nightster wont start + "bus er" on speedo
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,594
Likes: 5
From: warner robins, ga
nuts, whatd i say... oil pump? lol yeah, my bad. long day. 
roger, wilco. i'll be in the area of the HD shop tomorrow afternoon (picking up a battery from the metric shop for the other bike -- theyre right next door to each other, super convenient), so i'll just snag a couple then. thanks for the tip. will post tomorrow afternoon, hopefully with good news.
i would replace both relays. i bet it will start right up. Also buy 2 spares and carry atleast one with you. 07's are notorious for water intrusion into the fuse block. I have replace my relays in my bike atleast 6 or 8 times. It is my belief that once they get corrosion it gets inside them and cant be fixed. Do a search on the sportster section on the issue. there is a part # for napa and you can get it for like 7 bucks instead of the HD price of 12.
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,594
Likes: 5
From: warner robins, ga
i dont think i mentioned this earlier: i swapped the starter and system relays, and still got the same thing (speedo & license plate lights, but nothing else on ACC; and nothing at all on Ignition). i suppose that could mean both relays are dead. not sure of the likelihood, but still planning on getting a couple new ones and changing them out tomorrow. will also pick up replacement/spare fuses while im at it.
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 858
Likes: 1
From: Kentucky
Believe it or not, my bike did that.
It turned out to be the battery cable had come loose
I have found them backing out again since I found that problem and snug them up every month or so
Hope it is as simple as that for you
It turned out to be the battery cable had come loose
I have found them backing out again since I found that problem and snug them up every month or so
Hope it is as simple as that for you
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,594
Likes: 5
From: warner robins, ga
unfortunately no such luck for me. completely removed the battery and popped it back in, same results. :/
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,594
Likes: 5
From: warner robins, ga
replaced both relays this afternoon, no luck. will try to get 15amp fuses to replace all current ones tonight (even tho their wires look ok, their contacts look a little old/white) and see if that helps.
something tells me theres a trip to the shop in my future.
something tells me theres a trip to the shop in my future.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,134
Likes: 146
From: texas
Have you looked at a wiring diagram and just tried checking with you voltometer? I dont know the wiring ecatly on your bike but if you had a diagram it should be easy eneough. Youve checked your batt...check at switch...solenoid....starter etc. etc....You should find a spot where its good voltage and the next its not...maybe your getting full voltage to your starter the whole time and its screwed....you never know. Dont throw in the towel yet ...you got this.
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,594
Likes: 5
From: warner robins, ga
Have you looked at a wiring diagram and just tried checking with you voltometer? I dont know the wiring ecatly on your bike but if you had a diagram it should be easy eneough. Youve checked your batt...check at switch...solenoid....starter etc. etc....You should find a spot where its good voltage and the next its not...maybe your getting full voltage to your starter the whole time and its screwed....you never know. Dont throw in the towel yet ...you got this.
any idea what voltages i should be seeing before/after the solenoid, starter, and voltage regulator? i was gonna check those for sure, and probably poke around the starter switch & killswitch as well.(thanks for the vote of confidence, btw, i really appreciate the encouragement. it's been a rough weekend/week, so positive thoughts definitely help.
)on another note: while at the dealer i got them to key a sportster to "ACC" and it also only lit the speedo housing and license plate light, so apparently my bike is acting normal when keyed to "ACC", it's just when it is keyed to "ignition" that it's acting up (no power anywhere). on my other bikes, the brake lights and headlight come on when keyed to "ACC", so i assumed the harley was the same. if anyone can confirm this on their sportster, i would be grateful.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,134
Likes: 146
From: texas
i wouldnt worry to much about the voltage...check your battery and then you will know what to expect.You might see a small drop but dont worry about it.With your problem it should be obvious when you found the issue.-------that switch sounds suspect to me from what you just said. ---im also not a mech and not familar with your bike but that sounds like its a problem to me.
edit-im no electrical guru by any means and it use to be really frustrating to me but it has become much easier...just take it step by step...one foot in front of the other from the battery to the starter and you will get there.Easy as pie bruthu
edit-im no electrical guru by any means and it use to be really frustrating to me but it has become much easier...just take it step by step...one foot in front of the other from the battery to the starter and you will get there.Easy as pie bruthu
Last edited by straydog13; Apr 4, 2012 at 09:49 AM.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,476
Likes: 5
From: Republic of Texas
Not that many different connections on a Harley. I am not sure what you have checked or not. This isn't rocket science and you are all over the place. I would have bypassed the ignition and starter switch somewhere in this odyssey with a jumper switch that I know is good. Just to see if the bike would turn over from the battery side. I would have eliminated out and isolated different potential problems. I would have also eliminated excessive voltage drops anywhere a wire terminates that affects this bike starting or running. I am not seeing what you are doing or not doing but your doing it wrong. The bike ain't running.