Touring Models Road King, Road King Custom, Road King Classic, Road Glide, Street Glide, Electra Glide, Electra Glide Classic, and Electra Glide Ultra Classic bikes.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Breakdown, good experience

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Apr 12, 2010 | 10:59 AM
  #1  
Time2Cruise's Avatar
Time2Cruise
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 911
Likes: 1
From: Orem Utah
Default Breakdown, good experience

Went for a scoot yesterday and about 90 miles into the ride the bike just quit running. Pulled the seat, bags and side covers and find the big 40 amp fuse on the outside of the fuse box is blown. The guy I'm riding with knows more about this stuff than I do and suggests a dead short, which sounds logical to me. We pull the outer fairing and unplug the main hot lead. Try to jumper the fuse and it sparks.

Decide to pull the tank and look under it. Peal back a bit of the rubber looming to look at a potential problem area but all looks good there. Trace another big red hot wire that loops back under the tank and goes down the other side of the bike. This leads up to the voltage regulator. Unplug it and presto, I can jump the fuse now and get ignition. The bike sure looked funny off the side of the interstate all stripped down. We reassembled the bike, unplugged the light and accessory fuses, and ran home on battery.

It was still a great day for riding and I know much more about my bike now than I did yesterday morning. It only took about 1.5 hours from break down to back on the road. The real cool thing was I had all the tools to do all this. I did find a few things I'm going to add, but all in all it was as good of an experience as a breakdown can be.
 
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2010 | 11:06 AM
  #2  
riteway's Avatar
riteway
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 13,023
Likes: 989
From: Just Outside Chicago
Default

Sounds like your friend is a keeper :-)... Glad to hear everything worked out!!!!!
 
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2010 | 11:16 AM
  #3  
will2002's Avatar
will2002
Extreme HDF Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 10
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 10,788
Likes: 2,222
From: Texas
Default

If that would have happend to me, I would still be sitting along side the interstate.
 
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2010 | 11:28 AM
  #4  
tj316's Avatar
tj316
Stellar HDF Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 3,121
Likes: 489
From: sunny florida
Default

break downs add to the memories down the road, I have pics along side the road over the years working on one friends bike or another, when I look at the pictures today some of them 20 years old or older all I remember is the fun times we had
 
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2010 | 12:38 PM
  #5  
Rustell's Avatar
Rustell
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,497
Likes: 3
From: Washington..the State
Default

You saved an expensive tow..
 
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2010 | 12:45 PM
  #6  
1uglybob's Avatar
1uglybob
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
From: otisfield,maine
Default

what was the cause?
 
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2010 | 12:48 PM
  #7  
ultrat's Avatar
ultrat
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 809
Likes: 0
From: south bend in,
Default

ditto'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
 
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2010 | 12:50 PM
  #8  
bigredwing's Avatar
bigredwing
Advanced
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 73
Likes: 1
From: Leonardtown, Maryland
Default

Wish your buddy had been with me when my 40A fuse blew. Please post a pic of the shorted wire/connector when you find it. HD of Annapolis fixed mine under warranty and I can't see where or what they did. Bike runs good now and that't the main thing!
 
Reply
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

10 Most Awkward-Looking Motorcycles Ever Built

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Jason Momoa Is Turning Classic Harleys Into PHEVs

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Becomes a Dark, Decepticon-Inspired Custom

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

6 Weirdest Harley-Davidsons Ever Sold to the Public

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-7

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-8

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Apr 12, 2010 | 01:17 PM
  #9  
Time2Cruise's Avatar
Time2Cruise
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 911
Likes: 1
From: Orem Utah
Default

Either a bad voltage regulator, but have never seen one close a loop like that before, or a bare wire leading to it. I'll find out tonight when I dive into it. I'm hoping it's a chaffed wire that I can repair.
 
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2010 | 01:29 PM
  #10  
fladawg01's Avatar
fladawg01
Tourer
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 285
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte NC
Default Breakdown

Would have used my extended warranty and called them to come get me. $50 deductable, they send a flatbed and fix the bike. Also supposed to supply me a loaner if they can't fix it immediately.
 
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:24 AM.

story-0
10 Most Awkward-Looking Motorcycles Ever Built

Slideshow: Not every motorcycle can be a design icon, and these machines prove that bold styling doesn't always age gracefully.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-12 11:58:41


VIEW MORE
story-1
Jason Momoa Is Turning Classic Harleys Into PHEVs

Slideshow: Jason Momoa's latest restoration project blends 1920s Harley-Davidsons with modern electric technology, creating some of the most unusual hybrid motorcycles ever built.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-10 17:18:58


VIEW MORE
story-2
Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Becomes a Dark, Decepticon-Inspired Custom

Slideshow: Killer Custom's latest build relies on styling changes rather than performance upgrades, giving the cruiser an entirely different personality.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-03 18:28:05


VIEW MORE
story-3
6 Weirdest Harley-Davidsons Ever Sold to the Public

Slideshow: From military-inspired singles to scooters and three-wheel utility vehicles, these Harleys took the company far outside its comfort zone.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-02 18:34:10


VIEW MORE
story-4
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson built its reputation on nostalgia, but every so often, the company took a hard left turn into the future.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 11:18:19


VIEW MORE
story-5
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-6
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-8
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-9
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE