Good Morning fellas....I'm having a problem my 03 Road King died on me this weekend while riding twice and wouldn't make a sound when I pushed the start button nothing. I boosted the battery, drove about 2 miles and it happened again... towed home! Notes, I've been having some hesitation when starting the last couple of weeks and on two occasions I got a pop and smoke coming from the right side of the engine when trying to start it... Please help, don't wont to waste money buy a lot of things trying to troubleshoot.

Thanks

 

 

Put a new battery in it if it's been a few years. If not that old, tighten battery connections. And then put a maintenance charger on it for 24 hours.

 

.. YUP ! , check the Battery cables

 

OMG
Let me help you and draw many pictures
Did you do a voltage test of any sorts?
Boosting the battery and it working for a short while is a sure sign your voltage system is not working. (it ran out what was in the battery)
SO, now you know the charging system is probably the problem.
But please do buy a test light and a voltmeter of sorts -they don't have to be high fidelity expensive.
That way we can help ya and stop guessing
People complain about helicopter cockpits (too may gauges)
if you ride around ignorant or arrogant as to what is going on underneath you ...just hope you are not too far from home.

 

Thanks.... that's exactly what I was thinking of doing today, testing the charging system! All battery cables are tight and secure and I keep the battery on a battery maintainer 95% of the time.

 

Back in the early 2000's , Harley was using a shitty type of die electric grease on the contact terminals of the ignition switch. It would get hard and make intermittent contact. If you check everything else the above members suggested, take the dash off, remove the ignition switch and remove the back cover. Careful not to loose any of the springs. If the grease is hard, clean the contacts and reapply fresh die electric grease. May be an old video on youbube on it.

 

I'd test the charging system .The alternator, voltage regulator will take each other out. Take the derby cover off and if it smells burnt in there it is probably y the alternator stator. Search the DIY forum for testing electrical system I went through two regulators on my 02 Dyna then bought a Cycle Electric unit. If stator and reg. check good then battery is in question.

 

$2 says if you take battery cables off the terminals of the battery, sand them and the battery posts, then put battery cables back on the terminals.... Your problem will dissapead

 

is it fuel injected?