I just was running my 87 sportster when I noticed the tachometer was on 0 rpms while the bike was idling. I shut the bike off and when I went to restart, I got nothing..the bike wouldn’t start. I heard a slight clicking of the starter relay switch under the seat, but nothing coming from the starter or solenoid. The headlight works-hi and lo beam as well as the front turn signal running lights. But, the brake light doesn’t work and the turn signals don’t work.

I had just put a new battery in it (it has a full charge and ran a trickle charger on it just in case..still good)
In the fall I had replaced the stator & voltage regulator. I have run the bike since putting all the charging items in and it ran well.

I checked the wiring inside the headlight shell and found one loose wire which i Soldered tight and got no difference.

The battery connection appears tight enough.

Is this a possible electrical switch/fuse etc?? I was running it on some bumpy gravel (a campground) any ideas anyone?

 

It could be any connection in the starter circuit, including a bad connection between the starter relay and the solenoid. Just because it is clicking doesn't mean that it is working.

You could also have a loose or bad connection at the other end of one of your battery cables, or a bad battery cable. The negative cable tends to get corroded, and then the cable falls apart inside the insulation. But you could have corrosion or a loose connection anywhere in the starter circuit.

You'll need a 12 volt test light or a multi-meter to trace down where you're losing voltage. The alternative is to remove and check and clean all the connectors in the starter circuit.