I've tried with a brand new battery before and didnt make a difference, so i ended up returning it.

-Tried jump starting using a car, no success. put the negative cable to the frame, no success

-did a voltage drop check like ranchodeluxe said, i think this is my problem. voltage at the battery terminal when pushing the start button reads 11.7 vs 6.7 at the starter. any additional information on what this means and how to correct it?

Also havent performed the OHM resistance test, in the process of researching it now any information on this as well?

 

Ok, now we are onto something. First you should have at-least 12.6V at the pos battery cable. If not, you need to remedy that first. Is the charging system working? If you tried a new battery, it may not have been serviced properly? I know that's a bit of a stretch, but. The positive cable tends to rot at the bottom, the little rubber cover can hold water. You have done an accurate diagnosis of the positive cable. That will likely fix your issue, just to replace it. If you remove both end of the ground cable and hook your ohmmeter, one lead to each end. You are looking for low resistance. I can't really give you a spec, but it should be just a few ohms, not mega-ohms. What you are checking here is corrosion of the cable, causing high resistance. Wiggle the cable and see if it changes much (the cables could be not letting your battery charge, as well). If both cables are old, replace and be done. If the issue persists, make sure the starter housing is grounded through that chrome housing. You can do that with a simple continuity test from the starter case to the engine case. If the starter works, wear it out, then get a factory one. I hope this gets you on the road. It's time to ride.

Edit, I missed where you said 11.7 while pushing starter button, that's probably alright, but check everything anyway.

 

It sounds to me like the positive cable from the battery to the starter is bad..the test is to run a heavy jumper from the battery + to the starter solenoid input (top large connection) , you can use a jumper cable for a car for this....or you can ohm check it with a meter....these cables oftenly corrode between the crimp connection and the end of the wire, so that you don't notice anything wrong....I would also check the ground (-) cable, if it is bad it can also cause the same issues...

 

Ya, What he said.

 

- my charging system is not working, hasnt worked for the past 6 months of me owning the bike, but this starter problem only started happening recently. I do have a regulator im waiting to install after i get all this sorted out...is it possible this voltage drop issue is affecting my charging system as well?

- i tried hooking up the battery directly to the starter through only the positive terminal (while it was still hooked up on the bike), but it didnt work. matter of fact the solenoid didnt even engage or make any clicking noises. when i tried to put a jumper cable on the ground connector on the starter solenoid, sparks flew...is this supposed to happen? the other side of the jumper cable wasnt connected to anything. *just to clarify, the positive connection is on top of the starter, and the negative/ground is to the left/bottom on the solenoid side correct?*

-gonna replace my positive and ground terminal cables tomorrow and see if that will do anything. will report back.

 

Did you say the starter relay is new? If not I would replace that, as they tend fail and cause the starter clicking you describe.

 

yea the starter relay is new, one of the first things i did actually

 

Of course, bad grounds can/will cause charging failure. You need to get this fixed, right away and replace the battery, if it's been being run off a charger, or jump starts.

You need to hook your jumper to the top terminal on the starter, then use a light duty jumper wire from the top terminal to the spade terminal (the one the green wire goes to. This closes the circuit, and the starter should work. If not, go to the bottom terminal (the one you thought was ground, it isn't, as the starter grounds thru the starter case. When you hook positive batt power to the bottom terminal, the starter motor should spin, but not engage the engine. If this is the case, your solenoid is bad. I doubt it, though.

The pic you showed indicate the solenoid is likely serviceable. In my little pissing contest with the starter expert, my point was simply that I would replace the cheap parts while I was in there. But I have seen them much worse.

Yes, replace the battery cables, making sure to use star washers anywhere needed. Then retest your voltage drop and continuity to ground.

I am dubious of your charging system diagnosis, Care to share your diagnostic path? You need to have a working system, or it's going to cause you all kinds of grief.

 

update: so i finally found some time to devote to the sportster, i changed the battery cables and that fixed the voltage drop problem (i forgot to use star washers)...but the starter still wont turn over. voltage drop on both the battery and starter is now around 11.8v after holding the start button for 5 seconds. it sounds like it really wants to start but something is not engaging in the starter....im very close to just buying a new starter at this point.

ive tried hooking a jumper cable directly to the postive terminal on the starter, but it always sparks everytime i get near, any idea why? I've attached a video, maybe the noises will help with the troubleshooting.

 

vasol, Not to be an asshat but geeze you have been dicking around with that starter for a month and half when its a couple hours to just replace it!

We (the members) that actually took time to try and help you have gave you more than enough info and most has pointed to replace it!

So **** or get off the pot dude come on! You are not helping the next guy with a starter issue by procrastinating on this its not fixing itself!