Bought a 98 Super Glide the other day. Its carbed, has an Evo. Took it out for long ride, no problems starting, running.

The key ignition is side mounted near battery, the factory barrel HD type. Parked it for some food, came back 30 minutes later, and no power on IGN. Only power on Accessory. Luckily, a few dudes who were motorcycle mechanics happened to be parked next to me saw I was having problems and gave me a hand. They got me jump started, but it died about 30 seconds after.

So, now I'm stuck. Here's what going on:

- Bike gets power on ACC and IGN, turn signals work on both ACC and IGN.
- Brake light switch works
- Speedo lights up on ACC and IGN
- Headlight does not come on with key on IGN.
- No starter on IGN
- No neutral light on IGN

 

The first thing I would do is charge up the battery , then take it in for a load test , most places will do it for free . After you get the battery done , get yourself a can of electrical contact cleaner and go through all of your connections , battery cables ( both ends ) , Neg terminals , fuse / box , relays etc . If there is any corrosion on these connections , you will have issues .

My guess , you have a bad battery , if it does test good , then I would start checking connections , you should have 12v + at the single wire going to the starter , if not , could be a broken / damaged wire or bad / corroded relay .

Good luck , keep us posted .

 

Load tested the battery, came back bad at two separate places. Picked up a new battery, battery read 13.1 volts when I left. Cleaned negative ground on frame and wire, cleaned positive cable. Circuits look good too on electrical panel. Charged battery up to full, installed. Key on ACC and IGN still produces no power to headlight or starter. Neutral light is still out as well. Only turn signals/hazards work, brake light, speedo light. Its as though the ignition switch barrel is stuck on ACC whn you turn the key to IGN. Sounds to me like a faulty ignition switch. I think throughout the years, some person(s) sprayed WD40 into the key barrel, gunked it all up and screwed up the ignition. My guy said he he is going replace the ignition barrel, so I'll see what comes of it.

 

Glad your getting closer to finding the issue , hopefully you got it . Looks as though you needed a new battery anyway , would have sucked to be stranded somewhere . The older ignitions can be taken apart and cleaned , but really depends on how badly the points are worn down , but a new barrel would certainly be a better option .

 

Im wondering if not just the barrel, but the whole connector that goes to the harness needs replacing. Parts 18, 20, 21

 

Disconnect the ignition switch at what shows to be 21 in the schematic above.. Now on your harness side of the ignition switch, with a test light figure out which one is the main power. Then make a jumper and jump that terminal to each of the other 2, one at a time and see if everything comes on.. This will eliminate any possibility of the switch itself being bad.. Also over in the Evo Section at the top there is a sticky on how to test your charging system.. I suggest you take a look at it....

 

It would be my guess , that when you purchase a new barrel , it will come with 20 and 21 already installed , those parts should be optional if your barrel was good and just needed the pins or casing .

 

My guy pulled apart the ignition, found a corroded and exposed wire in the ignition. He soldered in a new wire, headlight and starter popped over. Replaced the old circuit fuses too.

 

Glad you got it all fixed up , sounds like your back on the road , enjoy , ride safe .