First off I am seeking an assistance for a friend of mine, he picked up a 2001 Electra Glide today and it seems to be having some issues, the bike has set for 2 years without being rode and rarely started. So it doesnt idle the best has a funny smell when running, most likely due to it being gummed up and the gas being old. We siphoned the gas out and put fresh in and added some fuel cleaner to it, but when he went to ride it he would go about 100 feet and the engine would quit and the lights go out and then the lights turn back on and you can fire it right back up and does the same thing.... I checked the batter terminals and they seemed tight, with the lights going off and on again I assume it is something to do with grounding or power.... Any suggestions on were to start looking???

 

Start with the ground lugs in front of the battery, the ground at the starter mounting bolt, then start looking for chewed wires. A bike that sat for 2 years may have attracted a mouse or two.

Saw one in Colorado that sat for a few years in a barn in New York, had a huge nest inside the fairing, amazingly though not one wire under the fairing had been chewed.

I have a Sporty that the boot on the starter was chewed in half.

 

Is it fuel injected? If it is, are you using the old battery? If the answer to both is Yes you may need to replace the battery. It has been my experience that FI (with all the associated electronics) and knackered batteries dont go well together

 

Splice in an electric meter so that you can SEE if you're losing power everywhere - or further down from the battery.

Also....is there a security system on the bike?

 

Yes it is fuel injected, and it does have a new battery in it so I am not sure that is going to be the issue... It has a mess of wires coming out of the battery compartment that were not sure were they go, so we are going to strip it down and start looking... It has a rough idle, so we are thinking it is gummed up from setting for 2 years.. But the loosing power situation I am hoping it is a something as hog-doc had mentioned. Thanks for the info guys, we will try it all the suggestions until we find the issue.

 

Wouldnt hurt to replace the plugs.
The funny smell could be the any dirt,dust or oil thats on the engine when it gets hot.

 

Does that year model use circuit breakers?