When my new Street Glide is warm idling, either in gear or neutral, my rpms drop below 1000 and it feels like the bike is going to stall. Then, it will shoot up to 2500 or 3000 rpms. Strangely, when I twist the throttle forward it goes down for a second then back up. Btw the bike only has 500 miles on it. Any ideas?? Thanks

 

reset the throttle sensor

 

yup sounds like the problem....method is in the servise manual

 

ok, is that where you turn the lock 3 times on and off with the switch in the 'run' position?

 

It's four times with a ten second hold in the 'on' position. That should reset your ECM to a nominal idle of 950 tp 1050 rpm. If this procedure doesn't reset and the problem continues get to a H-D Dealer ASAP. ............. BC

 

Big Cholla,
Can you explain in more detail on this procedure! I would like to reset mine.
sunnenman

 

Ok, the procedure is published in the H-D Service Manual at 4-17. It was originally only the reset procedure to be used when replacing the twist grip sensor with a new one. With all the erratic and increasing idle problems the '08s were exhibiting, it was discovered by me and others that this will 'cure' the steadily increasing idle problem for an undetermined period of time. Some people have done it once and never had another throttle by wire problem. Me, I have to reprogram about every third ride on my '08 Road Glide. H-D had picked up on this reprogramming as the fall-back resolution to any TBW problem and started telling their Dealers about it only after I pointed it out to them as 'working' for a temp cure on the ever increasing idle problem.

The original procedure called for 'holds' of 3 seconds. That was not working all the time. Other people have discovered that 'holds' of 10 seconds almost always reset to the nominal idle. Here is what you do:

Kill switch to the on position. (Bike engine should be warm, from my personal experience)
Do not touch the twist grip!
Switch the ignition switch to "ON" for a count of ten (do not touch any other electrical function on the bike).
Switch "OFF".
Repeat three more times.

Then and only then can you go thru a normal start procedure and expect the idle and most other TBW problems to be temporarily cured.

H-D claims all the continuing problems with TBW are going away as soon as they issue a new 'flash' to the ECM for the Dealer Service Depts to use. I am not an Electrical Engineer, but am a college educated Construction Engineer. I am a realist when it comes to factory production quality control. There are five electrical connectors between the ECM and the twist grip sensor. My best guess is that with variances in quality control, problems of attenuation and conductivity are occurring in some (about 12 % by informal poll) of the TBW electronic throttle equipped bikes. Vibration, heatand normal movement that occurs within those connectors while the bike is in use are changing the design/programed impedance of a connector or two and the ECM must cope with those changes as it was programed. The reset procedure just tells the ECM that the presently existing electronic parameters existing in the circuit are 'nominal'. That situation will last until those electrical parameters arenext changed by movement of the bike, heat, other conditions.

To my knowledge, H-D has not issued this new 'flash' to the Dealers. I know they have known of the problem since early January, 2008. ................ BC

FWIW; This problem is a minor inconvenience for me. My '08 Road Glide is my 38th motorcycle to own in my lifetime. I feel that for my purposes right now, it is the 'best' bike that I have ever owned.

 

Thanks for the info Big Cholla!
-sunnenman

 

Thanks very much for you help. I will try it asap. I knew I could count on you guys[sm=icon_rock.gif]
Now I just hope that is the problem. hhg