Scenario:

Bike is road warm, make a few stops shut off , restart. THEN touch start button and "Click" everything goes dead, no lights, no radio, nuthin with key in "Ignition" position but move key to "access" position have radio and so on.

Checked fused, all good, removed IGN fuse put back in, hear a slight buzzz sounds like fuel pump, try again, click but might have heard starter solenoid chatter, it was fast hard to tell. Pulled IGN fuse again, replaced again, same buzz, key in start, hit buttom bike fires up.

Ready to leave for Sturgis so i need to do something, would a marginal battery do this or is my starter about to die? Its been starting ok but hindsight have noticed as it cranks sometimes when it hits a compression stroke it almost stops cranking then fires.

mps

 

Easy things first how are battery cables check for tight and corrosion

 

Cables are tight and clean

 

HD put out service bulletin M-1231 pertaining to Big Twin starter fasteners. Read this: http://www.caputmundicrew.it/M1231.pdf

 

First off apologies to DYNA and THANKS also THANKS to Olde Skool. I looked at the bulletin and then remembered my bike was into Jamie @Fuelmoto early this year. So I wondered??? I'm sure they had to disconnect the battery to do what they did, I better recheck. Reason I said it was ok before this was I knew I was the last person on the battery when I installed a tender last year.

Low and behold put the 10mm wrench on the ground, loose. Check the + terminal, loose too. Not falling off the battery loose but loose enough to make it an issue. Also while i was at it i loosened and retightended the bracket from starter to exhaust (bulletin says replace but Im in a time cruch)

Anyway, turned the key, touched the button, instant fire. Shut it off did it again 5-6 times. If it didn't instantly fire and had to crank a turn it was WAY stronger than it has been. I feel good about it. I am off to Sturgis!

THANKS GUYS!

 

Both my Road King with a year old Interstate and my EGlide with a 6 year old Harley battery did the same thing. The interstate went totally dead.