So after about 15-20 min of just city riding my sportster dies. When I try to start it, it wont. I have to let it sit for approx 20 min and then it will start right up. This has happened the last two times I took it out and those are the only two times I have taken it out because I just bought it. It is a 1998Sporster 883. Any ideas? Please help

 

yepI would check your coil , voltage regulator or a relay is thermalling out.

 

Check your primary oil, If the lower end is running hot, the ignition senser behind the points cover will overheat and shut down all spark. When it cools it will work again. If the oil level is ok...........The senser could still be bad...............You can test it with a hair dryer. Remove points cover and heat the senser while bike is running and if it shuts off the senser is bad

 

Getcha a little sray bottle and fill it with cool water......Run the bike till it quits on you like it has been doing......Spray cool water on the coil as quick as you can [ be sure not to get water inside the plug wire ] Then see if the bike starts right up.....If it cranks right up, chances are its the coil..

 

How do I find the points cover and the ignition sensor? My manual doesnt tell me where it is.

 

Face it..you got Demons..the dang thing is POSSESSED.!!! lol

 

Ok, so I ran it till it died and I poured cold water on the coil but it still took 20 min to start back up. I checked the spark plugs and there was no spark so what should I do next? Thanks

 

What does it do when you try to start it in the twenty minutes? Does it turn over like it wants to start? I would be willing to bet you need a new ignition, and just to save you the headache, it is located on the right side of your bike between your air cleaner and your front muffler. It has a cover over it that will need to have the rivets drilled out (easy). I would advise replacing with a screamin eagle because they are less money and you can get the installation codes here on this site.

 

It isn't the voltage regulator if it cranks fine and won't start.Here is a quick test to verify if the coil is bad.Get yourself a 12 volt test light and when it stalls remove the two small wires from the coil.Place one lead on one wire and the other lead on the other wire.Crank the engine,if the test light flashes the coil is bad.If it doesn't the problem lies elsewhere.I'm not sure if a 98 has a crank sensor but I would guess that it does.If so that is a common cause of a hot stall without a restart until it cools off.If it has one it will be near the oil filter.If you have a lab scope and a wiring diagram I can tell you how to test the other sensors.Don't run out and buy one because they are not cheap enough for a one time repair.

 

Diablo has something. A bad voltage regulator will not kill a carbed bike. Fuel injected, it could. I would be looking at things like bike grounds, notorious for shaking loose. Check battery connections. Fuel delivery system. Check fuel flow and I'm sure there are ways to check the carb. Ignition system. I'm not sure how carbed bikes work, but there is a way to check the ignition control module. Also check the coil using a Ohm meter, check the value of the coil and compare it to factory specs.

Furthermore. The job of the voltage regulator is to do a few things. The diodes steer the voltage pressure to run negative to positive. They also keep the voltage within a certain range. If the voltage is too high, it will smoke the plates and boil the battery and most likely fry some fusible links. If the voltage is too low, it won't charge the battery and you will hafta jump start it.

D