I just bought my very first motorcyle, a 2001 HD xl1200 custom
sportster! It is a beautiful bike and only has 2300 miles on it. The
problem that I have found is electrical I believe. When I first bought
the bike the battery was dead, so i charged it. The bike ran fine for
a day while on short practice rides. A day or two later it was dead
and all the motor would to when i tried to start was make a rapid
clicking sound. It seems the battery is not being charged by the bike. I
purchased and brand new battery 2-3 days ago that had been charged by
the dealer and the bike ran great! Today after a 40 minute ride I let
it sit for about two hours came back and it started...I then rode for
another 20 minutes and when i stopped the engine only clicked again.
After trickle charging for two hours it started again. WHAT IS GOING
ON? WHY WONT MY BATTERY STAY CHARGED? Please help before it is to
cold to ride anymore! I can't find any loose connections either.

Thank you,

Erik

 

A charging system check is in order, but those were very prone to poor regulator grounds. If your regulator does not have a ground wire, make sure that the paint is scraped off of ot where ir contacts the bike - star washers are also a good investment here.

 

Hello All, I am new to the Harley World as well, I bought a 1993 Electra Glide Sport, It ran awesome , I left to go to california for a few months, long story short, one of my kiddies turned the ignition switch on, killing the battery, well I repalced the battery, fully charged it for 20 hours, when I tried starting it the starter would hit but it will not turn over, Does anyone have any ideas on what could be possibly doing this, I am uncertain if it could be battery related, It would start up and run fine everytime, until they killed the battery.Any Help is greatly Appreceated, I want to get a few more rides in before the weather turns .