Old coils will drop out on you if you've had battery problems , had several shovels through here the last year with bad coils .

If you find a used one please get a meter and check the OHM reading across the terminals , the old point system they ran 4.7 or more ohms , the later electronic ign. used 3 ohm or less and it does make a difference .

New make sure which ignition system you have don't go by year alone most have been changed or screwed with by now points or Dyna S systems use the 5ohm , stock or aftermarket electronic uses the 3 ohm .

Change the plug wires while your there , another over looked problem I find a lot .

 

I too have owned and worked on a few shovelheads.
With a bike this old a variety of things could be causing your problem.

Before spending too much money, I'd go with the cheapest items first.
A new battery, sparkp plugs, points and condenser is where I'd start and then get a voltmeter and start checking to see that you have an electrical current where you're supposed to.
I've had ignition switches and kill switches to go bad and drive me nuts until I relented and used either a test light or a voltmeter.

Another thing that I would recommend that you check and or replace is the carb mounting "compliance fittings".
If these little buggers develop cracks they can start sucking air which cause a "lean air mixture" which could lead to some very serious engine performance or damge if not immediately corrected.
A friend of mine had this problem and heended up having to do an upper end job on his engine, wher just a few bucks and a little bit of labor could have prevented it from happening.

 

Well it's time to become a good mechanic if you're gonna keep that bike buddy. They aren't maintenance free in the least.
Might want to try picking up a manual or two for the bike, and well, welcome to the forums :-) you'll be here often enough

 

lots of old shovels are cantankerous, you sometimes have to learn the sequence.

first make sure that you have spark.

you might try dipping new plugs in gas, then installing & see if it cranks, sometimes that can help.

if it has electronic ignition, sometimes they like a fully charged battery, where if points they will crank even if battery is weak.

read the blobs post, 3 to 4 kicks with ignition off, then get engine to compression stroke, turn ignition on, & choke on, dont twist throttle, give a hard swift full force kick, if doesnt fire, get back on compression & try again.

there are things that can cause hard starting, but for now just see if you can learn its starting ritual.

 

Properly tuned shovel is a one kick machine and each shovel has it's own happy spot to get there they all tweak just a bit different . Get it tuned by somebody who has a clue and save yourself the headaches .

 

Try wiggling the ignition switch, kick it a few times, wiggle the switch again, kick, repeat as necessary until it pops. Might be the problem.

 

my shovelhead kick starter quit working there is no resistance when i try to start it. i took cover off and it looks like the gear isnt engageing. could it be the spring? can anyone help?

 

I'm not quit catching what you mean , are you talking about the spring behind the ratchet gear on the end of the main shaft ? If it's broke you should be able to see it , most times the bushing in that gear goes making it skip and not engage .

 

im not real sure. it is the gears that come together to turn the motor over. i cant figure out what makes them engage each other. the gear on the end of the kick start lever is turning the inside gear its just not engaging the outer most gear. if that makes any sense to you

 

If you've had enough yet, let me know....I'd make you a fair offer on the shovel