2004 Sportster 883 no start today
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Joined: Sep 2013
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From: Portsmouth VA
2004 Sportster 883 no start today
Hi,
2004 Sportster 883xl. Bike has been running great and starting every morning since I got the bike a month ago. This morning turned the key and all lights are lit, hit starter switch and all lights go off and nothing. Supposedly battery is new from two months ago. When key is in accessory position speedometer lit dimly but turn to on lights don't come on. Maybe loose connection at battery? Didn't have time this morning to troubleshoot and drove wife's car to work. Any input is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
2004 Sportster 883xl. Bike has been running great and starting every morning since I got the bike a month ago. This morning turned the key and all lights are lit, hit starter switch and all lights go off and nothing. Supposedly battery is new from two months ago. When key is in accessory position speedometer lit dimly but turn to on lights don't come on. Maybe loose connection at battery? Didn't have time this morning to troubleshoot and drove wife's car to work. Any input is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
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Joined: Sep 2013
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From: Portsmouth VA
Well I've been riding it every day for the last month. Starter was turning fast yesterday, lass than 2 seconds and the bike starts right up. Today everything went out when I pressed the switch. All the lights were bright this morning when I turned on the ignition switch, I would think if the battery were dead or dying the headlight would be dimmer than normal without the bike running. I will take a voltage reading when I get home and check fuse. I've never worked on a bike before so this is new territory.
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Joined: Nov 2011
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From: Illinois
It could be a loose connection but if it was loose and not making contact, then nothing would come on. The battery can have enough juice to keep your lights lit up but not enough juice to turn the engine. Good luck bro, let us know what you find out.
Last edited by liljoejoe54; Oct 2, 2013 at 06:37 AM.
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From: Portsmouth VA
Well, maybe its both. If the connection wasn't that great the battery wouldn't recharge as it should. I just hope the charging system is okay. If I take the seat off will that give me better access to the battery posts or do I just slide the battery out of the battery compartment? I have a battery charger with 2 and 6 amp outputs. I'll check the voltage and connections at the battery, and I guess I'll have to trace where the electrical system is grounded and check that. As I said, it doesn't seem like the battery was dying. Once I get the bike started again I'll check voltage at the terminals with the bike running. Is this like an automotive charging system? I.E. I should have 12.5 V at the battery with the engine stopped and 13.8-14.1VDC running? I'll have to buy a service manual when I can. Thank yoo for all the replies, I'll make sure to post what I find after I get home from work today.
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From: Portsmouth VA
So I checked voltage at the battery. 13.5 VDC, but as soon as I turned the key volts dropped to 7.5VDC. Both connections are tight at battery and at ground post on crankcase. No corrosion and everything looks good. Hooked up a battery charger at 2amp charge and my multimeter says the charger is putting out 13.7VDC. After an hour of charging I was able to turn the key and lights came on. I will give it 24 hours and start the bike making sure to see if the charging system is working properly.
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From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
Your bike should have a 12 Ah battery in it. That 2 amp charger should come off the battery at ~7 hours.
Edit - How old is the battery?
Edit - How old is the battery?
Last edited by cHarley; Sep 30, 2013 at 09:02 PM.
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From: Portsmouth VA
I left the battery on charge for ~ 12 hours and this morning I turned on the key the lights were bright and I hit the starter button, it cranked, so I turned the key back off and pulled it out of the garage, got ready to restart it and the starter cranked for a second and stopped cranking, this time the lights were still on but much dimmer. I put the charger back on the bike and drove my wife's car to work. Hopefully after work there will be enough of a charge to start the bike and see what the voltage is on the battery after the engine is running.
Bottom line, I don't know yet if the charging system is working properly or not, and frankly I can't afford a new battery right now, I need to wait until payday for that. It just seems strange that there was no warning that the battery was low, and I thought it was like a car, you put a battery in new and it lasts for years. The bike only has 13,000 miles on it, am I missing something here?