I just got a used 2012 Harley 883 1200 and it had some issues turning over. It would stutter like it would have trouble turning over and then it would start right away after a second. I thought it was a battery issue and so I bought a new battery and replaced it but the issue still exist. I've been meaning to get around to it again but been riding for 1-2 months with the issue. This morning, I went to try to start it after 2 weeks of sitting and it would not turn over. I tried over and over and then started seeing smoke come out of the battery cover area. The + battery terminal had melted off. I am wondering if I tried starting the engine for too long or maybe I have a bad starter .

When you have a bad electrical connection, heat is generated at the point of the bad connection. I would replace that battery cable.

I made sure the connection was tight when i added the new battery. I will replace the battery cable but do they sell just the positive cable ?

I added some "star" electrical washers to the battery connections once to make a better connection ( I thought). The washers "crushed", and made a looser connection, and the battery terminal started to melt because of this. Flat clean surface to flat clean surface makes the best connection. I don't know if you can just get the positive cable, but it is possible. Good luck.

Do you think I have a bad starter due to the stuttering at the beginning and its may have caused an electrical issue?

That "stuttering" from the starter is a sign of a bad electrical connection. I doubt that it hurt the starter, but you never know. try it with good connections, or using another power source, and see if it spins OK. Make sure you sand the connections clean and shiny before you assemble the connection again!!

Had the same happen to me with my Road King. I over tightened the positive connection and cracked the threaded side causing a loose connection and requiring a new battery.

Wife had a sportster that did the same thing due to the cable coming loose. It would shake loose in just a few days until I put a star water under the head of the bolt and red locktite on the nut. Never had a problem after that.

Get some battery cleaner and acid detector. It will help you find leaks.

Get some protector spray too. I never get any corrosion when I use them

Had the same thing happen to my sporty. Cable had come loose. Mightve not been tight enough to begin with as the terminals were a beyotch to get to. I actually ended up replacing the ground cable with a longer one because it was so difficult to get it tight, Havent had any issues since.