HELP High Idle
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Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,406
Likes: 5
From: Sunnyvale, Ca.
I use the Handlebar On / Off Switch..to turn off bike, that's what I have been doing since 2007 on my FLHX.....never a problem....
Maybe having my battery out for 2 days, while doing maintance, casued it , but it started after a 100 mile run ??? All Good Now
Working on a vibration issue...since fixing the High Idle - Crazy..... bike has 15,700 miles - maybe I missed a bolt....
Last edited by trackadaptor; May 17, 2010 at 02:21 PM.
Tourer
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 433
Likes: 0
From: Northern Alabama
Interesting. I have noticed that my '05 UC will idle about 1500 when first started at random times. I really don't have a 100% procedure for shutting it off. Sometimes I will use the kill and other times the main switch. I guess that I will need to get onboard with using the main switch. FWIW, I always shut down my metric with the switch.
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,048
Likes: 1
From: Canada
There's multiple threads on which way to turn it off. As far as I'm conserned either way will do the trick. The manual says one thing others swear by the other.
I don't want to turn this thread into one of those. I guess if you use the kill switch, you run the risk of not turning the battery to the lights off once when you leave the bike. It's happened to all of us at one point or another. What ever works for you I guess. My personal preferance is the ignition.
I don't want to turn this thread into one of those. I guess if you use the kill switch, you run the risk of not turning the battery to the lights off once when you leave the bike. It's happened to all of us at one point or another. What ever works for you I guess. My personal preferance is the ignition.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,034
Likes: 127
Let the bikes idle down before shutting them off. It needs to drop down to a normal idle before cutting off the ignition switch.That might take 10 seconds for that to happen. Do not blip the throttle before cutting it off. The reason for all this is because the electronic brain remembers at what speed the engine was running on the earlier 4 shutdowns. If the engine was idling above 1000 + or- 50 rpm when it was shut off, it will want to return to that speed when it is started next time. In order to reset all of this stuff to normal you will have to set the handlebar switch to "Run". Then turn the ignition switch to the "On" position for about 10 seconds and then to the "Off" position for about another 10 seconds. DO NOT START THE BIKE! This On and Off procedure must be repeted for a total of four times. Then your throttle position sensor will be back to normal...until you turn if off again before it returns to a normal idle speed. I hear there is a fix for the aforementioned problem from the MOCO that addresses the problem of shutting everything down in a "delayed" fashion. I haven't asked them about it because I understand the problem and as long as I adhere to letting the engine return to normal idle before shutting it off, there is no problem. Besides that you never know for sure what they are changing when they "flash" your bike. I am only too aware that the EPA has one hand on their throat and the other hand on the throttle.
Stage I
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Orange
It worked
Try this. It will probably work. Turn ignition switch to off. Turn kill switch to run. Rotate ignition switch from off to ignition. The yellow check engine will turn on for a few seconds then off. As soon as the light turns off turn ignition to off. Wait a couple seconds and repeat. Do this four or five times and this should reset the idle. Start the bike after this process and you should be idling normally again.
this wasn't the first time which was concerning.
Stage I
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: South Carolina
Omg thank you!!!
Try this. It will probably work. Turn ignition switch to off. Turn kill switch to run. Rotate ignition switch from off to ignition. The yellow check engine will turn on for a few seconds then off. As soon as the light turns off turn ignition to off. Wait a couple seconds and repeat. Do this four or five times and this should reset the idle. Start the bike after this process and you should be idling normally again.
Thank you!!!
I've had to do this a few times and it has worked every time. I found the procedure here on the forums which is a gold mine of knowledge. I read somewhere that the reason for using the ignition switch instead of the kill switch to shut down the bike was to insure your hand was OFF the throttle (because you need to reach for the ignition) during shut off. Where as using your thumb to flip the kill switch to the off position while your hand was still on the throttle could POSSIBLY result in the throttle not rolled forward all the way thus having a higher idle at shut down which will have a greater chance of this condition occurring. I've used both ways, I just make sure the throttle is rolled forward all the way..take my hand off it..then flip the kill switch.
Now if your LEFT handed...this theory is out the window right? LOL
Now if your LEFT handed...this theory is out the window right? LOL
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Advanced
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 78
Likes: 4
Try this. It will probably work. Turn ignition switch to off. Turn kill switch to run. Rotate ignition switch from off to ignition. The yellow check engine will turn on for a few seconds then off. As soon as the light turns off turn ignition to off. Wait a couple seconds and repeat. Do this four or five times and this should reset the idle. Start the bike after this process and you should be idling normally again.
Are we talking throttle by wire , Cable Or both ?
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,444
Likes: 2,809
From: Oklahoma
Throttle by wire ONLY. If a cable controlled throttle won't close all the way, there is a mechanical reason, when the ECM on a TBW bike gets confused, this is the "shade tree" fix. If this doesn't work, it gets more complicated and likely more expensive. There were idle air control valves on some early fuel injection bikes and they created their own high idle problem on occasion.
