Hello ....
i have a 2017 Road King Special, after a long run the next morning when I go to start the bike it turns over and splutters and can back fire ( sounds like compression or air ) but does not start. The only way I can start it is to throttle fully and it fires up straight away. I was always told not to do this when starting the bike but it’s the only way it will start. I left it in with a dealer who changed the plugs and said it would sort the problem but it didn’t .
once the bike has fired up and run for matter of seconds I can turn it off and it starts on the button no throttle , it’s all about the first start after sitting over night .... has anyone any ideas ?

 

Are you holding the throttle full twist while hitting the starter or just giving it a twist and then hitting the starter?

Next question. Are you twisting the throttle slightly when shutting it down? Sometimes this can cause an issue with the throttle position sensor. There's a way to reset that.

 

Thanks for your reply, no I’m not turning throttle at all when starting it first , I was told to just push the starter without twisting the throttle, so after doing this a couple of times , if I throttle back fully and push start it fires up straight away but I’m afraid I might damage or over load the engine as it revs up very high initially.

 

And your second question I am not really aware that I’m twisting the throttle just before turning off ( if that’s what you meant ) but it could happen alright , how do you re set that if I am doing it ?

 

That's strange. Our U.S EFI bikes won't start WOT!