Banging at start up

[Jack Klarich]

The battery is brand new. How do I check if it is bad? And the bike has a 40amp breaker under the seat next to the battery. Anyone have any ways of checking it? The service manual says nothing about checking anything.

Load test it after full charge, you re bike should have the upgraded 50 amp fuse
Early TC88 Touring Stator
If you have a fuel injected touring or police model made between 1999 and Jan. 2001 beware. If your charging system hasn't gone belly up, it may sooner than you expect. The problem is that the stator used is for a 38 amp system, these bikes have a 45 amp system. How'd they do that? They put a beefier rotor with stronger magnets over the same stator used on both the 38 and 45 amp systems. The inevitable result is higher temperatures produced by the higher output which will kill the windings on the stator.
Harley is well aware of this problem since they put out a new upgraded stator (part #29987-99A) and Service Bulletin M-1111 explaining the problem. No there's no recall on this but if you have to change your stator, make sure you keep all your receipts just in case. What's worse is that H-D is still selling a kit to convert the 38 amp to the 45 amp with, you guessed it, the bigger rotor while you re-use the inadequate stator.

The so-called "New & Improved" stator... It appears to have thicker wire and a neater job on the windings. Replacing the stator isn't hard if you follow the repair manual and have the right tools.

You will also need to replace your Main circuit breaker, it is a 40 amp in these models, and when upgrading your stator to a 45 amp system will cause an open circuit at some point causing a "quit while riding" situation. The main breaker needs to be upgraded to a 50 amp.

 

[Hoople]

I noticed my volt guage doing what is shown in the video posted.

The video doen't work. Says it is private.
The voltmeter (on dash) will actually read 0? I don't have one but I thought they were expanded scale voltmeters.

Check the terminals on the battery. Sounds like one came loose.

 

[hogrotten]

The battery is brand new. How do I check if it is bad? And the bike has a 40amp breaker under the seat next to the battery. Anyone have any ways of checking it? The service manual says nothing about checking anything.

Giving the previous description I'd say circuit breaker. That being said it doesn't have to be "bad" to be tripping it could be tripping from excessive draw, or heat. I've read posts where they were using heat guns to heat them up and checking them that way. I wouldn't think it would be too expensive to just buy a new one and replace it to see if that is the problem. Good Luck. :s

 

[Gezzer Glide]

Load test it after full charge, you re bike should have the upgraded 50 amp fuse
Early TC88 Touring Stator
If you have a fuel injected touring or police model made between 1999 and Jan. 2001 beware. If your charging system hasn't gone belly up, it may sooner than you expect. The problem is that the stator used is for a 38 amp system, these bikes have a 45 amp system. How'd they do that? They put a beefier rotor with stronger magnets over the same stator used on both the 38 and 45 amp systems. The inevitable result is higher temperatures produced by the higher output which will kill the windings on the stator.
Harley is well aware of this problem since they put out a new upgraded stator (part #29987-99A) and Service Bulletin M-1111 explaining the problem. No there's no recall on this but if you have to change your stator, make sure you keep all your receipts just in case. What's worse is that H-D is still selling a kit to convert the 38 amp to the 45 amp with, you guessed it, the bigger rotor while you re-use the inadequate stator.

The so-called "New & Improved" stator... It appears to have thicker wire and a neater job on the windings. Replacing the stator isn't hard if you follow the repair manual and have the right tools.

You will also need to replace your Main circuit breaker, it is a 40 amp in these models, and when upgrading your stator to a 45 amp system will cause an open circuit at some point causing a "quit while riding" situation. The main breaker needs to be upgraded to a 50 amp.

Not sure of what you are trying to tell me. My bike is a carb 03 Flht. My book says I have a 38 amp system with 40 amp main circuit breaker....My stator and regulator seem to check out ok. The last thing I want to do is take it to some shop to over charge me to fix it.....Video should work now.

 

[Bodeen]

Gezzer,

This is what you have under the seat near the battery?

Standard Motorcycle Products 40 Amp Circuit Breaker | 381-681 | JP Cycles


If this is in fact your problem. It is intermittent. Heat will make it open and then close. Once they get weak, vibration could actually cause it to open and close.
You would need to hook a mult-meter set for DC volts, one side to known good ground=Neg. Batt. the other side of the meter needs to be on the opposite side of the breaker from connection point of the battery. You should have battery voltage here 12+ if its good and 0 if its open or bad.
Having said all that, if something in your electrical system is drawing 40 or more amps, it is doing its job. If it has never been replaced, I would replace it. Not very expensive. The one in the link I provided is $6 and its made in the USA! (hard to believe really).

 

[Gezzer Glide]

Gezzer,

This is what you have under the seat near the battery?

Standard Motorcycle Products 40 Amp Circuit Breaker | 381-681 | JP Cycles


If this is in fact your problem. It is intermittent. Heat will make it open and then close. Once they get weak, vibration could actually cause it to open and close.
You would need to hook a mult-meter set for DC volts, one side to known good ground=Neg. Batt. the other side of the meter needs to be on the opposite side of the breaker from connection point of the battery. You should have battery voltage here 12+ if its good and 0 if its open or bad.
Having said all that, if something in your electrical system is drawing 40 or more amps, it is doing its job. If it has never been replaced, I would replace it. Not very expensive. The one in the link I provided is $6 and its made in the USA! (hard to believe really).

Bodeen,
I just went to my Harley dealer. He said that it is a 50amp and my book says it is a 40amp. So I bought what the had and it still is doing the same thing.

 

[Bodeen]

50 amp was and is the common replacement. I just gave you thde exact link.
Bottom line is that A:you are drawing more than 50amps and hard to tell without a DC probe. B: A different problem all together. Hoople is coming along soon.........

 

[Hoople]

Check the terminals on the battery. Sounds like one came loose.

Did you get a chance to check the battery terminals to be sure both are tight. If they are, now attach your Fluke multimeter directly across the battery. Start engine to see if both your multimeter and the dash meter sway in the same manner.

If they do, something in the charging system is loose or went south. If they do not, something in dash gauge or wiring leading up to gauge is loose.

 

[Gezzer Glide]

Did you get a chance to check the battery terminals to be sure both are tight. If they are, now attach your Fluke multimeter directly across the battery. Start engine to see if both your multimeter and the dash meter sway in the same manner.

If they do, something in the charging system is loose or went south. If they do not, something in dash gauge or wiring leading up to gauge is loose.

Battery terminals are tight. Battery voltage at rest is 13.06v. Voltage at 2000 rpm is around 12v. I don't have a Fluke multimeter. What do I do next?

 

[Jack Klarich]

Battery terminals are tight. Battery voltage at rest is 13.06v. Voltage at 2000 rpm is around 12v. I don't have a Fluke multimeter. What do I do next?

Sounds like a bad regulator, @ 2k RPM you do not have full charged battery voltage