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Welcome from Dallas! I'm very familiar with the 05 1200 C, my Wife has one and loves it. Have you run a Diagnostic Scan for ERRORS???? You can find the error codes on Fuel Moto. That might be of some help figuring it out instead of, as you mentioned, throwing random parts at it. Your 05 is one of the last GOOD Sportsters. Bad Sportsters - EFI, CANBUS.
Yeah, I love Sportsters . . . here's my 77 XLH1000, took me 3 1/2 years to rebuild/restore. Been Retired since 2016, help is a PM away.
hi Texas, we're neighbors! i'm in Crandall lol, just SE of Dallas. I was hoping no one mentioned that diagnostics crap! The whole " touch the tip of your nose with your toe while crossing your eyes and push the start button and the rear brake at the same time and the code will magically appear" crap just makes my brain hurt! I looked at the diagnostic computer (more expensive than I had hoped) but I will have one as soon as possible. I guess i will go try the stupid human trick tomorrow to see if I can somehow get it to cough up a magical solution on a tiny odometer screen, but I am not happy about it... pray for me! Thanks for taking the time and pushing me to get it done lol, I know I need too...
Here are my babies, i bought them both within a month of each other... if i have to have a midlife crisis i'm gonna go all out! The other is a 2009 Rocker C.... I guess i need to take some better pics also lol
I recently bought an '05 1200C, Really struggling with it. A little background.. i am really good with cars trucks, owned a transmission shop for years and I did not sit in the office... so i am mechanically comfortable but this BIKE!!!
Bought it cheap, running bike, with no obvious issues. The only thing worth mentioning is at first I had to leave the choke out just a bit to get it to idle. It sat for a couple days and battery went dead. I bought a new one.
I can see that the bike has been layed down on the right at some point. nothing major but marks on taillight and end of handlebar.... removed the filter to clean, it was full of oil.. cleaned it installed it and new battery, bike cranks and cranks but will not start. pulled the spark plugs and pushed the start, the fire was intermittent and sometimes a weak yellow sometimes blue as it should be sometimes but not steady, replaced the coil and the plugs. still wont start!
The fire at the plugs is now more reliably a blue spark so that seems to be better but I guess nor better enough for the damn thing to start. I do have a manual, I have checked the grounds, the fuses, the relay... I've been advised to replace the ignition module next but i don't want to just throw parts at it! I had arraigned to take it to a mechanic to tune the carburetor before all this happened, but to be perfectly honest something has come up that left my bank account tighter than i am comfortable with, would really like to figure this mess out. myself. Would be more than happy to pay a reasonable (maybe discounted? lol) fee for someone with a little extra time to babysit me through it. After this i have a feeling i will be much more comfortable with the way everything goes together on this thing! Thank you in advance for your time!!!!!
Very simple test here. Take off the air cleaner, open the throttle and spray some brake cleaner or carb cleaner in the intake. close the throttle and try and start, if it it kicks off and idles for a little while ( high idle), ignition system is good, So don't waste money on that again,. Next, if the bike starts, rev it a little, the hold the throttle fully open, WHILE taking the palm of hand to cover the intake ( don't worry it WONT overrev). This would produce a high vacuum that could dislodge anything in the jets. Last thing is get it started and spray BARS top engine cleaner while holding the throttle open.This will clean it out. Of course this is just to see where the problem is, You can then pull down the carb if needed and do a good overhaul. But we are assuming you check compression already. to ensure valves are seating good.
Nice bikes. I like having two just in case I break one.
The pilot jet would be my first visit. You can test with starting fluid, a squirt in the air cleaner then immediately crank, if it lights and stumbles give it another dose of starting fluid to keep it going. Then shutdown and dig into the pilot jet, I use welding tip cleaners and clear it out without removing, but I’m lazy and most my carburetors are on lawn equipment.
The full Monty would be a carb clean and intake seal kit.
I would rebuild the carb with a CV performance kit regardless as it's a 20 year old bike and the kit is cheap enough and it comes with a better jet needle. At least then you've taken one possbile cause out of the equation for this and any future troubleshooting scenarios. Also check the condition of the vacuum line to the petcock as that can also cause problems if it is old and cracking. If the vacuum line pops off or breaks you will no longer get fuel to the carb.
Last edited by OCSpringer; Apr 4, 2024 at 08:45 AM.
First thing I did when I got my 05' last fall was replace that vacuum petcock with the manual type. Bike had been sitting unstarted for 9 years. Pumped it twice with chock pulled and it started right up.
Very simple test here. Take off the air cleaner, open the throttle and spray some brake cleaner or carb cleaner in the intake. close the throttle and try and start, if it it kicks off and idles for a little while ( high idle), ignition system is good, So don't waste money on that again,. Next, if the bike starts, rev it a little, the hold the throttle fully open, WHILE taking the palm of hand to cover the intake ( don't worry it WONT overrev). This would produce a high vacuum that could dislodge anything in the jets. Last thing is get it started and spray BARS top engine cleaner while holding the throttle open.This will clean it out. Of course this is just to see where the problem is, You can then pull down the carb if needed and do a good overhaul. But we are assuming you check compression already. to ensure valves are seating good.
I will try that, we did try hitting it with ether when it first happened, still wouldn't start but did not follow all those steps. And i have not checked compression sorry.... been focusing on ignition because of the intermittent spark from the plugs. I was actually taking it to have the carb tuned or whatever needed when all this happened, started and ran every time before that but a little rough is all......
thank you so much OCSpringer! i went to order one really quick and mind blown **** there are HUNDREDS. Do you have a link for one that would be best for me? or a supplier you recommend?
Last edited by Gearchick; Apr 4, 2024 at 10:53 PM.
Reason: details details
thank you so much OCSpringer! i went to order one really quick and mind blown **** there are HUNDREDS. Do you have a link for one that would be best for me? or a supplier you recommend?
You don't need the "best" just to see if that is your problem. Cheap or expensive they both do the same thing.
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pray for me! Thanks for taking the time and pushing me to get it done lol, I know I need too...
