Hard to start Road King
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2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 6
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From: Washington, DC Area
Hard to start Road King
I tried to post this earlier but it seemed to get lost in cyberspace somewhere...
I recently purchased my best friend's 2001 Road King from his widow.
Not long before he got sick and passed away, he had a big bore kit done and a Power Commander added.
The bike sat for almost a year without being ridden, although it was being started.
I brought home and it wouldn't start without being jumped. When it did/does start it ran/runs great!
I replaced the ignition switch (nice new shiny chrome one).
I replaced the battery with a new one.
I replaced the 1.4kw stock starter with a 1.7kw All ***** starter. (works fine - I like it) Same issue - still needs jumped to start.
I put a meter to the battery - pre-start is 13.5V
At idle - about the same 13.5 V
at 3-4k rpm it tops out at about 14.5 V and stays there - so I think the regulator is ok.
I let it run long enough to get warm and shut it off.
Turned off - the meter reads just over 13 V - so it seems to be recharging fine.
Try to restart it and it just clicks until I put the jump box on it.
Any thoughts?
.
I recently purchased my best friend's 2001 Road King from his widow.
Not long before he got sick and passed away, he had a big bore kit done and a Power Commander added.
The bike sat for almost a year without being ridden, although it was being started.
I brought home and it wouldn't start without being jumped. When it did/does start it ran/runs great!
I replaced the ignition switch (nice new shiny chrome one).
I replaced the battery with a new one.
I replaced the 1.4kw stock starter with a 1.7kw All ***** starter. (works fine - I like it) Same issue - still needs jumped to start.
I put a meter to the battery - pre-start is 13.5V
At idle - about the same 13.5 V
at 3-4k rpm it tops out at about 14.5 V and stays there - so I think the regulator is ok.
I let it run long enough to get warm and shut it off.
Turned off - the meter reads just over 13 V - so it seems to be recharging fine.
Try to restart it and it just clicks until I put the jump box on it.
Any thoughts?
.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,459
Likes: 2,893
From: Oklahoma
Gets back to what you haven't replaced yet. The new starter should have a new solenoid so unless you are exceptionally unlucky that should be fine. Is the click a loud heavy click or a small click not much more than the ticking of an old fashioned alarm clock. I am suspicions of the start relay (small click) not passing enough juice unless the jump box is hooked up. You can pull the small wire from the starter and connect a volt meter. Press the start button and see if there is battery voltage in the small wire. If there is any less I would swap the relay for the other one, probably the brake light relay. Or just swap the relays and try it. Have you cleaned the ground end of the black battery cable? If the relay swap does nothing, about the only thing left is a faulty battery wire inside the insulation.. Was there any corrosion on either battery cable or connector to suggest some corrosion might have migrated down the wire inside the insulation?
Last edited by btsom; Apr 30, 2020 at 05:18 PM.
Thread Starter
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2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: Washington, DC Area
Gets back to what you haven't replaced yet. The new starter should have a new solenoid so unless you are exceptionally unlucky that should be fine. Is the click a loud heavy click or a small click not much more than the ticking of an old fashioned alarm clock. I am suspicions of the start relay (small click) not passing enough juice unless the jump box is hooked up. You can pull the small wire from the starter and connect a volt meter. Press the start button and see if there is battery voltage in the small wire. If there is any less I would swap the relay for the other one, probably the brake light relay. Or just swap the relays and try it. Have you cleaned the ground end of the black battery cable? If the relay swap does nothing, about the only thing left is a faulty battery wire inside the insulation.. Was there any corrosion on either battery cable or connector to suggest some corrosion might have migrated down the wire inside the insulation?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 10,833
Likes: 6,485
From: Canada Flats
I'm not sure , but have a look at the ground connection that is just ahead of the right side of the battery ( throttle side ) . If you look closely you'll see a bolt coming out from the frame with a nut on it . There should be some wires grounded there as well . perhaps one of those wires have broken off or is close to it . Giving those a good cleaning wouldn't hurt either .
Hope you get it up and running soon ,
Hope you get it up and running soon ,
Thread Starter
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2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: Washington, DC Area
I'm not sure , but have a look at the ground connection that is just ahead of the right side of the battery ( throttle side ) . If you look closely you'll see a bolt coming out from the frame with a nut on it . There should be some wires grounded there as well . perhaps one of those wires have broken off or is close to it . Giving those a good cleaning wouldn't hurt either .
Hope you get it up and running soon ,
Hope you get it up and running soon ,
Thread Starter
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2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: Washington, DC Area
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,926
Likes: 193
From: ohio
I think , if i remember correctly, i had an older bike that was doing that, and it was the starter ground, ??
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
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From: South Carolina
It sounds like either a poor electrical connection, or a weak battery.
Get out your voltmeter, with probes touching the battery posts (not battery cables), press start button, tell us what the voltage is while the button is pressed.
Get out your voltmeter, with probes touching the battery posts (not battery cables), press start button, tell us what the voltage is while the button is pressed.
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