Sass-A-Fracka-Rackin.....

2002SilverSurfer

I now know why one of my best friends calls me "Bad Luck Jones".....I get out of work last night at 9pm and I figure the temperature to be about 30 degrees Farenheit or maybe a bit warmer. I hop on the bike after my 25 minute "put all the warm clothes and leathers on" ritual. Turn the ignition and hit the run button........

Cranks but wont start.....I say things like "Gosh Darnit" and "Shoot" repeatedly. Figured next step was to try to give my 6'0" 300 pound body a massive coronary by pushing an 800 pound Heritage up a slight incline to attempt the proverbial push start. When that didnt work, I went back to saying the above expressions (you gotta love HDTalking) and figuring out what the next step was. Its Friday night, all the boys are either loaded or well on their way to getting there so the friends list to come help is slim. Finally got a hold of one buddy who came and grabbed me and took me to the local watering hole.....whew!! saved again. Spent the night at his place and I am back at work this morning with the Heritage still sitting there outside the window laughing at me because I of course tried it again this morning figuring the motorcycle fairies had come along in the middle of the night and fixed it.

That was the rant part of this thread and now I come to the question section. When I rode the bike to work yesterday, it ran fine although I have had a slight hesitation from time to time at highway speeds at random times. Thanks to Glider I believe we identified that issue as being a hose in the gas tank that may or may not have a pinhole leak in it. That particualr part is on order whether that is the problem or not but it never affected the ability for the bike to start. I've been filling it up every night on the way home so there is like 4 gallons of gas in the tank right now. Still a fuel pump or injector issue maybe?? Maybe the battery is too weak to actually give it the umph it needs in this cold weather?? Lastly, I am curious to know more about the mysterious but ever present engine light on the dash. Normally on the 02 it comes on when I turn the ignition while the fuel pump pressurizes and then goes out. Thats normal from what I gather. After you disconnect the battery, it comes on then goes out and comes on again for 50 turns of the ignition. Harley says that normal. Yesterday, at first it just came on and went off like normal. After cranking for a few seconds it would come on and I would quit cranking (am I afraid of a little red light?) and shut the ignition off. I would wait for a few seconds and try it again with the same result. After a few tries I noticed the red engine light doing the "battery disconnected" thing upon turning the ignition....it would come on while the fuel pump pressurized and then go out and then come on again for no apparent reason and go out until I tried cranking it and then it would come on again and stay on until I turned the ignition off.

Wow....that ended up being longer than I thought...sorry.....anyone have any thoughts, comments, or concerns??

Hope everyone is having a better weekend than I....

Later,
2002SilverSurfer

Hobbit

check all the battery connections, remove and throughly clean both ends and all terminals, reapply them with dielectric grease or corrosion block grease to stop water getting back there.
put the battery on trickle charge to get some juice in there.
Also check the charging system of the bike to make sure its juicing the battery
if that fails you may need a new battery as the cold kills batteries

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glider

Just about fell out of the chair laughing when I read that one.

Proud of ya!

You mention 30*, possibly a moisture/water freeze in the tank?

How does it start in the warmer temps?

Also when the cold temps set in , the battery looses a LOT of it's power from the cold and upon cranking, the ECM doesn't get the necessary voltage higher than 9 volts minumum to fire things off properly. Another possibility.
Try getting the bike into a warmer temp and fully charge the battery (slowly) and try again. See if you are missing fuel or spark it it doesn't start then.

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RichardS

Hobbit maybe be dead-on....a bike needs a full charge to start in cold weather...it will crank but not start with anything less...am I right guys?

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2002SilverSurfer

OK...so luckily there is a HD dealership within a mile form my work. Since I bought the bike used and havent changed out the battery since I bought it and have no idea how old it is, that will be my first step here in the next hour or so.

Its amazing how much this work thing gets in the way when a loved one is sick.....

glider

Make sure to get a full charge even in the new battery before installing it. Using a new battery without a full charge before installing it shortens the life of the battery besides over working the charging system.

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2002SilverSurfer

Gosh darnit Glider if you arent the man once again.....after reading the charging of the new battery thing, I called the dealership to just buy a battery over the phone and have them charge it until I get there. The parts guy says no worries as they stock the batteries and keep a few on charge ready to go at a moments notice for just such an occasion so when I get there, as of the phone call a few minutes ago, no one has come in to buy one today so I get the fresh one and they wil swap in another one when I leave....

Thats a good thing right??

Later,
2002SilverSurfer

glider

As long as they aren't a Sass-A-Fracka-Rackin liar, it is

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Hobbit

nope i know of no dealers or indies in the UK that keep batteries on charge due to them going off they do not even keep the gel or acid in them and have to load them before sale

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Steve Di.

That means they are fully charged when sold. Am I right?

BTW, how do you guys keep those smiley, waiving, and pointing things (in your signatures) in sync?

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Steve