Need help, please!

[Renfield]

Hello! I'm hoping someone here can help me figure out what's wrong with my bike. I ride a 2007 Street Bob, 40,000 miles, race tuner. The last couple days the bike has been starting hard. By hard I don't mean it sounds like it's not getting fuel, it feels more like a battery. Once while starting it I actually noticed the display go blank. Last night as I was riding I noticed the neutral light and the key light were on. At that time I was on the freeway doin' about 70. When I got off the freeway they turned off. This morning the same thing happened on the way to work. Eventually they turned off, but then the bike started to act like it was going to die. It almost felt like it was out of gas, except that it's got a full tank and when it started to die everything turned off - the display, the speedometer, everything. It would do that for maybe a split second then everything would come back on again. It did behave like this one time before, but that turned out to be a loose ground cable on the battery and I checked my cables and they're tight. Any idea what might cause this? Can a bad battery do all of that? I thought I would get it checked because of the hard starts, but the lights coming on and the almost dying while doing 75 MPH lead me to believe that something else may be happening - espcially in light of the fact that the battery is only two years old and it get's ridin every day. I should mention that I ride in the rain frequently and that it rained yesterday pretty bad in the morning on the way to work. The hard start problem was prior to the rain, the rest started last night after the rain. The only thing is, as I said, I always ride in the rain and this has never happened before.

Thanks for any help!

 

[TQuentin1]

Those sound like the classic symptoms of a bike running on battery only and the charge getting very low to the point where it shuts stuff off. Has happened to me a couple of times on my UC, and also on the Dyna (see post #6 in the "Testing ..." link below).

The simplest thing is that your battery cables are NOT making good contact and that you can remove, wire brush the mating surfaces, reinstall, charge the battery and then be back in business.

However, the battery may still be OK, although it could be a couple of years old by now. Is this the original battery? Take it out of the bike and over to an auto parts store. Have them charge it (if you haven't already) and then check it out (load test, etc.). If it is bad, replace it. I like the Odessey batteries personally (Odyssey Drycell Batteries ).

If the battery comes back from the auto parts store as "GOOD", then I would bet that your charging system has a problem. Here is some good info on diagnosing your charging system:

Testing The Charging System - Harley Davidson Community

Another thing you can do quickly is to open up the primary access (derby cover or tensioner adjustment cover) and sniff the fluid. If it has a definite "burnt" smell, I would bet your stator is fried!! But you should go through the testing anyway.

TQ

 

[glider]

First off, check the codes and see what you bring up.

09-08-07 DTC Codes - Harley Davidson Community

With the neutral light coming on while riding and especially being you ride in the rain, the neutral switch on the trans top cover is what I suspect doing this. I replaced 3 of them on my 07 RK.
If by chance this light comes on again, pull over and shut the ignition off then back on and try to start the motor in gear with the clutch handle out (hand not on it). Just tap the start button to see if the bike lurches. If it does lurch being it is in gear, change the neutral switch. When it goes bad this is the quick and easy way to test that. The circuit in the neutral switch handles both the neutral light and the clutch safety switch.

Also with your mileage and not knowing what trans oil you use, I would also suspect the vehicle speed sensor as a possible cause too.

Speed Sensor Pickup Problem Symptoms - Harley Davidson Community

 

[Renfield]

Will try all of the above, thanks! Thanks, guys!