When I go to start my '08 Nightster it seems to me that the battery shorts out when I press the start button. When I turn the key I get a full panel of lights. When I flip the on switch I hear a whining sound for a few second and finally when I hit the ignition switch I hear a single pop or click coming from the general starter/battery/ realy area. Affter that my light panel goes dark as if I have a completey dead battery. The battery is 3 months old. I don't know where to troubleshoot next? To me it's almost as if the battery is shorting out somewhere so would replacing the realay do much? If youve ever dealt with a shorting problem or had a similar experience any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

Your battery is either dead OR the terminals may be dirty/not tight enough.

If the battery is dead then return it for replacement or pickup a new one. Prior to that try pulling it out and cleaning all the terminals with a wire brush then make sure they are tight. You can also check the ground strap to the rear of the motor us clean and tight.

 

Hi I had exactly the same problem, the lights all faded out and the clock memory was lost. It turned out to be the earth cable and because it is such a drag to get off the bike I bought an eighteen inch earth bonding strap in an automotive store. I fitted it in parallel with the original ( left the original in place) its really transformed the starting performance and all for 8 GBP and a half hours work.