Hey yall-

ill start off by saying i have read probably every thread on here and other forums about not starting and still… i have no luck. Pardon me adding to the long list of threads…

1200 sportster

Last week i adjusted my timing according to hammer performance 2000i installation video.

i accidentally set thr timing on wrong stroke so the timing was very advanced. I rode for about 10 mins and it ran like **** so i brought it home, realized my mistake and set timing properly.

i wentnto start it and it ran fine for a few minutes. When i went to take off it popped out of the exhaust and shut off. Since then it has rarely started.

i began by checking battery which was at 12.3v which i thought was low. It eventually died during start attempts so i charged overnight and got to 13.8 i believe. (Anti-gravity li-ion).

I checked my spark plugs which were producing good spark. I checked my carb which is spraying gas properly. I checked my compression which was at 135/140.

the bike cranks with good speed (i compared to friends 1200 as well) but it will not turn over.

it randomly started two days ago after many attempts. I rode it andnit ran great. Shut it down for an hour or two and started right up again. But then the next day it would not start again.

sometimes the plugs do seem to get wet when im trying to start it andnive been letting it air out overnight because i imagine its flooding the cylinders with all the start attempts.

im at a loss. The timing is set basically where it was last week before i messed with anything. Everything else hasnt been changed. It used to start every single time. Usually i will just back track to where i was before the problem, but this time that is not working. Any help is much appreciated!! Thank you!

 

A few more details:

wiring is pretty bare-bones. Cant find any loose connections or loose grounds.

1200 sportster, drag pipes (i know people will say to change these but bike ran great prior to this incident so ive ruled out exhaust) lowbrow air cleaner, dyna 2000i ignition module.

gas is getting to carb and spraying.

also i took apart carb and everything seems to be good. Sprayed carb clean and some air through passages.

 

I find you don't need to wick the throttle when starting. Just pull the enrichener and hit the start button. You may be flooding it. It's easier to do than you think.

John

 

thabks for takin the time to reply.

today i noticed my spark was really weak a
in the rear spark plug so i did a little troubleshooting and realized that both my spark plug cable as well as the coil were going bad.

swapped out for a coil i happened to have already and and old plug cable (still good, took it off for cosmetic changes)

she fired up first shot! Ran like a champion.

anyway thanks to this forum for all the help over the years

 

Nice work!

John