I have a 2011 Forty-Eight with very low miles (250), which I try to start every week or so. Today I went to start it the fuel pump sounded... dry for a lack of better description. Fuel is good and tank is pretty full. It fired right up and had no issues, then I shut it off and went to start it again and it sounded fine again. Just curious if anyone else has ran into that issue before.

I'm headed to the DMV on Friday to get my endorsement so after owning this thing for a year I will FINALLY be able to ride it. Hopefully its just pissed about sitting in the garage.

 

So you've got a new bike, that made one random sound, that never had any issues or did anything weird.

Your problem is what?

 

Well, it isn't new, as I said I have owned it for almost a year, so I've started it dozens and dozens of times (weekly since last August), except today the fuel pump sounded very different when it was priming, so I was just curious if this is just a Sportster oddity or not.

 

Mine makes that same "dry" sound, this for me after about 2500 miles. It doesn't seem to affect it but i try to keep the tank topped off since it started the odd priming noise

 

Thanks, EXACTLY what I needed. I had a feeling it was just an oddity, like I said it fired right up, ran fine, no CEL, etc... so I'm not worried about it... just weird that it picked now. I would have expected it after sitting for 2-3 months or in the dead of winter or something, oh well. Thanks brother, much appreciated.

 

Starting your bike and not riding it is a bad idea.

 

I'm pretty new here but it seems someone posts this same question every week.

It's normal. Most of us who have EFI sporties have had this happen. And...you've owned the bike for a year but haven't ridden it? WTF?

 

How so? Just curious.

 

Long story short, I wasn't planning on buying it until I bought my house (I had just moved here) but got a killer deal so I bought it and stored it. I just got my endorsement so that's no longer the situation.

 

When it is started, it needs to get up to temperature to boil off any condensation in the oil. This will keep it from building up water in the oil. There also isn't much oil to some of the parts during idling.