battery probably..you live in Vegas..brutal heat is very hard on them..did you religously use a battery tender, occasionally, or never?

 

Check connections. Put it on tender for at least over night see how it fires. If it fires up good leave it off tend a few days and see if you notice it getting harder to start after it sits a day or so. If that is the case battery needs to be replaced.

 

It's not the battery guys, it's ridden every day, it never sits long enough to need a battery tender, and as I said AFTER it starts it's running like crap and it's getting worse every start. It won't even stay running or idle without dying now without keeping on the throttle.

 

Just f/ good measure, meter the battery (bike off & then bike on) & post voltage levels so it can be rules out.

 

Wasn't there an intake manifold problem on some bikes? Plastic manifold deforms & doesn't seal.

 

Battery, put a multimeter on the battery and see what the voltage drop is as you start it. If it's very low then your amperage is going to spike and take something out, possibly wire meltdown. The battery voltage may read good but it is when it is under load that matters. A failing battery can also damage your charging system as you are riding.

 

Healthy battery is vital to heathy spark, poor spark you are not going to run!

 

once the bike is started, the battery is just along for the ride, the alternator is providing all the juice from that point. After the bike is started you can disconnect the battery and ride all day without it, till you shut down and need to restart...

As I said after it starts it runs like crap and won't stay running without being on the throttle and it's still missing and blowing black smoke...

I had the H-D dealer pick it up saturday and when it was picked up I showed em the hard start followed by running like crap issue that started the same day...

they just called me, no codes, historical or otherwise, and the battery is perfect and...

They have not been able to reproduce the issue since it got there...

So I'm like great, I have a f-n intermittant issue on a two year old bike with 5,400 miles...

perfect.

 

"2018 FLRT Freewheeler M8 107"
"5,400 miles I'm the original owner"
"I ride it everyday freeway in am, city streets in the afternoon'
"1st start of the day and every start since, is hard to start, and getting harder to start and it's running worse every start today"
"As I said after it starts it runs like crap and won't stay running without being on the throttle and it's still missing and blowing black smoke..."
"They have not been able to reproduce the issue since it got there..."

ok this is all really weird..goes from repeatable total crap for you to running normal for them..and you are the original owner of a two year old Harley and ride it every day and it has only 5400 miles on it..so many questions and confusion with all this

 

i have a 2018 fxlr that has a rubbing like a bad brake sound. its not the brakes been checked. replaced clutch plates. they were black and had evidence of heat damage. that took care of noise but the clutch sounds and slightly hard shifting is coming back. harley and their dealer's mechanics claim to not hear anything. they are full of ****. they don't want to acknowledge the problem cause it probably cause another recall. i need help. at a loss for a solution.