help me please. i just got back home from college today. i live in maryland right now. went to get my sporty outta the shed and it wont start. it trys to start but just wont. the only thing i can think of it a dirty carb? my dad said he started it up 3 months ago which really pissed me off. it went to the shop, got maintenanced and came back, worked fine. its been really cold in maryland since its winter so im guessing that may be the reason. im gonna try adn start it up later but im scared i will flood the engine. any advice? its a 2005 sportster 883 and its carbuerated. please help me out i want to ride even though its freezing!

 

First, get a powertender battery charger as winter is hard on sporty's, (Always was on Mine anyway) Start with a fully charged battery. Pull out the choke and bang the trottle full three times quick and hit the button. Always worked for mine without fail! Or, Move south, That worked well fopr me too!

 

the battery seems fine but i may go ahead and do that. i go to school at the University of Alabama so im missin the weather already.

 

fuel on?

 

yes sir, i went through all my typical idiot steps and checked em all, its not startin cause im dumb this time

 

You could try some new gas or some either in the intake but go sparingly on it

 

Battery tender is the way to go. My Sporty only set a month and a half while I was away at school and barely started when I came back. Threw a BT on it and had no problem since with the cold weather.

Nice to see others my age riding HD's.

 

The battery being weak could likely be the major problem so as mentioned a tender works wonders and I keep mine plugged in all the time once its cold. Something else would be to use a fuel additive like stabil when its sitting for periods of time. I live in MD also but on the lower shore and we don'ts have E10 in our fuel but the northern part and western shore does and this stuff promotes not only moisture in fuel thats not used but can gum up a tank or carb in just a couple weeks. I hear from lots of guys that have E10 in the fuel that have problems in their bikes and boats that just sit for a few weeks without use. Charge up the battery and add some fresh fuel, might also pull the float bowl or carb and run some cleaner through it if its still not starting.

 

Pardon me but you are all wrong, I bet if you tighten the terminals on your battery you will be able to crank her right up. I will give a full explanation if you want on vibration and how metal expands and contracts as its temperature changes. The terminalsneed to be tightenedtwice a year, I have had this problem every year after it gets cold. I am surprised this isn't in a service manual.

 

If it makes a ratcheting noise from the started it is a weak (not broken) battery. Try bump starting if you can't get a battery charger.

If it turns over but won't catch then check: plugs, fuel quality, pipes for mice and other basic bringing it out of a gargae stuff, air cleaner, etc.... including battery connections.