the heck is the VOES?

 

To clarify, I'm wondering about the hose that is on the right side of the carb running out of frame in the pic. Thanks.

 

alright man, got the tool, there is continuity with all three wires. If you were me, where would you start checking next? I'm wondering if a connection popped out when I removed the tank...not sure. Thanks man, really appreciate it.